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Disaster risk reduction and 'built-in' resilience: towards overarching principles for construction practice
1Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, United Kingdom. L.Bosher@Lboro.ac.uk
Disasters
|August 21, 2010
Summary
The construction sector faces challenges in disaster risk reduction due to ingrained fragmented practices. This study proposes principles to embed resilience, requiring a shift in industry conventions for effective change.
Area of Science:
- Construction Management
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Growing emphasis on disaster risk reduction necessitates interdisciplinary expertise.
- The construction sector plays a critical role in addressing complex socio-technical challenges related to disasters.
- Fragmented practices within the built environment hinder structural and cultural change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the construction sector's role in disaster risk reduction.
- To identify barriers to creating a more resilient built environment within the construction industry.
- To propose principles for embedding resilience in construction development.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on resilience in the built environment.
- Analysis of the recursive nature of construction practices.
- Synthesis of overarching principles for resilience.
Main Results:
- The construction sector's practices are deeply ingrained and fragmented, making change difficult.
- A set of overarching principles can inform efforts to overcome barriers to resilience.
- These principles offer a starting point for embedding resilience at project and institutional levels.
Conclusions:
- Embedding resilience in the built environment requires challenging existing construction development conventions.
- Structural and cultural change is necessary for the construction sector to effectively contribute to disaster risk reduction.
- The proposed principles provide a framework for advancing resilience in construction projects and institutions.
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