The effects of resettlement on community recovery : an analysis of post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia

In a context of constrained time, resources and geographical space, populations displaced by natural disaster often face diverse and/or ad hoc resettlement schemes. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand factors that can influence successful resettlement several years after a natural disaster so that it may better inform the management and planning of recovery processes. As such, this research asks: ‘How do resettlement patterns influence long-term holistic community disaster recovery?’ To address this question, this study explores recovery across five communities affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. Using a mixed methods comparative case study design, villages in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar that represent differences in resettlement process and pattern were targeted. Findings are based on fieldwork across these communities – Bitai, Gampong Baro, Lampulo, Neheun Compound and Panteriek Compound – six years after the disaster. Data collection included key informant interviews (i.e., village chief, elders, etc.), key expert interviews (i.e., members of government, NGOs, and academia), focus group discussions (i.e., villagers), direct observations, and secondary data. In the absence of a generally accepted method to measure community disaster recovery, a survey tool was implemented to assess holistic wellbeing outcomes. This tool is developed by operationalizing a capabilities-based approach through a series of steps that lead to a multi- dimensional recovery index. Results show that differences in overall recovery across the villages are not explained by either resettlement process (participation versus non participation) or pattern (resettlement in previous location versus in new location). Further qualitative data analysis displays that resettlement success in the five cases is influenced by (1) location, which shapes livelihood, connectivity and safety, and (2) built environment, which shapes sociability, identity and belonging. Comparisons across cases highlight that these influences impact recovery through a number of mechanisms of importance, such as access to governance structures, availability of gathering places, and social norms and behaviours. The analysis also describes how mechanisms are mediated by leadership, proximity and community composition. The findings support a broader understanding of post-disaster processes, including an emphasis on intangible dimensions and a need to approach resettlement using a lens of ‘place’.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat

Religion in Spaces of Social Disruption:Re-Reading the Public Transcript of Disaster Relief in Pakistan

This paper explores how everyday religious narratives in post-disaster contexts can be interpreted as key sites of agency articulated in resistance to dominant discourses of disaster relief. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among affected communities after the 2010 floods in Pakistan, we argue that religious discourses code everyday actions with political meaning and significance. Deploying Scott's (1990) theorization of hidden transcripts and everyday acts of resistance, as well as Mahmood's (2005) more recent framing of agency as a capacity for action, we argue that local communities are dynamic political actors capable of transformative interventions even in the wake of major disasters and the relief efforts that ensue in their wake. By exploring how religious narratives are mobilized by local communities we seek to better understand how the post -disaster arena is used to rework concepts of ‘beneficiaries’, ‘relief provision,’ and ‘religion.

Community-scale damage, disruption, and early recovery in the 2010 haiti earthquake

This study seeks to assess the levels of community-scale building damage and socioeconomic disruption following the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. Damage and disruption were analyzed for pre-event, post-event, and early recovery time periods in seven Haitian communities-three inside and four outside Port-au-Prince. Damage datasets from the Global Earth Observation- Catastrophe Assessment Network (GEO-CAN) postdisaster assessment were combined with analyses of fine-resolution satellite and aerial imagery to quantify building damage and recovery status, and were verified with field data. Disruption was assessed using community-level data obtained from interviews conducted in May 2010 with community leaders, NGOs, and government utility providers. The data pertain to 11 sectors, including shelter, livelihoods, and social networks. The findings document severe disruption and uneven restoration four months after the earthquake. Disruption showed little correlation with physical damage. Observations suggest that the impacts of the earthquake must be understood in the context of chronic disruption, and many consequences of the earthquake are merely deferred during recovery. © 2011, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

Disasters and Risk in Cities

The effects of climate-related disasters are often exacerbated in cities due to interactions with urban infrastructure systems, growing urban populations, cultures, and economic activities. Because the majority of the world’s population is currently living in cities –and with this share projected to increase in the coming decades– cities need to focus on improving responses to climate-related disasters such as heat waves, floods, and droughts. In a changing climate, a new decision-making framework is needed in order to manage emerging and increasing risks. This involves a paradigm shift away from attention to single climate hazards based on past events. The new paradigm requires integrated, system-based risk assessments and interventions that address current and future hazards throughout entire metropolitan regions.Fil: Gencer, Ebru. No especifíca;Fil: Folorunsho, Regina. No especifíca;Fil: Linkin, Megan. No especifíca;Fil: Wang, Xiaoming. No especifíca;Fil: Natenzon, Claudia Eleonor. No especifíca;Fil: Wajih, Shiraz. No especifíca;Fil: Mani, Nivedita. No especifíca;Fil: Esquivel, Maricarmen. No especifíca;Fil: Ali Ibrahim, Somayya. Columbia University; Estados Unidos. National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Tsuneki, Hori. No especifíca;Fil: Castro Diaz, Ivan Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Geografía "Romualdo Ardissone"; ArgentinaFil: Leone, Mattia Federico. No especifíca;Fil: Panjwani, Dilnoor. No especifíca;Fil: Romero Lankao, Patricia. National Center for Atmospheric Research; Estados UnidosFil: Solecki, William. City University of New York; Estados Unido