Alice Yan Chang-Richards

Improving construction sector resilience

Purpose Improving the resilience of the construction sector helps countries recover quicker from crises and can assist with improving community resilience and recovery. This study aims to explore ways in which the construction sector might improve its resilience. Design/methodology/approach This paper examined past disasters and the role construction plays to understand what and how better construction resilience can be built, and the impact this will have on recovery and reconstruction. Findings The findings showed that after a crisis, the construction sector is called upon to manage building and infrastructure recovery and reconstruction. Construction organisations are needed by the community, as they provide physical resources, people, materials, logistics, management and technical expertise and rebuilding. To ensure that recovery and reconstruction programs are successfully implemented, it is necessary for the construction sector to be resilient. To achieve improved resilience in the construction industry, disaster resilience management needs to become mainstreamed into construction processes. Research limitations/implications Although larger organisations have some preparation to respond to crises, including having emergency or disaster plans, smaller companies struggle to achieve a reasonable level of resilience. It appears that senior management and key people in construction organisations are familiar with the procedures but that the majority of staff in organisations lack knowledge and skills. Practical implications Understanding the role the construction sector plays in disasters and providing directions for improving construction sector resilience will ultimately improve recovery and reconstruction outcomes. Social Implications This paper discusses how communities rely on services provided by construction organisations to enable them to recover from emergencies and crises. Pre-disaster construction company resilience impacts on the ability of construction companies to function post-disaster. Originality/value This paper focuses on a number of cases and shows where and how the construction sector has worked in disasters and provides a new analysis of the role the industry plays, and the various disaster stages where the industry has maximum impact.

Community Participation to Build Back Better: Evidence from the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes

Community-based recovery is a process where the recovery is enhanced by using social capital, placing the community at the center of the recovery process. The community’s capacity to aid recovery should be instrumental to recovery processes and is thought to enhance the ability of the community to build back better. The transfer of experience and knowledge from the community could accelerate recovery, as community needs are at the forefront of the recovery. Using ancient and traditional knowledge coupled with modern technologies can enhance recovery. A better recovery is unlikely without active participation from the community. This study focuses on post-disaster recovery based on community participation following the Nepal earthquakes. It aims to understand the role of active community participation in building back better and its implications for improving recovery. This research considers practical implications from the case study of Nepal. The methods used in this research include observations after the earthquakes in Nepal on April and May of 2015. Active community participation was observed after the Nepal earthquakes (25 April and 12 May 2015). Volunteers from the community were active in the immediate rescue, and locally available materials were used to construct temporary shelters. The community was active in preparing food and in the distribution of water supply. Findings suggest the importance of social relationships, trust, respect, and value for each other enhanced recovery. Building better community cohesiveness and assisting community-based recovery help withstand future disasters. Social cohesion, social bonds, relationships, communications, neighborhood, and festivals are important for enhanced recovery. This paper reinforces the need for active community participation in disaster recovery.

Effects of disasters on displaced workers

Natural disasters can have significant impacts on the workforce in affected regions. There are often widespread disruptions to labour supply due to displacement of people from their jobs, either by disrupting their place of work or by disrupting a worker’s ability to attend work. This research aims to investigate the patterns of impact that disasters have on the workforce and the employment and livelihood issues that emerge during post-disaster recovery. By using comparative case study approach, this research compares recent disaster events, including the June 2013 Southern Alberta floods in Canada, the 2010 and 2011 Queensland floods in Australia, the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand, the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. It was found that common disaster effects on displaced workers included job and worker displacement, loss of income, disruptions to workers’ livelihoods and creation of additional participation barriers, particularly for females, youth and individuals with lower skill sets. Comparison of different disaster events also revealed insights into how disasters can change the local labour market structure post-disaster. General economic conditions, sectoral structure as well as business and individual coping mechanisms all influence livelihood outcomes for the affected workers. As the post-disaster recovery progresses in Queensland (Australia), Canterbury (New Zealand) and Tohoku (Japan), coordination of employment and livelihood initiatives with housing and other welfare policies is critical for ensuring that job opportunities are available to everyone, especially those with disadvantage.