ABSTRACT
Disasters challenge communities’ capacities and their individual and collective behaviour to cope and recover from these stresses. Communities commonly rely on government leadership to reduce the risk of natural hazards or to recover from the loss of their built-environment. However, when governments’ capacities are limited or communities are excluded, people take the responsibility to develop adequate and safe housing relying on their own capacities and resources. This chapter investigates self-help housing adaptations and improvements in two locations: flood-prone informal riverside communities in Kathmandu, Nepal and disaster-induced resettled communities in the city of Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. This chapter is based on direct observations and interviews with the residents of these settlements.
The aim of this chapter is to explore communities’ perceptions and motivations, reasons, drivers and challenges to develop housing adaptations. The findings present an incremental process of housing improvement developed in different stages evolving from temporary to permanent constructions showing people’s motivations and efforts to gradually achieve their desired living environment. Understanding this process is fundamental for the re-definition of the relationships between residents and housing providers (i.e. governments, NGOs and private developers) towards the development of resilient communities.
