ABSTRACT
Anna Wachtmeister has worked for UN-Habitat, in the GTZ Participatory Urban Program, and at the Urban-Think Tank, among others. In Iraqi Kurdistan, she was involved with post-conflict urban revitalization for the ancient city of Erbil, including building the capacity of Iraqi professionals. Over the last two years, she has managed the processes of linking relief to development through Cordaid's integrated neighbourhood reconstruction programme, which is aimed at permanent housing solutions in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The interviews and supporting essays show built environment professionals collaborating with post-disaster communities as facilitators, collaborators and negotiators of land, space and shelter, rather than as 'save the world' modernists, as often portrayed in the design media. The goal is social and physical reconstruction, as a collaborative process involving a damaged community and its local culture, environment and economy; not just shelter 'projects' that 'build' houses but leave no economic footprint or longer-term community infrastructure.
