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Post-disaster reconnaissance is vital for assessing the impact of a natural disaster on the built environment and informing improvements in design, construction, risk mitigation, and our understanding of extreme events. The data obtained from reconnaissance can also be utilized to improve disaster recovery planning by maximizing resource efficiency, minimizing waste, and promoting resilience in future disasters. This paper aims to investigate existing reconnaissance reports and datasets to identify the factors that impact the reusability of buildings post-disaster and to recommend strategies that align with circular economy goals. The study adopted a three-step research methodology to attain the proposed goals: (1) thematic analysis was used to evaluate types of damages reported in the reconnaissance reports; (2) a supervised machine-learning algorithm was employed to analyze reconnaissance datasets; and (3) a concept map was developed based on interviews of 109 stakeholders in disaster-prone communities to recommend strategies to adopt circular economy practices post-disaster. The study results highlight the recurring risks of damage to different parts of the building and how circular economy resilience practices like deconstruction can minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency during post-disaster recovery. The findings of the study promote a more regenerative economy to build resilience to the challenges of future extreme weather events.
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Theory of change: community engagement as an intervention to create disaster resilience
Community resilience is a compelling problem that brings together many disciplines of study. Too often researchers wait until the end of research projects to disseminate findings, and may not include any intentional efforts toward technology translation. Convergence, and particularly the technology transfer aspects of convergence, should be a central goal for resilience research. This paper presents a theory of change proposing community engagement as the intervention needed for realizing actual community resilience. Three illustrative examples simultaneously demonstrate the need for the intervention and are used to provide guidance to researchers interested in learning how to engage. The first example illustrates investigator-driven research via post-hurricane reconnaissance coupled with experimental testing in a wind laboratory. The first example exemplifies technology transfer through regulatory changes. The second example illustrates community-based research via a post-tornado reconnaissance study, and exemplifies technology transfer through industry and outreach publications and public media. The third example illustrates community-driven research that developed a local climate plan, and incorporated the co-production of knowledge. The research translated throughout the project due to the community engaged approach leading to immediate adoption of the final research outcomes. Findings from this paper can be used to help other researchers determine the level of community involvement and navigate technology transfer options based on the goals and context of their own research.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2148878
- PAR ID:
- 10491970
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Built Environment
- Volume:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2297-3362
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1172659
