Study on permanent housing production after 1999 earthquake in Kocaeli (Turkey)

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine production of permanent housing in Turkey after the 1999 Marmara earthquake in terms of planning, design, and construction, and to identify problems that were faced. Earthquake survivors face many problems that affect the return to normalcy, including disruptions in temporary and permanent housing. To improve the earthquake survivors' social‐psychological status, it is imperative to shorten the transition from temporary to permanent housing. For the transition to be as brief as possible, planning, design, and construction of permanent housing need to be carried out seamlessly.Design/methodology/approachA survey is carried out among those who took part in the permanent housing production in Kocaeli, where, after the Marmara earthquake in 1999, permanent housing practices were dense.FindingsAs a result of the study, the most important problem in the production process is found to be the limited time allocated for design and construction, and the restrictions in construction materials and elements imposed by the administration. Serious losses in the disaster make the ground state the factor of greatest priority in choosing the settlement area.Research limitations/implicationsKocaeli is chosen as the study area because after the earthquake, nearly 40 per cent of the permanent housing was constructed in Kocaeli. The study involves a multi‐dimensional inquiry in the context of site selection, area design, housing design, construction, and supervision criteria.Originality/valueThese data can serve as a resource for government/planners who develop policies for meeting post‐disaster reconstruction.

Re-conceptualising “Building Back Better” to improve post-disaster recovery

“…Although knowledge of BBB concepts is existent and recovery plans are produced for guidance there are complications in post-disaster environments such as: balancing the extent of improvement made to structural designs and land-use plans for risk reduction with affordability, time constraints, preferences and traditions of the local community (Baradan, 2006, Boano, 2009, Clinton, 2006, Tas, 2010; coordinating and communicating between the numerous stakeholders involved to avoid duplication of activities and produce efficient results Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, 2010, Batteate, 2006, Khasalamwa, 2009; establishing programmes to regenerate and re-establish livelihoods of the people to match their skills, resources and future demands (Khasalamwa, 2009, Clinton, 2006, James Lee Witt Associates, 2005; and facilitating reconstruction and recovery activities to take place for speedy results without compromising quality (James Lee Witt Associates, 2005, Khasalamwa, 2009, Ozcevik et al, 2009. The issues listed above have not been properly dealt with in order to overcome them.…”

Investigating Stakeholders' Perceptions of Feasibility and Implications of Modular Construction-Based Post-Disaster Reconstruction

“…As mentioned above, the completion of such projects may take at least 5 years which is a considerably long time period for restoration of affected people. Tas et al (2010) stated that 'time' is the most critical factor that determines the post-disaster permanent housing strategy. In addition to the reduction in recovery time, the time is crucial to reduce construction costs supported by federal government or personal resources.…”

Build back better: implementation in Victorian bushfire reconstruction

“…After the Bam earthquake in Iran and the Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan, one of the key principles in the reconstruction policy was to preserve the towns' cultural and architectural heritage (Halvorson and Hamilton, 2010;Omidvar, Zafari and Derakhshan, 2010). The importance of restoring social and cultural activities of the local people and providing sufficient psychological support has been documented in reports about the recovery efforts in San Francisco after the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Marmara earthquake in Turkey and the Victorian bushfires in Australia (Al-Nammari and Lindell, 2009;Tas, Tas and Cosgun, 2010;VBRRA, 2010).…”

“…• balancing structural design improvements and land-use plans to reduce risk against cost, time, community preferences and local traditions (Baradan, 2006;Boano, 2009;Clinton, 2006;Tas, Tas and Cosgun, 2010); • coordination between different stakeholders ( VBRC, 2010Batteate, 2005;Khasalamwa, 2009); • regeneration and re-establishment of livelihoods (Clinton, 2006;Khasalamwa, 2009); and • the facilitation of reconstruction and recovery processes without compromising quality (Khasalamwa, 2009;Ozcevik et al, 2009).…”