Thesis abstract

Citation

(2014), "Thesis abstract", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 5 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-01-2014-0003

Thesis abstract

Article Type: Doctoral abstract From: International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Volume 5, Issue 1

Thesis title: Managing housing needs in post-conflict housing reconstruction
Degree: PhD
Candidate name: Krisanthi Seneviratne
Department: School of the Built Environment
College/university: University of Salford
Country: UK
Completion date: 28 October 2013
Language of the thesis: English
Thesis supervisor(s): Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga and Professor Richard Haigh
Postal address: Room 346, Maxwell Building, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK
Email: mailto:t.k.k.s.seneviratne@edu.salford.ac.uk

Conflicts bring deaths and disabilities, population displacements, destruction of properties and changes to societies. Conflicts also devastate the economy, health, education and institutions. Within this context post-conflict reconstruction contributes to overcome the legacies of conflict through reconstructing the enabling conditions for a functioning peacetime society. Post-conflict reconstruction involves a wide range of interventions needed to reactivate the development process that has been disrupted by the conflict. With regard to the post-conflict interventions, post-conflict housing reconstruction plays a vital role in establishing the development and peace in conflict affected countries. Despite its importance, the success of post-conflict housing reconstruction is hindered by a number of problems such as lack of community participation, lack of strategies to address the challenges faced by vulnerable people, lack of consideration of local and cultural conditions, lack of consideration of socio-economic conditions of affected people, poor technical oversight and a lack of security of land tenure. Consequently, these problems have caused dissatisfaction resulting in some people to remodel or abandon the houses. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the lack of consideration of housing needs in post-conflict housing reconstruction has directly or indirectly given rise to most of these issues. Therefore, addressing these needs would contribute to minimising the issues of post-conflict housing reconstruction and adequate housing measures provide guidelines in such situations in addressing housing needs in post-conflict housing reconstruction. However, the countries emerging from conflicts have different characteristics that add a different dimension to post-conflict housing reconstruction. Accordingly, addressing housing needs cannot be considered in isolation without considering the challenges pose by the characteristics of the post-conflict setting. In this context, there is a need to understand how these particular housing needs can be effectively addressed. Accordingly, this study addresses this eminent need by exploring how can the housing needs be effectively managed in post-conflict housing reconstruction. As Sri Lanka’s long lasting conflict came to an end in 2009 leaving a legacy of immense damage to housing, post-conflict housing reconstruction remains prominent within post-conflict interventions in the country. Accordingly, Sri Lanka provides a sound basis for this study and hence the study is centred on it.

Ontological and epistemological positions of this study led to subjectivism and interpretivism, respectively. Grounded theory approach was used as the research strategy. While unstructured interviews were used as the primary data collection technique, interviews were supplemented by creative visual images. Interviews were also verified through a documents review. Grounded theory data analysis procedure was used to analyse the unstructured interviews.

The study reveals the challenges, contributing factors and strategies in addressing housing needs in post-conflict housing reconstruction. It also identifies the gaps in managing housing needs and recommendations to minimise such gaps in managing housing needs in post-conflict housing reconstruction. Furthermore, the study develops a theoretical framework that presents the associated challenges, contributing factors, strategies, gaps and recommendations to minimise such gaps in managing accessibility, habitability, affordability, location, facilities, cultural consideration and security of land tenure in post-conflict housing reconstruction.

Keywords Conflict, Post-conflict, Post-conflict reconstruction, Post-conflict housing reconstruction, Housing needs, Managing housing needs