Risk and resilient architectural practices in informal settlements – the role of NGOs
International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
ISSN: 1759-5908
Article publication date: 11 October 2019
Issue publication date: 21 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the role played by small-size non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in slum upgrading, building and incremental housing processes in Brazil and Guinea-Bissau, focusing, in particular, on actions to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance community resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
The research method relied on literature review and fieldwork. It included surveys, activities with the communities, interviews and questionnaires. The data collected were subject to cross-disciplinary and comparative analysis.
Findings
The paper analyses the innovative methods and solutions used by NGOs in informal settlement upgrading and housing improvement works related to disaster risk reduction, namely, community mapping and design, and show how they end up building community resilience.
Research limitations/implications
Grasping the impacts of NGOs’ work whether in slums of Brazil or Africa requires staying with communities for a significant amount of time. However, those stays raise many practical problems regarding security, health and related costs.
Originality/value
The existing literature misses to address from a comparative perspective, the methods used by social workers and designers teams in slums. This paper aims at filling this gap in slum studies. Its originality and value rely on the particular experience of the authors, who were personally involved in the NGOs actions and could deepen the connections between vulnerabilities, risk and successful aid-self-help practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the communities of the Morro Vital Brazil and of the Escola Catolica de Santa Clara, in Freguesia de Brá, Bissau, for their collaboration and welcome. Also, the Instituto Vital Brazil, the University of Lisbon/Faculty of Architecture/CIAUD, Research Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design; the FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology and the NGOs Soluções Urbanas and Building 4Humanity Design and Reconstruction Communities Association.
Citation
Martins, A.N. and Rocha, A. (2018), "Risk and resilient architectural practices in informal settlements – the role of NGOs", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 276-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-09-2019-0063
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited