disaster management
Resilience and change in disaster response
After our discussions on transformational change and its application in sustainability research at the Human Ecology Forum last Friday, I’ve been thinking about sustainability, resilience and change in disaster response. I’m thinking about the ubiquitous motto “Build Back Better” used across the humanitarian sector - from the FAO to UNICEF to the shelter sector, where people are literally building back better. But I’ve been wondering what it actually means in terms of resilience and change to communities: build back better = build back different? Whose idea of better?
Sustainable international disaster response
We’ve having an online discussion exploring the concept of sustainable practice in international disaster response. This blog post is still developing: I’m asking contributions from a range of my informants, including disaster workers, Western and Indonesian academics, and disaster workers, to share their opinions about would a sustainable disaster response look like.
The role of the international humanitarian sector in disaster response
The focus of my thesis is to explore sustainable practice in international disaster response. As a result, I’ve recently been asking a number of my informants to share their opinions about what is, or should be, the role of the international humanitarian sector in disaster response.
Poverty-related trends in disaster response: the Global Poverty Project
I recently heard that the Global Poverty Project is looking for research assistants. Cool!! So just for fun, I thought I’d do a special post on poverty-related trends in disaster response. It begins with an interview with Dave Hodgkin, an emergency shelter and sustainable housing consultant …
Domes vodcast: perfect shelter for struggling cultures and impoverished lands
In April last year, Rebecca South, president of the Domes for the World foundation, was interviewed in this video podcast with Robert Scoble of PodTech.net on “how her non-profit is using unique building technology to built very inexpensive and durable structures for third-world countries”. Titled “Monolithic domes: perfect shelter for struggling cultures and impoverished lands”, I’ve posted here a transcription of the vodcast interview for those people in emerging countries with poor internet connections.
Blog post addressing the Human Ecology Forum, ANU
The Human Ecology Forum at the ANU has generously offered to spend some time at their gathering today (5 September) considering my research and responding to several questions. This blog post is a summary of my fieldwork and research questions, and is addressed to them.
Coordination, collaboration and the Cluster approach
We’ve recently been having a number of conversations about the role of the Cluster approach as a mechanism for as a collaborative decision-making in disaster response. Two aid workers with experience in Cluster coordination, Gregg McDonald and Dave Hodgkin, had some comments.
Appropriate shelter reconstruction and domed villages for the world
We recently visited the village of New Ngelepen in east Jogyakarta, affectionately referred to as “Tellytubby village” by locals. New Ngelepen was built by the non-profit organisation Domes for the World Foundation, who are based in Salt Lake City and build domes in communities around the world. I recently interviewed Dave Hodgkin about New Ngelepen, discussing the domed village as an example of post-earthquake reconstruction, the nature of appropriate disaster relief and the Cluster approach.
Second fieldtrip to Bali: books, disasters and birthday parties
We’ve just had an incredible week in Ubud, Bali. I had the opportunity to chat to Petra and Lachlan of IDEP, Ben from Mangrove Action Plan, raid the library of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation, and on our last night, talked to a bunch of crazy people including Samuel and Lee of Fast Action Response, at Linda Garland’s magical 60th birthday party at EBF headquarters.
Jogya Bamboo Forum
The Jogya Consultative Forum on 26 June. Powerpoints from the speakers, notes from me, photos. Part of the Humanitarian Bamboo Project.
