How can design impact in disaster recovery housing?

Abstract

The American disaster recovery housing system is in need of systemic change. Currently, disaster recovery takes far too long, costs too much, and, in some cases, excludes the communities most in need of assistance. The Rapid Disaster Recovery Housing Program (RAPIDO) is one example of how designing a housing strategy as part of a system’s model can impact change at the federal, state, and local levels while creating a bottom-up, locally-driven approach centered on the families and communities that it intends to support. There are lessons to be learned from past disaster experiences, and RAPIDO provides policy and technical recommendations that allow for local adaptation and implementation. Keywords: mergency housing, community participation, disaster recovery, public policy, Rapid Disaster Recovery Housing (RAPIDO).