From local building practices to vulnerability reduction: building resilience through existing resources, knowledge and know-how

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This paper presents an experience conducted in the framework of a disaster preparedness programme in Bangladesh, where the understanding of existing building culture and resources represents the starting point to develop vulnerability reduction strategies strongly rooted into local conditions and practices. Bangladesh is a multi-hazard prone country. Based on lessons learnt from shelter response after 2007 and 2009 cyclones, a major Bangladeshi implementing agency jointly with a Bangladesh University and with the support of a foreign international agency, took the challenge to associate local communities, operational and academic stakeholders as well as linking emergency, rehabilitation and development. After a pilot phase, a 3-years programme has been undertaken at national level to develop strategies for habitat, risk reduction and disaster preparedness, on the basis of a strong participatory and interdisciplinary approach. This process started with the analysis of local houses, resources and coping practices in different regions of the country. From the findings, technical solutions have been elaborated, for each area, to improve existing buildings as well as to respond to future crisis, according to cultural, social, environmental and economical specificities of each site. Past experiences on post-disaster response have highlighted the need for more context specific approaches, that do not focus only on effective and efficient built products but that directly contribute to a sustainable and long term vulnerability reduction and poverty reduction. In areas prone to recurrent natural hazards, local population and builders have often integrated these risks into their daily practices, developing in many cases particular behaviour, to reduce the vulnerability of the built environment. These coping strategies are usually a balance between existing skills, resources and risks and can be extremely valuable for the enhancement of local resilience. Assessment alone is not enough to foster the development of affordable and sustainable solutions; awareness also needs to be developed. Starting from how we apply learning’s to other projects at regional and national level, this paper will explore the contribution of the analysis of local building culture into vulnerability reduction strategies, linking past present and future of a community