Adaptable built-environment as a potential strategy to sustain post-disaster resettlements in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In the recent decades, internal displacements occur in greater number across the world each year without drawing much attention. To minimise the causes and attenuate the consequences of displacement, governments and other concerned entities involve themselves in the process of resettlement to different degrees. However, the large-scale resettlements are often criticised for offering only temporary relief without meeting the long-term expectations of the affected communities. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the potentials of an adaptable built-environment to provide durable solutions to sustain post-disaster resettlements. Based on previous case studies 14 long-term struggles in adapting to a new built-environment are identified. A Likert scale questionnaire survey was conducted in 4 resettlement schemes in Sri Lanka, to scale the level of severity of the identified factors. Collected questionnaires were analysed using factor analysis technique to identify the underlying concepts of the adaptability issues. The findings of this study show that the underlying structure of the identified factors that affect the adaptability of the built-environment of the displaced community includes less availability of social infrastructure, the unfamiliarity of the houses, difference in the location, non-flexibility of the houses, comfort of the houses, and less availability of utilities. Similarly, the underlying structure of the host community includes less availability of social infrastructure, different usage of the land, community relationship, and less availability of the utilities.