The emergence of resilience in the peacebuilding field shows an important change of paradigm and turn to the local context. So far few ethnographic research has been done to understand how resilience works locally and what are the mechanisms helping individuals to cope and recover from a crisis. This study intends to fill this gap through an ethnographic study of local mechanisms, structures, and understandings of resilience, gathering insights on the perspectives and experiences of women in a conflict-sensitive and post-natural disaster context. It relies on an abductive and inductive methodology using interviews and field-based observations answering the following research questions: 1) How are national and local organizations seeking to enhance the resilience of women in Putumayo? What are the tools and strategies they use? How are these related to their own understanding of resilience? 2) How do the women perceive and act in terms of resilience? How do they manage the consequences of the conflict and the natural catastrophe? What are their strategies of survival? The study brings forth a frame building on the current state of the literature, underlying factors contributing to the resilience of the local population in Putumayo and shedding light on local perspectives to contribute and deepen our current understanding of the concept.

The 2014-2016 Ebola pandemic in Sierra Leone significantly increased the orphan population and the need for social support programs, especially for student-orphans in higher education. Poorly prepared disaster response managers have little knowledge about how college student-orphans experience social services. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how post-Ebola student-orphans enrolled in an agricultural university in rural Sierra Leone experienced post disaster specialized case management to enhance student performance. Criterion sampling techniques including specific inclusion and exclusion criteria guided the recruitment, that included 10 research participants taking part in the semi structured interviews. Ecological system theory and postpositivist ontology informed this transcendental phenomenological research. The modified van Kaam transcendental phenomenological data analysis enabled the development of themes from lived experiences of post-Ebola case management for student-orphans. The findings of the research showed that student-orphans experienced specialized case management with three characterizations: (a) sadness, (b) happiness, and (c) anger which included information helpful for crisis and disaster case management administration and staff across similar circumstances. The social change implication for the study results include information useful for human service administrators and staff in designing and employing post disaster programs for college student-orphans.

Urban communities often lack the ability to recover after disaster plans have been implemented because of a lack of coordinated resources among federal, state, and local agencies. As a result, economically marginalized citizens find themselves in risky conditions, particularly concerning finding and securing post-disaster housing. Using social conflict theory as a guide, the purpose of this exploratory case study of an urban area in a southern state was to better understand the specific vulnerabilities of urban communities and develop solutions for challenges related to emergency or temporary shelters to victims. Data were primarily collected through interviews with 10 residents who experienced a series of tornadoes in 2011. These data were inductively coded and then subjected to a thematic analysis. Findings indicate that participants tended to consider themselves as displaced, but not homeless, even though temporary housing needs ranged between 45 days and 18 months. Participants also reported that coordination efforts to distribute funding to displaced residence failed, as did private insurance in most cases. As a result, competition for scarce resources was significant and most people tended to rely upon financial help from friends and family members. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include recommendations to city planners and emergency managers to strengthen relationships with community leaders to assess needs prior to a disaster and establish a 'bottom-up' planning policy rather than wait for a disaster to assess the availability of federal or state funding that may not come in order to proactively protect vulnerable community members from post-disaster housing deficiencies.

Disaster impacts have grown significantly in the last half century. Additionally, in 2007 the number of urban residents surpassed that of rural populations generating a struggle for resources, inevitably leading to increased challenges in the achievement of reduction in both urban poverty and disaster vulnerability. Although the literature on disaster recovery suggests that a ‘build back better’ approach is now the accepted norm, there are still many cases worldwide where the reconstruction process actually rebuilds rather than reduces vulnerabilities. The literature on disaster risk reduction provides some basic principles for sustainable hazard mitigation, however, evaluation criteria for effective post-disaster response and reconstruction have yet to be developed. This research will enrich the ongoing debate about what ‘sustainable hazard mitigation’ entails and how it fits into broader development goals in less developed countries (LDCs). A case study examination of a socio-ecological system allows for the identification of the ways in which planning, policy, partnerships, and the like, can be used to reduce vulnerabilities in a post-disaster setting, thus, improving outcomes in future disastrous events. In the absence of a framework for evaluation of disaster risk reduction effectiveness in the literature, an Assessment of Post-disaster Risk Reduction Effectiveness (PDARRE) was created. Thirty three criteria were derived from the literature and ‘good practices’ to address common challenges and necessary actions for successful post-disaster reconstruction which results in reduced vulnerability. The selected case study is a debris flow disaster which decimated the northern coastal state of Vargas, Venezuela in 1999. Torrential rainfall exceeding 900mm fell on the Sierra El Avila Mountains over three days. The results from the PDARRE evaluation found an overwhelmingly poor response to the Vargas disaster, although some positive actions were also noted. Individual community members were not well-informed of the risks they faced living in Vargas and have still not been provided adequate capacity to reduce their vulnerability, nine years after the disaster. The creation of new institutions immediately following the debris flows led to slow decision-making and weak governance as new managers struggled to adapt to their new positions. In addition, poor communication across government institutions, lack of enforcement of zoning policies and an incomplete system of early warning compounded vulnerability and governance concerns. Long-term monitoring of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction has typically been left to local governments that often get distracted by economic pressures and changes. To assist with post-disaster efforts, PDARRE was created to monitor and evaluate effectiveness. The criteria for this assessment were derived from many sources and were organized into categories to assist local governments to see which areas of their disaster response system are weakest, and enable effective adjustments to their activities, consequently improving the entire disaster management system. Though other checklists and tools for post-disaster response activities do exist, I argue that these over-emphasize the immediate response activities and time-frame. The post-disaster context provides an opportunity to harness funding that can be directed at-risk and vulnerability reduction efforts. Consistent with the perspective of prominent international NGOs, this research is based on the prevailing belief that disaster management can be more successful if mainstreamed into broader sustainable development goals and activities. Similar to other disasters, the Vargas debris flow disaster was a convergence of unfortunate and dangerous circumstances. As disasters continue to grow in magnitude and increase in frequency, the importance of strong disaster management plans will be reinforced the world over. With a synthesis of poverty and vulnerability reduction strategies, disaster-affected communities can use the post-disaster context as an opportunity to achieve more sustainable livelihoods, increased equity and improved safety.

Disaster impacts have grown significantly in the last half century. Additionally, in 2007 the number of urban residents surpassed that of rural populations generating a struggle for resources, inevitably leading to increased challenges in the achievement of reduction in both urban poverty and disaster vulnerability. Although the literature on disaster recovery suggests that a ‘build back better’ approach is now the accepted norm, there are still many cases worldwide where the reconstruction process actually rebuilds rather than reduces vulnerabilities. The literature on disaster risk reduction provides some basic principles for sustainable hazard mitigation, however, evaluation criteria for effective post-disaster response and reconstruction have yet to be developed. This research will enrich the ongoing debate about what ‘sustainable hazard mitigation’ entails and how it fits into broader development goals in less developed countries (LDCs). A case study examination of a socio-ecological system allows for the identification of the ways in which planning, policy, partnerships, and the like, can be used to reduce vulnerabilities in a post-disaster setting, thus, improving outcomes in future disastrous events. In the absence of a framework for evaluation of disaster risk reduction effectiveness in the literature, an Assessment of Post-disaster Risk Reduction Effectiveness (PDARRE) was created. Thirty three criteria were derived from the literature and ‘good practices’ to address common challenges and necessary actions for successful post-disaster reconstruction which results in reduced vulnerability. The selected case study is a debris flow disaster which decimated the northern coastal state of Vargas, Venezuela in 1999. Torrential rainfall exceeding 900mm fell on the Sierra El Avila Mountains over three days. The results from the PDARRE evaluation found an overwhelmingly poor response to the Vargas disaster, although some positive actions were also noted. Individual community members were not well-informed of the risks they faced living in Vargas and have still not been provided adequate capacity to reduce their vulnerability, nine years after the disaster. The creation of new institutions immediately following the debris flows led to slow decision-making and weak governance as new managers struggled to adapt to their new positions. In addition, poor communication across government institutions, lack of enforcement of zoning policies and an incomplete system of early warning compounded vulnerability and governance concerns. Long-term monitoring of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction has typically been left to local governments that often get distracted by economic pressures and changes. To assist with post-disaster efforts, PDARRE was created to monitor and evaluate effectiveness. The criteria for this assessment were derived from many sources and were organized into categories to assist local governments to see which areas of their disaster response system are weakest, and enable effective adjustments to their activities, consequently improving the entire disaster management system. Though other checklists and tools for post-disaster response activities do exist, I argue that these over-emphasize the immediate response activities and time-frame. The post-disaster context provides an opportunity to harness funding that can be directed at-risk and vulnerability reduction efforts. Consistent with the perspective of prominent international NGOs, this research is based on the prevailing belief that disaster management can be more successful if mainstreamed into broader sustainable development goals and activities. Similar to other disasters, the Vargas debris flow disaster was a convergence of unfortunate and dangerous circumstances. As disasters continue to grow in magnitude and increase in frequency, the importance of strong disaster management plans will be reinforced the world over. With a synthesis of poverty and vulnerability reduction strategies, disaster-affected communities can use the post-disaster context as an opportunity to achieve more sustainable livelihoods, increased equity and improved safety.

The built environment has mostly evolved under the influence of cultural heritage and has been shaped in response to our needs and resources. However, rapid changes have occurred in this environment with the impacts of globalization and mass production. The impact of these changes threatens to obliterate the unique character of rural settlements, which unlike urban areas still possess cultural identity. The aim of this study was to investigate the sustainable transmission of rural building heritage to prosperity / the potential of its adaptation for new settlements / and the interpretation of designing new houses in the light of traditional ones / as an integral part of sustainable rural development. To this end, a case study was conducted in the village of G&uuml / zel&ouml / z in Kayseri, where the transition from historical to contemporary styles and techniques was readily observable. The principles for effectively implementing projects which relate to the preservation and transmission of rural heritage have been formulated in the European Rural Heritage Observation Guide (ERHOG), which was initiated by Committee of Senior Officials of the European Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning/Spatial Planning (CEMAT) and the Village Design Statement (VDS) Packs, which were initiated by the Community Councils in United Kingdom (UK). The new development in G&uuml / zel&ouml / z village, as carried out by the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement (PWS) together with additions and alterations to existing traditional houses, were studied to understand the changing needs of the villagers. A comparative analysis was made between the level of satisfaction for both the traditional houses and post-disaster houses (PDH). An evaluation according to the ERHOG and VDS criteria was conducted for both types of houses regarding the relation of buildings with their immediate vicinity / use of materials / functional requirements / and constructional concerns. The results showed the importance of the recognition and promotion of cultural heritage to create an appropriate built environment.

This study is the first to measure the interaction of socioemotional wealth (SEW) and social capital, consisting of community and institution, and their impact in post-disaster recovery of small family businesses. Hierarchical multiple regression is used based on a sample of 79 small family businesses in Indonesia. Our findings suggest that family firms in post-disaster situation are able to pursue both SEW goals and economic gains, thus breaking the trade-off between SEW vs. economic benefits. More specifically, we found that SEW—as a strategic decision making tool—shows its prominence on the interaction between SEW-community and SEW-institution. This implies that small family businesses need to find synergy between socioemotional endowments and social capital to help them to bounce back and recover after a disaster.

Previous disaster management studies allude to the problems of coordination and the difficulties that may be associated with the implementation of recovery programmes in New Zealand. These studies have also indicated opportunities for improving the current recovery and reconstruction framework in advance of a major disaster. They have shown that much existing legislation were not drafted to cope with wide-scale devastations and were not developed to operate under the conditions that will inevitably prevail in the aftermath of a severe disaster. This thesis therefore explores improvements that could be made to legislative provisions so that they facilitate large-scale recovery management in New Zealand. Three legislative documents are in view: Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act, Resource Management Act (RMA) and Building Act (BA). The research investigations involved qualitative research methodology using multi-methods to determine the practical implication of implementing current reconstruction arrangement under these legislative documents. The methods employed include: interviews, document analysis, focus group study, surveys, and the use of subject matter experts for research verification. Results show that the three legislative documents may become sources of vulnerability in post disaster reconstruction because of their influence on the timely achievement of recovery objectives. The impediments posed by these legislative documents are mainly in the form of procedural constraints; ambiguities in rights and responsibilities for recovery management; and deficiencies in the intents and purposes of the legislative documents. More general results show that pre-planning the management of disaster resources; and collaborative arrangements for response and recovery programmes are a pre-cursor to effective and efficient management of reconstruction in New Zealand. The research concludes by providing useful recommendations that are specific to the three legislative documents and other general recommendations. It is hoped the implementation of these recommendations could improve the robustness of the current reconstruction framework so that it is able to cater for the complex needs of rebuilding for resilience in New Zealand.

The study shows the importance of the lakou, which is a spatial manifestation of the familial social structure in the Haitian culture, through the analysis of post-disaster temporary settlements, showing that through their own devices endogenous inhabitants create the lakou in post-disaster temporary settlements. The methodology was qualitative through interviews, observations, and site mapping, and qualitative coding was used to uncover the emergent themes. This study establishes the importance of the lakou in community vibrancy and demonstrates how the lakou adds to the resilience of the survivors living in such settlements. The unprecedented transformation of the lakou from a kinship based settlement pattern to a more inclusive non-familial pattern points to the importance of the spatial and social manifestation in the development of community in a settlement. It is conjectured that this resiliency factor can be useful in the process of turning a post-disaster settlement into a successful permanent settlement.

With globalisation and global warming threats, natural disasters happen at a faster rate, and their impact is drastically more prominent than before. In this thesis, we investigate the actions the organisation Newtech performed in three post-natural disaster environments to enter the markets and benefit from them. By analysing the key actions an organisation can take in order to be more likely to benefit in a post-natural disaster market, the intention is to make more ventures aware of this tappable market and how to profit from entering it. This research uses a one case study to investigate the nuanced perspective of a venture that has, on multiple occasions, entered post-natural disaster markets and what key actions performed. From evaluating pre-existing literature and patterns spotted in the empirical data collected through interviews with the organisation, there appeared five key actions for non-local ventures that strive to enter a post-natural disaster market. The actions discovered by this thesis are (1) spot the opportunity, (2) investigate the environment of the market pre-arrival,  (3) prepare based on the investigation, (4) continuously observe the market, (5) make adaptions if necessary.