NSF Org: |
CMMI Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | July 18, 2014 |
Latest Amendment Date: | July 18, 2014 |
Award Number: | 1434791 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Walter Peacock
CMMI Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn ENG Directorate For Engineering |
Start Date: | September 1, 2014 |
End Date: | May 31, 2019 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $300,101.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $300,101.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 Marine St Rm 481 572 UCB Boulder CO US 80309-0572 |
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): |
CIS-Civil Infrastructure Syst, HDBE-Humans, Disasters, and th |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
Sustainable infrastructure that is used and maintained by communities over time, and resilient networks that can support infrastructure construction and repair in times of crisis, are sorely needed. Unfortunately, conventional approaches in post-disaster reconstruction focus primarily on rapid and recognizable results (e.g., number of houses built), over long-term results, causing some infrastructure to deteriorate only a few years after a disaster. The inherently complex post-disaster environment places stress on this process, resulting in the rapid emergence of coordination networks and the application of vastly different reconstruction processes. If ineffective, these coordination networks and construction processes can result in deficient, unused infrastructure, an inefficient use of relief and recovery funds, and human development setbacks. Given the increasing number and impacts of disasters, this research will analyze and determine the post-disaster coordination network models and reconstruction process strategies that facilitate the development of sustainable infrastructure and resilient networks. These models and strategies will be disseminated broadly to organizations and agencies involved in these efforts. In addition, the database of results, operationalized constructs, and analysis of processes will also be disseminated widely for future expansion and validation.
The research will develop a theory of post-disaster reconstruction process and coordination network pathways that enable resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Using a longitudinal, multi-method research approach that includes network and fuzzy-set qualitative analysis, the research will identify the processes that are employed and the networks formed to mobilize resources and coordinate work in various rebuilding phases, including planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance. Furthermore, it will analyze the evolution of post-disaster coordination networks, stakeholder participation and training processes over time. Finally, it will determine the necessity and sufficiency of individual processes and networks, as well as the combinations of reconstruction processes and coordination networks, that result in sustainable and resilient systems.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Our longitudinal project investigated the post-disaster reconstruction and recovery processes that lead to sustainable and resilient infrastructure. We analyzed 19 shelter reconstruction projects in communities within three regions following Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. We initially collected over 340,000 tweets and corresponding metadata from organizations responding to Typhoon Haiyan. We then conducted 210 interviews and 680 hours of observations during the planning, design, and construction phases, together with 880 training surveys with homeowners and skilled labor. This was supplemented by recovery plans, drawings, and meeting minutes from organizations involved in the reconstruction within communities. An additional 359 surveys were conducted that focused on shelter and community outcomes. Coordination Our analysis of inter-organizational coordination in early disaster reconstruction projects found that information was the most commonly shared resource, followed by financial and material resources. Government agencies were often the most central in early recovery networks due to obligatory consultations by international organizations but these relationships frequently lacked legitimacy in practice. The longitudinal analysis highlighted the detrimental impact of short-term expatriate contracts and premature end of supported humanitarian cluster coordination, pointing to strategies to strengthen humanitarian response efforts. Participation We examined how household participation in planning, design, and construction phases led to shelter outcomes of household satisfaction and safe shelter design. We operationalized participation via eight central project tasks, which included (1) determination of aid, (2) location selection, (3) floorplan and layout, (4) government permitting, (5) sweat equity, (6) material procurement, (7) financial management, and (8) oversight. We found that participation of households in early planning stages of projects, specifically in determination of aid,location selection, and government permitting were important for household satisfaction. Government permitting was important for safe shelter design, as was oversight, high assistance value, and determination of aid. Household participation during the design phase of projects, such as on floorplan and layout of shelter, tended to negatively impact safe shelter designs. Training Using surveys, we characterized learning style preferences and training methods used in communities and determined which training methods led to higher levels of construction knowledge in households. Lecture (78%) and active demonstration (67%) training formats were the most preferred methods to convey construction knowledge. Most individuals surveyed gravitated towards learning through concrete experience (e.g. stories, past events) and reflective observation (e.g. lectures, photographs). To obtain higher levels of construction knowledge, households needed to be trained through active demonstration, reflective observation, and concrete experiences or observe shelter construction conducted by trained labor. The first pathway demonstrates the crucial role of multiple methods in training, while the second shows that observation can play an important role in extending impact, in this case knowledge acquisition, beyond those that receive direct training. Both pathways support recent attempts to extend better building practices in disaster recovery in resource limited communities. Resilience and Sustainability Indicators A systematic literature review provided an overview of scholarly resilience trends over the last 25 years and identified gaps in resilience and sustainability studies. Studies focused primarily on infrastructure systems and at the community level, but infrequently connected infrastructure and communities. To begin addressing the gap of sparse metrics specific to community infrastructure, we compiled a set of 52 metrics that emerged from the literature review. Our results advance the operationalization and measurement of resilience in infrastructure systems at the community level, providing metrics for our study outcomes. Pathways to Resilient and Sustainable Outcomes We studied and operationalized coordination, participation, and training across the planning, design, and construction phases of projects and assessed their impact on building resilient and sustainable community infrastructure systems. Six projects showed presence of resilience across all four dimensions considered (infrastructure, governance, economic, and social); ten displayed sustainability, defined as the ability to maintain infrastructure overtime; Six communities achieved both resilience and sustainability. Critical elements that enabled sustainability and resilience included: (a) early involvement of households in planning efforts and (b) training during construction, which was important to build local capacity and situate recovery efforts within local priorities. In addition to these elements, communities either had to (c) participate during construction or (d) have assisting organizations actively involved in coordination during both planning and design. These results point to the need to promote shelter processes (e.g., coordinating and participating) over products (e.g., number of shelters) and integrate construction training into shelter projects. We shared results with the communities studied and over 26 non-governmental organizations that are continually engaged in disaster response efforts globally through ongoing presentations, reports, papers, blog-posts and videos. These results are helping to shape how organizations structure and plan their recovery efforts to maximize aid funding. Results were presented via case studies and presentations to classes. The project involved 6 graduate students, 3 undergraduate students, and 4 investigators. 7 are under-represented in Science, Technology and Engineering.
Last Modified: 06/13/2019
Modified by: Amy N Javernick-Will
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