Housing & Hazards

Affordable Village Building Technologies

Dhaka , February 1999

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2nd Conference,  1999

Supported by DFID and the British Council

RECOMMENDATIONS

H&H DHAKA99 created another stepping stone in the Housing and Hazards process, rather than an end in itself. Therefore, the Plenary session collected appropriate recommendations from the contributions to the three sessions to be carried forward. As a starting point, the Recommendations of 1996 were taken and augmented and supplemented by the following additions:

1. Research should be conducted into the development of Savings and Insurance schemes as well as into provision of Credit for house construction and reconstruction.

2. "Para-Architects" should be trained in a role complementary to that of para-medics. However, careful consideration of their status and sustainability is needed.

3. There must be a national coordinating body including government administrators, academics a NGOs This should promote regular focussed forum discussions to address in detail the questions raised by Housing and Hazards Seminars. The Disaster Management Bureau of Bangladesh might fill this role; Alternative bodies may exist and should be sought out as a precursor to future activity.

4. Existing indigenous knowledge should be re-evaluated regularly.

5. The mass media plus local government members should be used for motivational work. Provision of appropriate building materials should be considered within mass awareness programmes.

6. Research should be conducted into the regeneration of supplies of natural building materials. NHBRI might wish to be involved in this.

7. Essential research into socio-economic factors affecting housing will require multi-disciplinary teams including engineers, architects and sociologists. An Action-Research process which involves village people is the best approach but may require retraining of the often urban researchers.