Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

Living Heritage Pathways towards community-driven post-disaster reconstruction

This networking event will explore community-led post-disaster reconstruction in revitalising urban 'living heritage.' Focusing on cases from India, Nepal, and Turkey, we will discuss ways to centre community voices in reconstruction settings.

Alexandre Apsan Frediani

Moderator

date November 7, 2024 | 17:00 - 18:30
place
Multipurpose room 05
organization
ASF - Architecture Sans Frontières International
country
United Kingdom
language
English, Turkish
Reference: 
NE 05-9

Summary

This networking event will explore the role of community-led post-disaster reconstruction in revitalising, preserving, and transforming urban 'living heritage.' We will examine how 'living heritage' can effectively facilitate community mobilisation and promote collaborative urban development in post-disaster settings.

The concept of 'living heritage' encompasses both tangible and intangible elements, including places, people, practices, knowledge, artefacts, events, and memories. It serves as a crucial link between post-disaster reconstruction and aspects such as livelihoods, social practices, planning, land rights, landscape restoration, local knowledge, craftsmanship, memory, and a sense of belonging. Every urban resident and stakeholder has valuable insights to contribute to the conversation around living heritage. Thus, we have chosen this theme as a common ground to explore innovative approaches and pathways towards community-led post-disaster reconstruction.

The event is co-organised by Architecture Sans Frontières UK (a member of Architecture Sans Frontières International), in partnership with Hatay Deprem Dayanışması (Earthquake Solidarity Hatay, HDD), the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights and its network of built environment professionals, Community Architects Network (ACHR/CAN) – represented by Lumanti Shelter Group (Nepal) and Hunnarshala Foundation (India). We are supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London. By bringing together these activist, research, and built environment organisations, we aim to catalyse dialogue among diverse stakeholders engaged in urban development, community-led planning, heritage preservation, and post-disaster recovery.

The event will feature an introduction to the theme of living heritage, followed by presentations from ASF-UK/HDD, Hunnarshala Foundation, and Lumanti Shelter Group, sharing their experiences advocating for community-driven reconstruction in Turkey, India, and Nepal. Respondents from IIED and DPU will provide insights that connect these experiences to broader discussions about the role of communities in rebuilding after disasters. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in facilitated discussions on the capacities and institutional frameworks necessary to enhance community-led post-disaster planning, identifying key challenges and opportunities for promoting these approaches in reconstruction settings.

This networking event offers a platform for attendees to engage with practitioners, professionals, community leaders, and government officials regarding their experiences in supporting and facilitating community-led post-disaster reconstruction.

Objectives

This event will examine the vital role of community-led planning in post-disaster reconstruction, particularly following earthquakes. Our aim is to foster more inclusive cities, localise the Sustainable Development Goals, and implement the New Urban Agenda.
The event has three main objectives:
1. Knowledge Sharing: Disseminate insights on community-led post-earthquake reconstruction to urban practitioners, grassroots organisations, local governments, and international agencies. Participants will benefit from shared experiences across various regions and project phases, including ASF-UK's work in Antakya, Turkey, since 2023, Lumanti's contributions to rural towns in Nepal since 2015, and Hunnarshala's extensive rehabilitation efforts in Kutch, India, since 2001.
2. Peer-to-Peer Learning: Foster mutual learning among practitioners, professionals, and community leaders in facilitating community-led post-earthquake reconstruction and the rehabilitation of 'living heritage.' Discussions will explore the necessary capacities and institutional frameworks for scaling up community-led post-disaster planning.
3. Collaboration Platform: Establish a dynamic platform for collaboration on community-led reconstruction and 'living heritage' rehabilitation. By bringing together ASF-UK, HDD, ACHR/CAN, IIED, and DPU, the event will explore common approaches to community-led planning in post-disaster settings while enabling future cross-sector collaboration in this field.

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Francesco Pasta
Senior Associate
Architecture Sans Frontieres UK
Ms. Lumanti Joshi
Programme Manager Housing
Lumanti Support Group for Shelter (CAN/ACHR)
Mr. Aditya Singh
Architect, Team Lead
Hunnarshala Foundation (CAN/ACHR)
Ms. Camila Cociña
Researcher
IIED - International Institute for Environment and Development
Ms. Cassidy Johnson
Professor of Urbanism and DRR
Development Planning Unit - DPU - University College London