Do It Together Anyway Community-Driven Disaster Preparedness

The training introduces a community-led disaster preparedness framework that places people’s living preferences, cultural practices, spatial habits and climate adaptation at the center of housing and resilience planning. Stemming from the current polycrisis of conflict-driven displacement and extreme climate shocks in Myanmar, the topic is relevant across South East Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. In Nepal, light, modular systems practiced by the locals may offer a resilient alternative to heavy masonry in difficult-to-reach mountainous terrain. In Cambodia and Lao PDR, the focus on sustainability and inclusivity addresses the challenges of rapid urbanization and climate risks. By sharing lessons from Veneer House’s (VH) decentralized learning and building system, Blue Temple’s (BT) and Housing NOW’s (HN) 2026 World Habitat awards winning traditional-tech hybrid approach, and Myanmar Climate Action Network’s (MCAN) involvement in climate-vulnerable regions, the training demonstrates how early community readiness can significantly improve the speed, relevance, and acceptance of novel solutions. It also engages the audience to formulate strategies that bring a realistic, actionable approach to the conflict. It combines partner case study presentations with participatory methods, including discussions, hands-on prototyping, and scenario-based design workshops. First phase: understanding living patterns through participatory tools such as interviews, collective mapping, and scenario discussions. Case studies from MCAN bring attention to inaccessible areas, where trust and communication is limited; learning to identify differences in cultural structures, routines, use of space, and climate adaptation: how to turn these insights into clear and usable design inputs rather than abstract data. Second phase: logistical and political application, looking into design and preparedness strategies. We will explore how adaptable housing systems can respond to diverse needs in different times of intervention while remaining scalable and fast to deploy in emergency contexts. Cases from VH in global disaster-affected areas and BT in resource-limited areas illustrate inclusivity, ownership, sustainability, and resilience. MCAN brings community-led initiatives across regions, identifying stakeholders and bridging cross-border collaboration. Overall, the training offers a replicable, people-centered model for disaster preparedness that strengthens local capacities.