Advantages and Limitations of Community-based Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction Projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the advantages and limitations of the implementation of a community-based method in post-disaster housing reconstruction.
Design/methodology/approach – The research was based on multiple case studies in the implementation of a Community-based Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction project (CPHRP) in Indonesia. Data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey.
Findings – The research reveals 22 advantages of a CPHRP. Four advantages can be categorised as highly significant. They are: create sense of ownership, fit to local culture/customs/wisdom, build beneficiaries’ confidence, and minimize corruption. There are some advantages that cannot be delivered if the housing reconstruction is conducted using a contractor-based approach. It was also found that psychological advantages are more dominant than the physical advantages. Despite its numerous advantages, CPHRP has limitations. Firstly, it requires a long pre-construction process, and secondly, there is a limitation with regard to the capacity of implementer and there are limitations within the community itself.
Originality/value – This paper is very specific as it attempts to discover the advantages and limitations of a CPHRP