Disaster Risk Management and Post-Disaster Reconstruction
A longitudinal case study of the reconstruction of horizontal infrastructure networks in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the major earthquakes of 2010-2011 involved exploring the role of governance in recovery and in particular, how funding mechanisms shape decisions for managing disaster risk. National policy on the funding of recovery that was geared towards direct replacement of existing infrastructure had a pivotal role in influencing design standards for infrastructure reconstruction. An outcome of this national policy, combined with constrained local financial resources, is that it was difficult to maximise the opportunity presented by a disaster to resolve the shortcomings of the existing infrastructure systems. This raises critical questions: whether it is appropriate to attempt to improve infrastructure in recovery and how local governments (or asset owners in general) may be better incentivised to invest proactively to reduce future disaster risk.
Readings and resources
- Macaskill, K and Guthrie, P (2018) Funding mechanisms for disaster recovery: Can we afford to build back better? In: Procedia Engineering, 212. pp. 451-458.
For further information please contact Dr Kristin MacAskill
