SMS as a cheap, fast way of sharing information on safe construction
“It helps to solve problems during construction and adds to my knowledge to make good choices during building.” This is the feedback from Tukiran, a homeowner Build Change is supporting to rebuild...
View ArticleStatus update: collecting data using tablets instead of paper
Build Change has relied primarily on paper-based inspection checklists and manual filing of photographs for collecting data on homeowners, trainees, and compliance rates of houses. This system can work...
View ArticleWhy not build from pre-cast components? Straw bales? Used tires? Plastic...
Homeowners don’t steal from themselves. Put them in charge of reconstructing their home, and they reuse materials. Often they contribute their own funds. And their degree of satisfaction is so much...
View ArticleDo rental subsidies work in the long term?
More than half of the world’s population is now living in urban areas, increasing the risk of large-scale urban displacement due to natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis. When a...
View ArticleDonor-driven housing reconstruction: Pretty houses at high cost
The government of India (in partnership with the World Bank) had it sorted out after the 2001 Bhuj, Gujarat earthquake. Provide a clear and simple guideline, provide cash grants in installments...
View ArticleRetrofitting can be done fast and at low cost
Retrofitting, or strengthening a building to withstand the next earthquake or typhoon, is an efficient and safe way of putting existing stock back in play after a disaster. It can be done at a cost...
View ArticleTemporary Shelters Waste Time and Money
After the 2009 earthquake in West Sumatra, the government of Indonesia strongly discouraged the donor and NGO community from building transitional shelters, or T-shelters. Instead, they recommended...
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