Built Environment Interventions Framework for Climate-related Disaster-Induced Displacement

Over the past decades, it is evident that climate change has made droughts longer, tropical storms severe, floods worse, and hurricanes devastating. These climate change-induced disasters primarily displace thousands of people, leaving them in worse living conditions and loss of livelihood. Lack of sufficient essential services and facilities, inadequate housing facilities, lack of access to livelihood, lack of access to social and physical infrastructure, and social tension between the displaced and host communities are just some of the consequences that disaster-induced displaced communities face. When addressing these issues through the built environment, mostly the attention is paid from one slant without looking at the multi-dimensional nature of the problem. Therefore, there is a need for a holistic framework to identify the needs of displaced communities and solve them through built environment-related policies and interventions. Addressing this research need, the REGARD (REbuildinG AfteR Displacement) project was executed within the country contexts of the UK, Sweden, Estonia, and Sri Lanka. The overall methodology of the project consists of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted in partner countries. Accordingly, this paper analyses the findings revealed through the whole project process and presents a built environment intervention framework to address the issues of climate-related disaster-induced displacement.