Inquiry into housing policy and disasters: better co-ordinating actors, responses and data
How can better co-ordination in housing policy and planning reduce the impact of rapid-onset disasters on communities?
Australia is facing increased severity and frequency of rapid-impact natural hazards, including windstorms, bushfires and floods. All have the potential for substantial (and catastrophic) lasting environmental, social and economic impacts on communities and households. Associated damage to housing stock is a major aspect of concern. In enacting effective counter-measures – ranging from prevention, mitigation, preparedness, disaster response and recovery – institutional and organisational barriers are faced.
Focusing on better coordination as a key challenge and opportunity, this Inquiry will ask:
- How can institutional coordination strengthen housing policy and settlement planning in disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery?
- What are the best housing disaster recovery approaches that meet both immediate needs and contribute to the prevention, preparedness, mitigation and prevention of future disasters?
- How can the coordination of data and actors involved in the housing supply process be improved to support and drive the delivery of safer and disaster-responsive housing and communities?
This inquiry aims to improve housing policy concerning disaster preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery through enhancing coordination in three key areas: between implementing actors, between short-term recovery and longer-term mitigation actions, and through the use of spatially enabled data.
Lead Researcher: Professor David Sanderson, University of NSW
Project Number: 71330
Supporting research projects
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Integrating housing policy, settlement planning, and disaster prevention, preparedness and response
This project investigates the role of housing policy and settlement planning in disaster preparedness and recovery, focusing on federal, state and local government responsibilities and institutional arrangements, planning coordination, disaster response and wider stakeholder involvement.
Led by: Professor Jago Dodson, RMIT
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Enhancing housing recovery policy and practice for improving community resilience to future disasters
Focusing at the community level, this project examines how the substantial amounts of funding provided for post-disaster housing recovery programs enable or constrain resilience to future disasters, and to identify local policy and actions for strengthening community resilience.
Led by: Professor David Sanderson, UNSW
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Improving coordination of data and actors for disaster-responsive housing and safer communities
This project investigates how to better coordinate data and actors to deliver improved, evidence based decision-making to reduce and mitigate the impact of disasters on housing.
Led by: Dr Francesca Perugia, Curtin University