a systematic look at reconstruction after
disasters; much of its contents is still relevant
to-date.
9. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA), Shelter Centre, Department
for International Development (DFID), Shelter
after Disaster: strategies for transitional
settlement and reconstruction, United
Nations, Geneva, 2010. This handbook
advises on the planning and implementation
of 6 transitional settlement options for
displaced people, and of 6 transitional
reconstruction options for non-displaced
people. The book contains key references and
internet resources, and comes with a CD that
has references as pdf files or sometimes as
full documents. See: http://www.sheltercentre.
org/library/Sheter+After+Disasters
10. Practical Action Publishing, Building for
Safety series, a set of four books produced
in the mid 1990s on various aspects of
building for safety. They are now somewhat
dated, especially where it comes to further
references. These publications are available
from the Development Bookshop. They are:
• Clayton A and Davis I, Building for Safety
Compendium: An annotated bibliography
and information directory for safe
building, London, UK, 1994. See: http://
developmentbookshop.com/product_info.
php?cPath=8?products_id=57.
• Dudley E and Haaland A, Communicating
Building for Safety: Guidelines for
communicating technical information to
local builders and householders, London,
1994: http://developmentbookshop.com/
product_info.php?cPath=8&products_
id=59.
• Aysan Y and others, Developing Building
for Safety Programmes: Guidelines for
organizing safe building programmes
in disaster-prone areas, London, 1995.
See: http://developmentbookshop.com/
product_info.php?cPath=8&products_
id=60.
• Coburn A and others, Technical
Principles of Building for Safety,
London, 1995. See: http://
developmentbookshop.com/product_info.
php?cPath=8&products_id=58
11. SPHERE Project, Humanitarian Charter and
Minimum Standards in Disaster Response,
Geneva and OXFAM Publishing, Oxford,
2004. The standards developed under the
SPHERE project apply in the first place to
the emergency and transitional phases after
a disaster. Many would have to be increased
for permanent reconstruction. Some of the
principles of SPHERE, though, e.g. with
respect to the participation of disaster victims,
remain relevant throughout.
See: http://www.sphereproject.org
12. Twigg J., Good Practice Review – Disaster risk
reduction, mitigation and preparedness in
development and emergency programming.
Humanitarian Policy Group Network Paper
Number 9, Overseas Development Institute,
London, March 2004. Not all chapters
of this document are equally relevant for
reconstruction practitioners, but the following
could be: project planning, partnerships and
stakeholders, vulnerable groups, community-
level risk reduction, participation, indigenous
knowledge and coping strategies, choosing
technologies for disaster reduction, and
managing urban risk. Each chapter contains
a list of further references with a web page
address, if the reference can be accessed
there. This document is very useful for
the many short case studies included of
actual projects. See: http://www.odihpn.org/
publistgpr9.asp
13. UNDP India, Tsunami, Lessons for Habitat
Development, UNDP, New Delhi, 2008. This
publication reviews a dozen post-tsunami
reconstruction projects and draws lessons and
recommendations from those.
7. Agencies with information resources -
International
1. International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Geneva,
Switzerland has produced a series of resources
on reconstruction, see: http://www.ifrc.org/
what/disasters/resources/index.asp
2. Practical Action (formerly ITDG), Bourton
on Dunsmore, UK. This international NGO
works through 7 national or regional offices
in the developing world on issues such
as vulnerability, disaster risk reduction,
livelihoods development, housing,
infrastructure and reconstruction. Case
studies and other information on its work are
accessible on its website: www.practicalaction.
org. The group also provides information
to fieldworkers upon request through its
dedicated enquiry service Practical Answers.
Answers to frequently asked question are
provided through Technical Briefs, accessible
and downloadable through the website. The
group’s subsidiary Practical Action Publishing
has published and sells a number of books
on disasters and emergencies, including the
widely respected Engineering in Emergencies,
as well as on topics including construction,
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