Journal article
Participatory engineering for recovery in post-earthquake Haiti
Engineering studies, v 6(3), pp 159-190
02 Sep 2014
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Participatory engineering has been called for after major catastrophes, yet is often bypassed due to countervailing implementation of 'quick fixes'. While immediate expert-driven solutions may be attractive, in the long-term they may be ineffective and inconsistent with the goals and capacities of local stakeholders. This article discusses the findings of National Science Foundation research by a team of three engineers and one social scientist who visited Haiti twice, four and seven months after the January 2010 earthquake, to investigate community participation in water and sanitation engineering processes in Leogane. Methods included interviews with local inhabitants, water-sector actors, and government agencies; inspections of the engineering of the existing water and sanitation system; surveys of the affected population; and a participatory workshop to which numerous community-based organizations were invited. The research tests the potential for engineers to develop stakeholder-based participatory processes in a post-disaster context, which is hypothesized to produce better outcomes than traditional top-down authoritative planning processes. Focusing on the sanitation sector within a multi-stakeholder arena, the article analyzes the potential for various kinds of interactions amongst actors during unfolding decision-making processes at multiple scales, and assesses how each might contribute to better post-disaster engineering and ultimately more sustainable water and sanitation systems.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Participatory engineering for recovery in post-earthquake Haiti
- Creators
- Mimi Sheller - Drexel UniversityFranco Montalto - Drexel UniversityHeather Galada - Drexel UniversityPatrick L. Gurian - Drexel UniversityMichael Piasecki - City College of New YorkStephen O'Connor - Drexel UniversityTibebu B. Ayalew - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Engineering studies, v 6(3), pp 159-190
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 32
- Grant note
- NSF Haiti-RAPID grant via the Sustainability program in the ENG Directorate
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Sociology; Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000346830600003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84920197888
- Other Identifier
- 991019167908604721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Education, Scientific Disciplines
- Engineering, Multidisciplinary
- History & Philosophy Of Science