3.2. Case Studies Overview

When we assess the self-help housing reconstruction method, we see that in Turkey first of all the central government which these ministries and the general director of disaster affairs and with the local governor of the state level, they look at the 3 different options. One is give them the cash credits, direct financial credits to the homeowner, so what they can do is; they can purchase a new house from the property developer wherein the second aspect, we have the provide technical support plus stage by stage you give some certain payments on construction; to completion of the construction that is delivered to the homeowner. And he again relies on the either a beneficiary managed construction or it could be he relies on the designers of the building contractors who hire, so in that way, that is another process. Whereas in option 3, it is completely a government-managed construction so, in this, they rely on the contractor, so agency driven process and they finish the house and they deliver it to the homeowner so, this is how the self-house mechanism has been conceptualized.

In Turkey, the government has developed three distinct approaches to support homeowners in rebuilding after disasters. The first option is providing homeowners with cash credits. This allows them to purchase a new home directly from property developers. The second option offers technical support along with financial assistance to fund stages of construction. This means homeowners can receive payments as various phases of their home building are completed, but they must manage the construction themselves or hire a contractor. The third option is where the government takes full control over the construction. Here, the government manages the entire process and hires contractors to build the homes, delivering completed houses to the homeowners.

Imagine you're in a video game where you have the opportunity to rebuild a town after a disaster. You have three choices: one path gives you money to buy a pre-build house, another allows you to gather resources and hire builders to create your own home step by step, while the third option has the game developers build the house for you. Depending on which path you choose, your experience and interaction with the rebuilding process will vary.

And even in this process, there are so especially, in the housing process especially, in after the 2000 Cankiri earthquake, there are also some other shortcomings; one is the house designs offered by the government have very little regard to local rural living styles and while families can choose to use their own design, this entails hiring an architect which the owner must pay for in manage themselves.

After the 2000 Cankiri earthquake, it became evident that government-offered house designs did not suit local living practices, particularly in rural areas. Although families had the option to choose their own designs, they were responsible for hiring an architect, which could be an additional financial burden. Many families did not have the necessary funds or knowledge to engage an architect, which meant they often had to accept less suitable government designs.

Think of it as ordering a meal at a restaurant. The menu offers dishes that do not suit your taste. You can custom order a dish that is more suited for you, but that comes with extra charges. If you're on a tight budget, you might just settle for the dish that doesn’t really appeal to you, just to save money.

So, even though the family is getting an option to choose their own design but he has to pay for the architect or the contractor and here, in this process, though the government is ready to give them a training or provide guidance on how to build a technical support, so but it takes a long time to educate the owners about earthquake-safe constructions and design because it depends on their literacy levels.

While families can theoretically design their own homes, they often face barriers. Engaging an architect or contractor costs money, which many may not have. The government does provide some training on building safely, especially against earthquakes, but this education can be slow and varies significantly based on the literacy and comprehension levels of the homeowners. It implies that not everyone may understand the complexities of safe building practices, making their involvement challenging.

Imagine learning a new skill, like baking. You are given a cookbook (the training) to follow, but if you struggle with reading, you may not be able to make the dish correctly. It becomes harder for you to bake a great cake if you can't follow the instructions or if you don’t know what certain terms mean.

I mean in contact with the government also, they need to know some the managerial techniques of how they can manage the projects themselves and in many cases, it has been noted that contractors run away with some basic deposits and maybe having a small verbal agreements with the owners and they run away so, in that way the whole project leave left incomplete.

Homeowners need to understand basic project management skills to effectively oversee the construction of their homes. Unfortunately, many homeowners face risks, such as contractors absconding with their upfront payments, leaving projects incomplete. This happens when homeowners enter into informal agreements without proper contractual terms, putting them at risk of losing their investments.

Think of it as hiring someone to paint your house. You pay them a deposit for materials and labor, but they take the money and never show up to complete the job. You're left with an unpainted house and out of pocket, leading to frustration and additional costs to find someone else to finish the job.

In Duzce province after the 1999 earthquake, you can see that in the centres and villages and the district we have the statistical you know, the damage statistics is in providing this table and the house is constructed through the central government financial support, one is the government mass housing process which is about 8004 who is qualified for this; owner of badly damaged or a collapsed house? Self-help similarly, it was almost less than half percentage that is where owner of badly damaged or collapsed house. Whereas, the repair and retrofitting process of 4874 which is about owner of semi damaged house, which means it is possible for the reconstruction.

After the 1999 earthquake in Duzce, houses were categorized based on damage. Those whose homes were severely damaged received government support, totaling around 8,004. In contrast, the self-help assistance program catered to fewer than half that number. There were also about 4,874 homes that were eligible for repairs, indicating that many homeowners could salvage parts of their residences even if they were damaged. This reflects the varying levels of damage and the types of aid available.

Imagine after a storm, your neighborhood is assessed for damage. Some houses need complete reconstruction, and they get financial help to rebuild. Others only have minor damage and can fix things themselves. The statistics help show how many homes are in each situation, which helps understand the scale of the recovery needed.

So, this is where the turkey realized the sense of the self-approved, self-help development process and that is where the new approaches, the new partnerships has been developed, this is what we are going to discuss about 3 in different cases and in the Duzce province.

Turkey recognized the need to establish a self-help development process, focusing on new partnerships to address the needs of various stakeholders, including those overlooked by traditional recovery efforts. For instance, renters who lost their homes during natural disasters often receive little to no support compared to homeowners. This acknowledgment has led to new strategies that consider all community members.

It's like a school project where one group focuses only on certain students' needs, leaving others out. By realizing that not everyone is being supported, the class (or the community) can work together to find new ways to help all students, regardless of their background.

One is the Beyciler which is in the Duzce centre, it’s the row house about 168 houses are delivered, here there is a international NGO along with the partnership with the local government, the solidarity housing project in Golyaka which is a detached house about 57 houses here, the international and national NGO plus community plus universities, the UMCOR Duzce peri-urban areas which is a detached house about 220 houses.

The case studies focus on different housing projects in Duzce. The Beyciler project provided 168 row houses through a partnership with an international NGO and the local government. There’s also a housing project in Golyaka that delivered 57 detached houses, and a third project by UMCOR in peri-urban areas, which produced 220 detached houses. These examples illustrate how collaboration between local and international organizations can help meet housing needs after disasters.

Imagine a group project in school where everyone has a different role. One person gathers research, another designs, and another presents the findings. By working together, they're able to produce something bigger and better than if they tried to tackle the project individually.

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