Applying the results of a U.S.-based national resilient design education study in the field and the classroom during disaster recovery operations

Abstract

This article discusses the results of a study assessing the state of disaster resilient design education at U.S. colleges and universities including architecture, building sciences, land use planning, landscape architecture, and engineering. Based on our findings, we describe proposed future directions for resilient design education, including drawing lessons from a disaster recovery case study titled the Hurricane Matthew Disaster Recovery and Resilience Initiative (HMDRRI). This two-year student and faculty engagement effort assisted six hard-hit under-resourced communities based on a set of needs identified by participating jurisdictions that were not being addressed by governmental or non-profit agencies and organizations. Understood in the context of the study, HMDRRI has been used to address identified educational shortfalls found in our research and to further the goals of two graduate certificate programs advancing disaster resilience. The key aims of both programs are to build the skills required of the next generation of researchers and practitioners to better understand the complexities of disaster recovery and to apply that experiential knowledge to help improve disaster recovery processes and outcomes throughout their careers.