Setting Out Appropriate Collective forms of community participation in the Process of Permanent Housing after A Possible Earthquake; the Case of Sari

Due to its location in a seismic zone on one hand, and the vulnerability caused by dereliction on the other, the District 3 of Sari is highly exposed to earthquake hazards, making the planning of post-earthquake reconstruction all the more necessary. One of the most important aspects of any such plan is attracting stakeholders’ the participation, which faces many challenges. The present paper examines appropriate forms of community participation in providing post-earthquake permanent housing in the absence of a guideline. The results of this research can enhance the effectiveness of community participation in housing reconstruction in the complicated, chaotic conditions after an earthquake.
The research was conducted based on case studies using observations and semi-structured interviews, and using them to explore the main themes of community participation extracted from the literature review in the studied region. Purposeful sample selections were made and data were analysed using thematic analyses. After the validating the results of qualitative analyses through expert opinion elicitation by Delphi method, it was used to determine appropriate forms of community participation in the reconstruction of permanent housing in the District 3 of Sari.
The results show that resident satisfaction is the most important ‘participation target’, with vulnerable households, local builders, and built-environment professionals also identified as ‘key participants’. With the above target, as well as time and participation capacities in mind, the ’appropriate participation levels’ were established for each of the five stages of housing reconstruction. Based on these levels, ‘participation methods’ including community meetings, individual interviews, and informal talks were identified as appropriate methods of participation to achieve the purposes of community participation. Finally, the ‘required resources’ for effective stakeholder participation in post-earthquake housing were identified and categorised into four categories including social, financial, technical, and legal resources.