Scaling Post-Disaster Housing Capacity: Roundtable Report

Abstract

In January 2024, the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab held a roundtable on the theme of scaling construction capacity after disasters. The roundtable convened participants from academia, non-profit organizations, and both the public and private sectors. Participants brought varied perspectives to this issue, including considerations of supply chains, local, state, and federal policies, building codes, and private sector construction operations. The roundtable used recent natural disasters and their subsequent housing challenges to frame discussions around two goals: 1) identify approaches to increase capacity for rapidly deployable housing solutions after disasters, and 2) capture policy and operational constraints that hinder implementation of those rapidly deployable housing solutions. The roundtable and this report seek to catalyze systemic research and provide discrete recommendations to address the challenges and opportunities to restore housing for disaster survivors.