Measuring the processes and outcomes of post-disaster housing recovery: lessons from Gölcük, Turkey

Despite a growing literature on post-disaster recovery, our understanding of how housing recovery is measured remains limited. This paper is a step in filling the gap in the literature by presenting an overview of how recovery organizations measured post-disaster permanent housing recovery in Gölcük, Turkey, following the August 17, 1999 earthquake. Based on in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and review of secondary sources, the paper highlights the limitations of measuring housing recovery as the number of permanent housing units built in a timely manner. It suggests that recovery organizations need to measure post-disaster housing recovery by developing context-specific, process- and outcome-oriented measures. In the case of Gölcük, process-oriented measures could have been related to the land appropriation, public participation processes, and inter-organizational collaboration while outcome-oriented measures could have been related to the level of satisfaction with homes built and equity among the housing beneficiaries.