As discussed in Section 3.2.1, case study was chosen as the research method of this study in seeking answers for the research questions. The case study is one of the most common frameworks for qualitative research (Bryman & Burgess, 1999) to provide in-depth understandings of social, contextual and intervening factors beyond an observed situation or visible phenomenon (Bryman & Burgess, 1999).
In this research, the phenomenon is the exacerbation or reduction of housing vulnerability to climate threats (i.e. storms, floods) through the lens of post-disaster housing reconstruction and design-related solutions. The case study also allows qualitative researchers to examine theoretical themes identified from their literature search (Maxwell, 2005), such as the three themes emerging from the literature review of this study: (i) community consultation, (ii) the role of built-environment professionals, and (iii) design principles for resilience.
One of the most influential publications on the case study method is that of Yin (2009), with its three main steps for designing a case study:
- Define the “case”;
- Justify the choice of single- or multiple-cases;
- Adopt or minimise theoretical perspectives in data collection and analysis.
When being applied to this research, the literature review presented in Chapter 2 had framed the three themes above that could be used to define the “case”.
Specifically, the “case” examined by this thesis had to contain these three themes in delivering safe housing, as the case selection criteria. This allowed the study to select four appropriate “cases” in Central Vietnam, as the cases studies, that are discussed later in this section.
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One of the most controversial questions posed by the case study approach is:
Whether findings from a case study can be used to make inferences for other cases and for a broader region involved?
There is a widespread agreement among scholars (e.g. Platt, 1999; Maxwell, 2005; Bryman, 2008) that, from the perspective of human society, a case study often shares common senses or meanings and general laws of a social setting with other cases not studied, and thus, findings from the studied case(s) can be used to make broader interpretations and implications for other unstudied cases. The overall goal of a case study is not only to highlight the subjective meanings of an individual phenomenon, post-disaster housing reconstruction in this research, but also to provide a holistic explanation for its expression, where social supports and constraints are clarified and the socio-economic, political, and cultural conditions that shape its performance are identified (Platt, 1999). In this sense, the focus on a single case can inform the situation of a wider region where these cases are based, based on which the generation of comprehensive solutions are possible (Maxwell, 2005; Platt, 1999). As highlighted by Platt (1999), the study of a single case has a high likelihood of making reliable inferences and implications for other cases (not studied) located or based in the same context or situation, such as in the context of Central Vietnam in this research:
The case(s) studied are taken to provide a basis for inference to points not directly demonstrated and with relevance to cases not studied. (Platt, 1999, p. 71)
In addition, an important point that makes this research select the case study method is the importance of case studies to dealing with “human interest”-related issues (Platt, 1999). Accordingly, an event or phenomenon that is associated with human perceptions and behaviors can be effectively investigated and explored by the case-study method (Platt, 1999). Therefore, the case-study method is best suited to the present research, since perceptions and actions of different groups of stakeholders towards disaster risk reduction for housing were examined. This method plays an essential role to the prediction of future developments for a larger region where the case(s) are based, Central Vietnam in this research, because it allows the generation of reliable interpretations and recommendations for future actions (Platt, 1999), housing design, and construction practices.
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In terms of selecting the case(s), according to Platt (1999), the selection of one case is not because of its own special features but due to its reflection of the wider region involved where the research problems and questions are found. Within this perception, four disaster-affected communities that represent the region of Central Vietnam were selected based on their sharing of common social and contextual conditions of this region. They are Hoa Hiep Bac (Da Nang Province), Loc Tri (Thua Thien Hue), Ia Broai (Gia Lai), and Tan Ninh (Quang Binh) (Figure 3.1).
Common social problems of the region such as the lack of DRR information at local levels, economic constraints of at-risk groups, limited experience, and skills of local workers in safe construction, or limited governance and supportive mechanisms, are also found in these communities.
Figure 3.1: Four case study sites of this research in Central Vietnam (Map: www.dosm.gov.vn, accessed Dec 2013)
These cases were also selected due to the existence of both donor-built and self-built housing reconstruction approaches in each of them. This research examined post-disaster housing provided by agencies (donor-built) and constructed by
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people (self-built), to investigate their successes and shortcomings and identify key issues for future housing implementation in the light of disaster resilience.
The outcomes of post-disaster housing in these cases were influenced and shaped by social supports and constraints, social norms and aspirations, housing
development trends, and regulatory frameworks, that are also found in other affected communities of the region (Central Vietnam). This is one of the reasons for selecting these communities as the case studies, based on the theory of Platt (1999).
In short, the selection of these four case studies is primarily based on two criteria:
➢ The Relevance of post-disaster housing there to the three key themes of this research (identified in the literature review): (i) community
consultation, (ii) the role of built-environment professionals, and (iii) design principles for resilience.
➢ The Reflection of a broader context of Central Vietnam to the extent that common social and contextual issues of this region could be found in the selected cases (in accordance with Platt, 1999; Maxwell, 2005).
Based on these criteria, four post-disaster housing reconstruction projects undertaken by agencies at four case-study sites were then selected for further investigation: post-disaster housing provided by the NGO Save The Children UK in Hoa Hiep Bac; the NGO Development Workshop France in Loc Tri; the
International Federation of Red Cross and Vietnam Red Cross in Ia Broai; and the Vietnam Ministry of Construction in Tan Ninh. These were examined and
compared against the three key themes of this research and towards the development of disaster-resilient housing (Figure 3.2). These housing
reconstruction projects were selected as the case studies because of their use of community consultation in planning and designing phases, the engagement of architects and engineers in housing design and construction, and the improvement of design solutions for resilience purposes.
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Case Study 1 Case Study 2 Case Study 3 Case Study 4
Hoa Hiep Bac Loc Tri Ia Broai Tan Ninh
Save The Children UK
Development Workshop France
International Federation of Red Cross and Vietnam Red Cross
Vietnam Ministry of Construction
Figure 3.2: Four case studies of this research
3.2.4 Summary
The above discussion has shaped the selection of the interpretive methodology and the case study method in seeking answers for the overall research question, as follows:
What are the appropriate forms of disaster-resilient housing for low-income people in Central Vietnam?
This section has identified the importance of interpretive approaches in
understanding and interpreting people’s behaviours towards their housing. Social, contextual, and intervening conditions underlying people’s practices in post-disaster housing were then examined against the three key themes identified from the literature review in Chapter 2 (community consultation, the role of built environment professionals, and design principles for resilience).
The above discussion also highlights the significance of the case study method in grounding and interpreting the research themes above in the real context of Central Vietnam. Accordingly, four case studies relating to post-disaster housing reconstruction, both donor-built and self-built, in four disaster-affected
communities in this region were selected, because of their reflection of the common features of the wider region. Grounding the research themes in these cases allows the identification of the core issues for developing disaster-resilient housing and building a resilient housing system in Central Vietnam.
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3.3.1 Introduction
The interpretive methodology and the case study method discussed in the last section play an important role in shaping the techniques for data collection and analysis. The literature search indicated that qualitative techniques for data collection and analysis are amongst the most appropriate techniques applied by the studies following case study methods. Especially within a human context such as building people’s houses against climate threats, as addressed by this research, qualitative techniques for data collection are more sensible and appropriate to assess perceptions and behaviours towards housing improvement and upgradation.
This section discusses the chosen techniques for gathering the data from the case-study sites, and how these were processed against the research questions and objectives.