Co-design and virtual reality for post-disaster infrastructure in Ecuador

According to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 and 11, post-disaster resettlements should have conceived and developed considering the long term social, spatial and environmental impacts they can have on inhabitants. However, many are the cases where the long term implications have not been at the hearth of decisions, especially in emergency context, such as in the aftermath of disasters, as testified by the NOVA VIDA project. The NOVAVIDA Research project, indeed, has analysed the Ecuadorian housing reconstruction developed after the 7.8 magnitude 2016 earthquake, taking as case study four cities located in the strongly affected province of Manabí. The research demonstrated, through qualitative empirical research, the spatial and social impacts of the post-earthquake resettlements deployed in Manabi. Clear are the set of necessary stepping stones that must be considered to avoid segregation and distress: involve local communities at all stages of reconstruction and adopt design solutions at the urban and housing unit level, which are strongly connected to the local geographic and cultural context. Looking at the buildings, the adoption of standardised building, arranged in infinite replicated rows, showed lack of flexibility, (in)capacity to accommodate future families growth and evident thermal discomfort. This paper aims to present: a. the co-design proposal for future post-disaster scenarios in the city of Portoviejo, discussing the approach, the analysis of the built environment, the project of the new resettlement, and the feedback obtained after the workshop with local experts and inhabitants; and b. the contribution provided by virtual reality in the analysis of the proposed future scenarios