community resilience: living with water

Abstract

Expansion and destruction have become the perambulatory nuances of today’s existence, but the rhetoric of natural disasters has forgone previous physical boundaries. Floods have taken thousands of lives and caused millions of losses for the country; despite the opportunity for environmental consciousness. Pakistan has been ranked 8th on the flood hazard risk level globally. Due to the ever impeding changes in the climate, unmanageable monsoons have wreaked havoc throughout all four provinces. Swat, a district located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is the most vulnerable to floods due to temperature rises that have resulted in glacial lake outbursts, flash floods, riverine floods, and landslides. The current climatic strategization is based on the limitations of developmental infrastructure. This thesis explores community resilience in regards to flood risk management; with the encompassment of flood adaptation techniques and social enhancement to promote the longevity of not only the built environment but also the communal networks. The project will provide a sanctuary to the population of Delay Village through a community and rehabilitative center. The research methodology utilizes community-driven primary data and environmental secondary data; with an output of overlaid social and environmental trends. By focusing on the context, environmental analysis, and local construction methodologies; the project aims to garner regional social and economic growth through architecture.