A study of potential approaches to supporting behaviour changes required to meet the challenges of climate change and housing

When building back post disaster, consideration is currently being made in terms of building in resilience to new and existing housing to deal with repeat catastrophic events and in response to expected changes in sea level, temperature and precipitation due to climate change. However the take up of this approach depends heavily on donor's perceptions of the value of building in resilience and whether they calculate whole life costs in addition to considering the capital cost of any building work. This built-in resilience to a changing climate may be determined by estimating changes to the building code which could take up to a 20 year period to be realised in practice; but which would reflect step changes in climate conditions. This step change in design and construction may result the design and construction of housing that may be very different in character and functionality which will have a significant impact on usage pattern and adaptability. In the first instance individuals and communities must adapt to a heightened awareness of the risks associated with living in environments which are more susceptible to both gradual and catastrophic weather events. In the case of domestic buildings, peoples' expectations e.g. social constructs may need to be adjusted or realigned. In this paper the authors present a discussion of the increased risks associated with climate change relating to housing design and construction and the potential approaches that could be adopted to study the behaviour changes that may be needed to meet these challenges including psychological perspectives such as an understanding of a sense of place. A decision support framework is introduced that could be adopted to ease the transition from current housing to climate-change adapted/resilient structures, and the impact of this on individuals, organisations and community groups in terms of health and well being, adaptability, self efficacy and ownership.