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Earthquakes strike without warning, even though they are known to recur. It is nonetheless difficult to mobilize resources to plan for them in advance, despite the high social and economic costs that can be anticipated, and despite the humanitarian obligation to provide quality and safe housing.

This research examines two post-earthquake housing reconstruction projects in rural areas of Turkey, where different procurement strategies were used. A top-down strategy was adopted in Dinar after the October 1995 earthquake; and a bottom-up strategy, was adopted in the Orta district in Cankiri after the June 2000 earthquake in the region.

Based on information obtained from government agencies, building contractors and the projects beneficiaries, a comparison has been made between the two procurement methods. While no generalized conclusions can be drawn – as the projects were conducted in the particular circumstances that prevail in rural areas of Turkey – it is possible to highlight key factors that can properly influence future housing procurement processes.

Avı Friedman's new book, DECISION MAKING FOR FLEXIBILITY IN HOUSING has much going for it. The main arguments and objectives are set out here in this manuscript which opens with a short introduction whose first sentence is “narrow houses were a product of necessity”. It goes on to cover facets of his work in this area on construction technologies, and materials arguing also for higher density living. He succinctly makes a case for the narrow frontage town house derived out of the concerns related to environmental and socio-economic issues. Sustainability, among other key factors, recieves full attention making this book and manuscript worthwhile having on your bookshelf and in your University library.(page 6)

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study of a post‐flood reconstruction project conducted in 2003 in the village of Bousalem in Tunisia, a country that is poorly documented in reconstruction literature and that is known for its high levels of centralization in decision making. It examines the relations between project stakeholders, the structure of the team established to conduct the project (the Temporary Multi‐Organisation, TMO) and the most important concerns of end‐users. It particularly shows the drawbacks of neglecting a participatory approach and favouring instead the centralization of decision making at different levels of the TMO organisational structure.

Users' satisfaction was assessed through technology transfer indicators, based on the qualitative analysis of several interviews with end‐users. The analysis of the organizational system was based on a qualitative analysis of the TMOs' formal and informal structuring.

The results confirm the need to decentralize decisions at a level that: optimizes the efficiency of local stakeholders; facilitates the participation of end‐users; and allows an appropriate distribution of responsibilities and risks among stakeholders.

The results show how certain decisions related to the structure and functioning of the TMO affect the match between the project initiators' capacity to provide an adequate solution and the users' expectations and requirements after the disaster.

This paper aims to consider the current situation of relocation in Japan after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) in the context of past examples and post-disaster housing relocation projects in other countries.

Information about international cases of post-disaster housing relocation was gathered though desk and literature review, supplemented by field visits to the sites for direct observation and interviews with people involved in the relocation projects.

To be successful, residential relocation must consider livelihood, especially in regards to location. Involvement of the residents in the planning and decision making process creates housing relocation projects that better meet residents’ needs. Japan faces some unique challenges, yet shares commonalities with other countries, for example, in tsunami-stricken fishing areas. Housing relocation in Tohoku must strive to be accountable to the needs of the residents and the specific contexts of their communities.

There is still a limited amount of literature in English that considers the issues of relocation in recovery after the GEJE in an international context, especially comprehensive comparisons with multiple countries. Although this paper does not deal with each international case in great detail, the comparison provides a good overview of the key issues for residents in post-disaster relocation, and suggests how lessons from international cases could be applied to the challenges that Japan currently faces in relocation planning in the Tohoku region.