From code to practice: challenges for building code implementation and the further direction of housing earthquake safety

Records and outcomes of the International Symposium 2008 on Earthquake Safe Housing, 28-29 November 2008, Tokyo, Japan:

This document illustrates the work of the Housing Earthquake Safety Initiative (HESI), which goal is to improve structural safety of houses through policy recommendation and capacity development. It is aimed to be used as reference material for mitigating earthquake disaster risk and building resilience of nations, regions and communities to disasters.

The document illustrates the importance of institutional arrangements in terms of earthquake disaster preparedness alongside with guidelines for construction of non-engineered buildings, which is widely used in seismic countries particularly in India. Outlining the comprehensive action to be taken for safer non-engineered buildings, the paper explains the role of experts and governments to complete the duties. In the list of works, the author focuses more on long term action, by employing legal and educational strategies; as it is essential for minimising the loss which could be happened with the earthquakes in the future to see consolidated efforts of experts as well as governments.