Sheltering from a gathering storm: Flood resilience in India

This case study focuses on key issues related to housing in Gorakhpur, India, and provides insights into the economic and nonfinancial returns of adaptive, resilient shelter designs that take into consideration hazards such as flooding, and temperature increases.

Key points include: ​

• Gorakhpur is a rapidly growing city with geophysical characteristics that makes it vulnerable to climate-related risks.
• Flooding and waterlogging are recurring problems in Gorakhpur.
• Projected temperature increases will negatively impact the people of Gorakhpur.
• Flood resilient housing is a priority.
• Construction measures to improve resilience are not available to everyone.
• Perceived value of risk mitigation options varies.
• Design competition produced innovative housing model.
• Resilient housing has economic benefits.
• Policy interventions are needed to promote and improve access to resilient housing.