Research Student, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Director of Research in Sustainable Development, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Disasters. 2023 Apr;47(2):482-498. doi: 10.1111/disa.12555. Epub 2023 Jan 26.
Shelter is one of the most 'intractable problems' in humanitarian aid and yet there is little clarity on an overarching definition. Terminology for shelter and housing is often conflated, and the most prominent definition does not fully reflect recent progress in the Shelter and Settlements Sector. This paper explores the varying terminology utilised in definitions of shelter within humanitarian aid since 1990, reflecting on the concepts of 'shelter' and 'housing', alongside surrounding perceptions of 'house' versus 'home', and related measures of adequacy. The current, most prolific definition is also deconstructed, demonstrating ambiguity in some of terminology such as 'dignity' and 'privacy', and revealing that interpretation of this definition depends on the reader's knowledge. Lastly, a new definition of 'sheltering' is proposed, encompassing five key reflections: the concept of process over object; the inclusion of communities and individuals; the commonality of long-term sheltering; the wider effects of shelter; and the impacts on host communities and environment.
住所是人道主义援助中最“棘手的问题”之一,但对于其整体定义却鲜有明确定论。住所和住房的术语常常被混淆,而最主要的定义也没有充分反映住所和定居部门的最新进展。本文探讨了自 1990 年以来,人道主义援助中住所定义所使用的不同术语,反思了“住所”和“住房”的概念,以及围绕“房屋”与“家”的观念,以及相关的充足性衡量标准。本文还解构了当前最常用的定义,指出其中“尊严”和“隐私”等术语的模糊性,并揭示了对该定义的解释取决于读者的知识背景。最后,本文提出了一个新的“庇护所”定义,包含五个关键思考:从关注“物”到关注“过程”的概念;纳入社区和个人;长期庇护所的普遍性;庇护所的广泛影响;以及对收容社区和环境的影响。