Influence of Housing Designs on Resident-Initiated Housing Modifications in Resettlement Sites in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines

Abstract

The massive destruction caused by typhoon Washi triggered a large scale resettlement program in the city of Cagayan de Oro, which was based on a top-down approach for decision-making and implementation. As a result there was a limited understanding of the beneficiaries’ needs and the local conditions. After beneficiaries’ were allocated into the new houses, they expressed willingness to compensate the shortcomings of the provided houses starting with the construction of modifications. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of the designs of the original houses in the way residents built modifications, considering their initial motivations, actual use of modifications, location, and the type of materials used for their construction in four selected villages in Calaanan site.