Optimal Location of Temporary Housing After Floods with an Indigenous Architecture Approach: A Case Study of Khorramabad

Abstract

 One of the most significant concerns for institutions responsible for crisis management is selecting suitable locations for the temporary housing of affected populations after natural disasters. In this context, the city of Khorramabad, as a flood-prone area, faced a widespread flood in March 2019. Due to the lack of adequate infrastructure for the emergency accommodation of residents in the affected neighborhoods, financial and social damages significantly increased post-crisis. This research aims to identify appropriate locations for temporary housing after floods in Khorramabad and seeks to provide practical and indigenous-oriented solutions for designing emergency infrastructure by utilizing the region's native architecture. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and data were collected through field studies, interviews with experts, document reviews, and spatial analysis in a GIS environment. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) multi-criteria decision-making model was used to analyze and prioritize locations. The results of the spatial analysis indicate that the southern areas of Khorramabad have the highest flood risk due to their location in the path of surface flows, narrow street widths, lack of a proper surface water drainage network, and proximity to the Khorram-rud riverbed. The occurrence of severe floods in 2016 and 2019 also confirms this issue. In contrast, the northern parts of the city, with higher elevation, a suitable natural slope for directing runoff, and distance from the riverbed, possess a relatively higher level of safety. ​Based on this, the present study suggests that focusing on the northern areas of Khorramabad could be a more suitable and safer option for constructing emergency infrastructure and temporary housing after natural crises.​