Housing Reconstruction in Urban and Rural Areas

The destructive Wenchuan Earthquake of magnitude 8.0 occurred at 2:28 p.m. local time on May 12, 2008, in the western Sichuan Province in China. The reconstruction of public and private housing has emerged as a key issue for the Government of China.

This note discusses delivery mechanisms and financing strategies for private housing reconstruction, as well as gives examples of recent international experience with post-disaster housing reconstruction programs and key issues for consideration by the Government moving forward.