Affordable Circular Housing - 22nd Sept, WCEF Online side event

"Panellists from India, Sri Lanka and Australia present related projects and experiences, followed by moderated discussions. A question and answer session is moderated by Professor Usha Iyer-Raniga, co-lead, OPN SBC Programme. Intersection between housing reconstruction after disasters and circularity approach: reflections from India: While responses are relatively quick in the wake of disasters, especially from NGOs, studying the long-term effects of housing reconstruction projects are not common, yet provide crucial insights of early and ongoing interventions. Longitudinal research enables understanding the impact on people and their communities following disasters. A comparative study of four rural settlements in India is undertaken in this presentation with a focus on the intersection between disasters, housing and the circularity approach. Dr Mittul Vahanvati presents her research on reconstruction post disasters. She is Lecturer and Research Fellow, Sustainability and Urban Planning, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. She is also Director, Giant Grass design studio and team member, Climate Change Transformations Group, RMIT University. Greening disaster reconstruction: A South Asian experience: Disaster reconstruction poses serious environmental challenges. It also poses serious social and economic barriers to communities wanting to move on with their lives. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched initiatives with the support of research and industry collaborators aiming to deliver environmentally responsible reconstruction. This presentation will cover some successful examples from South Asia. Dr. Missaka Hettiarachchi leads this presentation. He is a Senior Fellow at WWF's, Environment and Disaster Management (EDM) program. He's involved in disaster-environment related training and advocacy internationally for WWF. Mortgages for the marginalised: India has committed to provide housing for its most vulnerable sections of the population in urbanised areas. This section of the population does not have access to finance and thus, are not able to secure entry into the housing market. The aim of this presentation is to understand the "customer", build a team, liaise with the banks and create a simplified process for automated implementation for the urban poor and low-income groups. The presentation is undertaken by Mr Arnab Gazi, CEO of B3B and Mr Bhanu Rathore, MD of B3B. Arnab and Bhanu own as well as manage B3B and its operations."