مسکن و محیط روستا (Sep 2014)
The role of housing finance in reducing physical vulnerability of rural settlements Case study: Bezinehroud Rural District - Khodabandeh County (Zanjan Province)
Abstract
In International law particularly in the 11th section of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the right of having adequate (affordable) housing is recognized as one of the basic needs of every individual and family to live with human dignity and it is a key indicator in relation with the quality of life of residents. In our country, providing adequate (affordable) housing as a basic need for all segments of society, especially the poor and rural groups, is the duty of government according to the second, thirty-first and forty-third principles of The Constitution. In other words, Housing as the smallest form of physical embodiment of the settlement and as the major structural part of it, plays an essential role in the formation of spatial- physical structure and identity of rural architecture. The key issue with regard to the consequences of the earthquake in rural habitations is the unsafe physical structures. This means that more than 95 percent of all deaths from earthquakes are the result of the destruction of the houses. Therefore, difference in losses tolls from earthquake between societies is due to difference in ways of housing construction and use of constructional codes. With respect to the instability in geographical conditions in relation to earthquake natural disaster in Iran, factors such as ignoring technical standards in the construction, use of traditional and non-resistant building materials and worn out housings, have led to greater vulnerability of rural settlements to earthquake disaster. Therefore, one of the most important physical vulnerability reduction strategies in rural areas is the rural housing retrofitting through providing housing loans by government on condition that they should use technical standards and building codes and accept supervision of Housing Foundation Engineers and local agencies. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of provided housing loans in rural areas in reducing its vulnerability to earthquake disasters and it tries to answer this question: Does using rural housing retrofitting credits lead to reducing its vulnerability as one of the segments of rural physical structure? The statistical population consisted of 11 villages located within the limits of Bezinehroud Rural District (in Khodabande County- Zanjan Province) with 2800 households 400 households have used housing retrofitting loans in 2006- 2012. Out of which 110 households were selected by using Cochran sampling. To collect required data, Questionnaires were distributed randomly in the sample Villages. For data analysis, statistical tests such as Wilcoxon tests (to analyze differences between pre and post periods), Friedman and one-sample T tests and correlation test in SPSS software were used. The results of data analysis showed a significant difference in the period before and after using the rural housing loans in physical factors affecting the housing vulnerability reduction. Friedman ranking mean test and X2 square coefficient also showed this difference in favor of the next period, and improvement of indicators. In other words, the analysis of numerical means gained from calculation of physical factors affecting the housing vulnerability reduction after using housing loans period indicated that the means in all dimensions of this research are higher than averages in likert scale.
