Climate and disaster resilient buildings for urban housing

Urban housing faces risks from heat, drought, wildfires and rising sea levels, as well as disasters such as earthquakes. Preparing before an emergency can help protect residents and infrastructure.

Housing providers need the capacity to plan for emergencies and recover from them. Building resilience and improving energy efficiency are both part of that work.

Why structure matters to first responders

Disaster housing has to follow guidelines such as the Canadian Home Builders' Association codes, the National Building Code of Canada, and safety protocols like "Safeguard First Responders". One rule runs through all of them: first responders are not allowed to enter a building that poses a significant safety risk.

Structural deterioration in a fire can make entry too dangerous for firefighters. The choice of framing material is one part of planning for that risk.

Safe access can help firefighters bring a fire under control.

EBS Global is exploring climate resilience in urban housing with service providers and communities. The work considers both preparation and rebuilding after a disaster.

What the experts say

The experts we spoke with identified limited funding and staff capacity as the main obstacles. Many respondents had not yet assessed the risks to their organization or properties, and their emergency plans needed more work.

Respondents said success depends on partnerships with local governments, access to emergency planning training, and funding for emergency planning. A recurring problem is the gap between policy and execution, especially when new legislation comes in. Government agencies do not share standardized guidelines, so coordination is difficult.

The discussions identified four practical steps.

• Understanding risk. Gather data on infrastructure and vulnerabilities to support emergency plans and funding applications.
• Developing emergency plans. An emergency plan helps an organization and its community prepare for a disaster and plan their recovery.
• Community involvement. Staff and tenants need to understand their roles in an emergency.
• Funding reform. Experts called for simpler funding requirements so organizations with limited capacity could take part.

The policy picture

At the federal level, the Canadian government's quality of life framework, developed in 2020/2021, includes household emergency preparedness as an indicator under good governance. That suggests more emergency preparedness policy is coming. The Emergency and Disaster Management Act was tabled to replace the Emergency Program Act. It addresses three hurdles: facing climate emergencies, implementing the Sendai Framework, and aligning declarations with the new rules. It sets out cyclical emergency management requirements for preparedness, recovery and mitigation.

The new legislation spreads responsibility for emergency strategy across several actors who answer to a coordinated network. That can make it hard to hold any single authority responsible during an emergency. Many questions remain, and it will take time to see how well the legislation works.

Start with a risk assessment

The experts we spoke with agreed that risk assessment should come first. A climate change specialist emphasized the need for data to guide decisions. A local government climate action and emergency program coordinator recommended assessing the risks to each property. In her experience, an early assessment by the fire coordinator can also support funding applications.

Housing providers also need access to energy efficiency upgrades and other resiliency measures. Funders should make sure financial support reaches vulnerable populations and underserved communities, who are most at risk from climate-related threats.