100 Years of Humanitarian Design

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Present

Timeline of Disasters and Responses

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Present

1900s

1906

San Francisco Earthquake and Fires

San Francisco, California, USA

Timeline of Disasters and Responses

1900s

1906

San Francisco Earthquake and Fires

San Francisco, California, USA

Timeline of Disasters and Responses

1910s

1911

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

New York, NY, USA

1914–15

Maison Dom-ino

Paris, France

1914–18

World War I


1917

Demountable Wooden House

France (various locations)

1919

League of Nations established

Versailles, France

1910s

1911

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

New York, NY, USA

1914–15

Maison Dom-ino

Paris, France

1914–18

World War I


1917

Demountable Wooden House

France (various locations)

1919

League of Nations established

Versailles, France

1920s

1923

Kanto Earthquake and Fire

Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan

1927

Mississippi River Flood

Lower Mississippi region, USA

1927-32

“The Winona”

Sears Modern Homes Akron, Oh., USA

1929

Dymaxion House

Chicago, Ill., USA

1920s

1923

Kanto Earthquake and Fire

Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan

1927

Mississippi River Flood

Lower Mississippi region, USA

1927-32

“The Winona”

Sears Modern Homes Akron, Oh., USA

1929

Dymaxion House

Chicago, Ill., USA

1930s

1930

Housing Act of 1930

England

1930-39

Drought and Dust Storms

Midwestern and southern plains, USA

1931

Prefabricated houses built for the Hirsch Copper and Brass Works

Finow, Germany

1931

Slab apartment blocks on the Wannsee shore

Berlin, Germany

1931

Flood

China

1934

Modern Housing

Catherine Bauer

1934

National Housing Act of 1934

USA

1936

Airstream Clipper

Los Angeles, Calif., USA

1937

Housing Act of 1937

USA

1938

Durham Portable House

USA

1939

Earthquake

Concepción and Chillán, Chile

1939-45

World War II


ca. 1939-45

Transportable Primitive Shelter

Helsinki, Finland

1930s

1930

Housing Act of 1930

England

1930-39

Drought and Dust Storms

Midwestern and southern plains, USA

1931

Prefabricated houses built for the Hirsch Copper and Brass Works

Finow, Germany

1931

Slab apartment blocks on the Wannsee shore

Berlin, Germany

1931

Flood

China

1934

Modern Housing

Catherine Bauer

1934

National Housing Act of 1934

USA

1936

Airstream Clipper

Los Angeles, Calif., USA

1937

Housing Act of 1937

USA

1938

Durham Portable House

USA

1939

Earthquake

Concepción and Chillán, Chile

1939-45

World War II


ca. 1939-45

Transportable Primitive Shelter

Helsinki, Finland

1940s

1940

Dymaxion Deployment Unit

Various overseas US military bases

1943

Famine

Bangladesh and West Bengal, India (formerly Bengal)

1943-48

Package House System

Long Island, NY, USA

1944–47

Wichita Dwelling Machine

Wichita, Kan., USA

1945

Houses for Britain

USA

1945

United Nations founded

San Francisco, California, USA

1945-51

Lustron Homes

Columbus, Ohio, USA

1946

The Future of Housing

Charles Abrams

1946-53

New Gourna Village

Near Gourna, Egypt

1947–51

Levittown

Long Island, NY, USA

1947–52

Marshall Plan


1948–49

Geodesic Dome

Asheville, NC, USA

1949

1949 Housing Act

USA

1949

Tsunami

Hawaii, USA

1940s

1940

Dymaxion Deployment Unit

Various overseas US military bases

1943

Famine

Bangladesh and West Bengal, India (formerly Bengal)

1943-48

Package House System

Long Island, NY, USA

1944–47

Wichita Dwelling Machine

Wichita, Kan., USA

1945

Houses for Britain

USA

1945

United Nations founded

San Francisco, California, USA

1945-51

Lustron Homes

Columbus, Ohio, USA

1946

The Future of Housing

Charles Abrams

1946-53

New Gourna Village

Near Gourna, Egypt

1947–51

Levittown

Long Island, NY, USA

1947–52

Marshall Plan


1948–49

Geodesic Dome

Asheville, NC, USA

1949

1949 Housing Act

USA

1949

Tsunami

Hawaii, USA

1950s

1953

Storm Floods

North Sea, northern Europe

1955–63

Lafayette Park

Detroit, Michigan, USA

1958

Earthquake

Arequipa, Peru

1958

Low-income Housing

Chandigarh, India

1950s

1953

Storm Floods

North Sea, northern Europe

1955–63

Lafayette Park

Detroit, Michigan, USA

1958

Earthquake

Arequipa, Peru

1958

Low-income Housing

Chandigarh, India

1960s

1961

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Jane Jacobs

1964

Architecture Without Architects

Bernard Rudofsky

1964

R. Buckminster Fuller


1960s

1961

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Jane Jacobs

1964

Architecture Without Architects

Bernard Rudofsky

1964

R. Buckminster Fuller


1970s

ca. 1970


New government-subsidized low-cost housing in the Philippines (above) and Brazil (below).

1972

Freedom to Build

John F. C. Turner and Robert Fichter

1972

Pruitt-Igoe Housing

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1972

Polyurethane Igloo

Masaya, Nicaragua

1973-76

Habitat for Humanity builds first project

Zaire

1975

Oxfam Emergency House-Making Unit

Lice, Turkey

1976

Earthquake

Hebei and Tangshan, China

1976

Earthquake

Guatemala

1976

United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat)

Vancouver, Canada

1970s

ca. 1970


New government-subsidized low-cost housing in the Philippines (above) and Brazil (below).

1972

Freedom to Build

John F. C. Turner and Robert Fichter

1972

Pruitt-Igoe Housing

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1972

Polyurethane Igloo

Masaya, Nicaragua

1973-76

Habitat for Humanity builds first project

Zaire

1975

Oxfam Emergency House-Making Unit

Lice, Turkey

1976

Earthquake

Hebei and Tangshan, China

1976

Earthquake

Guatemala

1976

United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat)

Vancouver, Canada

1980s

1984–85

Famine

Ethiopia

1985

Earthquake

Mexico City, Mexico

1985-94

Nemausus I & II

Nîmes, France

1989

Aranya Community Housing

Indore, India

1989

Loma Prieta Earthquake

Wastonville, California, USA

1980s

1984–85

Famine

Ethiopia

1985

Earthquake

Mexico City, Mexico

1985-94

Nemausus I & II

Nîmes, France

1989

Aranya Community Housing

Indore, India

1989

Loma Prieta Earthquake

Wastonville, California, USA

1990s

1990-91

Improved Quincha Earthquake-Resistant Housing

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

1993

Mississippi River Flood

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

1993

Rural Studio

Newburn, Alabama, USA

1994

Rwandan Genocide

Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania

1995

Hanshin Earthquake

Osaka Bay, Japan

1990s

1990-91

Improved Quincha Earthquake-Resistant Housing

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

1993

Mississippi River Flood

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

1993

Rural Studio

Newburn, Alabama, USA

1994

Rwandan Genocide

Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania

1995

Hanshin Earthquake

Osaka Bay, Japan

2000s

2001

Earthquake Reconstruction

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

2004

Tsunami

Indian Ocean

2005

Operation Restore Order

Zimbabwe

2005

Green Mobile Home

Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA

2005

Hurricane Katrina

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, USA

2005

Earthquake

Pakistan-administered Kashmir

2000s

2001

Earthquake Reconstruction

Alto Mayo Region, Peru

2004

Tsunami

Indian Ocean

2005

Operation Restore Order

Zimbabwe

2005

Green Mobile Home

Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA

2005

Hurricane Katrina

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, USA

2005

Earthquake

Pakistan-administered Kashmir

San Francisco Earthquake and Fires

San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco Earthquake and Fires

San Francisco, California, USA

A blaze in a garment factory claims the lives of 146 workers, most of them women. Public outcry leads to the creation of fire safety codes.

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

New York, NY, USA

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

New York, NY, USA

A blaze in a garment factory claims the lives of 146 workers, most of them women. Public outcry leads to the creation of fire safety codes.

Le Corbusier

Maison Dom-ino

Paris, France

Maison Dom-ino

Paris, France

Le Corbusier

World Ward I

World War I

American Friends Service Committee Built by volunteers to house World War I refugees, each “demountable” wooden house consisted of two rooms.
American Friends Service Committee

Demountable Wooden House

France (various locations)

Demountable Wooden House

France (various locations)

American Friends Service Committee Built by volunteers to house World War I refugees, each “demountable” wooden house consisted of two rooms.
American Friends Service Committee

Established after the end of World War I, the League of Nations’goal was to settle
disputes between nations and foster peace. After World War II it would be replaced by the United Nations.

League of Nations established

Versailles, France

League of Nations established

Versailles, France

Established after the end of World War I, the League of Nations’goal was to settle disputes between nations and foster peace. After World War II it would be replaced by the United Nations.

200,000 people die; 370,000 buildings are destroyed. Frank Lloyd Wright’s “earthquake-proof” Imperial Hotel (1916–22) is one of the few structures left standing.

Kanto Earthquake and Fire

Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan

Kanto Earthquake and Fire

Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan

200,000 people die; 370,000 buildings are destroyed. Frank Lloyd Wright’s “earthquake-proof” Imperial Hotel (1916–22) is one of the few structures left standing.

The lower Mississippi River floods, inundating 27,000 square miles and shattering levee systems from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.

Mississippi River Flood

Lower Mississippi region, USA

Mississippi River Flood

Lower Mississippi region, USA

The lower Mississippi River floods, inundating 27,000 square miles and shattering levee systems from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.

Sears Modern Homes.
Sears, Roebuck and Co.

“The Winona”

Akron, Ohio, USA

“The Winona”

Akron, Ohio, USA

Sears Modern Homes.
Sears, Roebuck and Co.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Dymaxion House

Chicago, Ill., USA

Dymaxion House

Chicago, Ill., USA

R. Buckminster Fuller

Housing Act of 1930

England

Housing Act of 1930

England

Drought and Dust Storms

Midwestern and southern plains, USA

Drought and Dust Storms

Midwestern and southern plains, USA

Walter Gropius

Prefabricated houses built for the Hirsch Copper and Brass Works

Finow, Germany

Prefabricated houses built for the Hirsch Copper and Brass Works

Finow, Germany

Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius

Slab apartment blocks on the Wannsee shore

Berlin, Germany

Slab apartment blocks on the Wannsee shore

Berlin, Germany

Walter Gropius

The Yellow River, the second largest river in China, floods. Death toll estimates range from 850,000 to four million. The flooding is followed by famine and outbreaks of disease.

Flood

China

Flood

China

The Yellow River, the second largest river in China, floods. Death toll estimates range from 850,000 to four million. The flooding is followed by famine and outbreaks of disease.

Modern Housing

Catherine Bauer

Modern Housing

Catherine Bauer

National Housing Act of 1934

USA

Housing Act of 1934

USA

Wally Byam

Airstream Clipper

Los Angeles, California, USA

Airstream Clipper

Los Angeles, California, USA

Wally Byam

Housing Act of 1937

USA

Housing Act of 1937

USA

M. R. Doberman and John W. Davis

Durham Portable House

USA

Durham Portable House

USA

M. R. Doberman and John W. Davis

50,000 are killed and 700,000 left homeless. 70 percent of Concepción is destroyed and virtually all of Chillán.

Earthquake

Concepción and Chillán, Chile

Earthquake

Concepción and Chillán, Chile

50,000 are killed and 700,000 left homeless. 70 percent of Concepción is destroyed and virtually all of Chillán.

Millions are displaced. Emergency housing is still being constructed four years after D-Day.

World War II

World War II

Millions are displaced. Emergency housing is still being constructed four years after D-Day.

Alvar Aalto
Movable temporary shelters are designed to house war refugees.

Transportable Primitive Shelter

Helsinki, Finland

Transportable Primitive Shelter

Helsinki, Finland

Alvar Aalto

Movable temporary shelters are designed to house war refugees.

R. Buckminster Fuller
The units, produced by Butler Manufacturing, provide emergency accommodation for troops in various locations during World War II.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

Dymaxion Deployment Unit

Various overseas US military bases

Dymaxion Deployment Unit

Various overseas US military bases

R. Buckminster Fuller

The units, produced by Butler Manufacturing, provide emergency accommodation for troops in various locations during World War II.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

Crop failures and political complications caused by World War II prompt a sharp rise in the cost of rice and cause widespread famine, malnutrition, and related diseases, killing more than three million people.

Famine

Bangladesh and West Bengal, India (formerly Bengal)

Famine

Bangladesh and West Bengal, India (formerly Bengal)

Crop failures and political complications caused by World War II prompt a sharp rise in the cost of rice and cause widespread famine, malnutrition, and related diseases, killing more than three million people.

Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann

Packaged House System

Long Island, NY, USA

Packaged House System

Long Island, NY, USA

Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann

R. Buckminster Fuller
The dwelling, shown at right, is based on Fuller’s original concept for the Dymaxion House.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

Wichita Dwelling Machine

Wichita, Kansas, USA

Wichita Dwelling Machine

Wichita, Kan., USA

R. Buckminster Fuller

The dwelling, shown at right, is based on Fuller’s original concept for the Dymaxion House.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

The US Federal Public Housing Authority prepares to ship 30,000 prefabricated temporary emergency family dwellings to Great Britain under lend-lease. Plumbing and fixtures are to be shipped with the structures, but not sinks or closet doors. Library of Congress

Houses for Britain

USA

Houses for Britain

USA

The US Federal Public Housing Authority prepares to ship 30,000 prefabricated temporary emergency family dwellings to Great Britain under lend-lease. Plumbing and fixtures are to be shipped with the structures, but not sinks or closet doors.
Library of Congress

United Nations founded

San Francisco, California, USA

United Nations founded

San Francisco, Calif., USA

Carl Strandlund
The Lustron Home retails for $7,000. Despite a government pledge of $40 million, only 2,498 homes are produced before the company forecloses in 1951.

Lustron Home

Columbus, Ohio,USA

Lustron Home

Columbus, Oh.,USA

Carl Strandlund

The Lustron Home retails for $7,000. Despite a government pledge of $40 million, only 2,498 homes are produced before the company forecloses in 1951.

Charles Abrams

The Future of Housing

The Future of Housing

Charles Abrams

Hassan Fathy

New Gourna Village

Near Gourna, Egypt

New Gourna Village

Near Gourna, Egypt

Hassan Fathy

William Levitt
Levitt pioneers on-site assembly-line construction. The 17,000-home development foreshadows today’s “blitz builds.”
Library of Congress

Levittown

Long Island, NY, USA

Levittown

Long Island, NY, USA

William Levitt

Levitt pioneers on-site assembly- line construction. The 17,000-home development foreshadows today’s “blitz builds.”
Library of Congress

The United States commits $12 billion to the reconstruction of Europe.

Marshall Plan

Marshall Plan

The United States commits $12 billion to the reconstruction of Europe.

R. Buckminster Fuller
Fuller teaches at Black Mountain College and invents the geodesic dome. Over the course of the next several decades he will refine and expand on the basic design. At right, an early example of a geodesic dome is lifted into place.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

Geodesic Dome

Asheville, NC, USA

Geodesic Dome

Asheville, NC, USA

R. Buckminster Fuller

Fuller teaches at Black Mountain College and invents the geodesic dome. Over the course of the next several decades he will refine and expand on the basic design. At right, an early example of a geodesic dome is lifted into place.
Buckminster Fuller Institute

1949 Housing Act

USA

1949 Housing Act

USA

50-foot waves, some moving as fast as 490 mph, kill 96 people in the city of Hilo and destroy 46 homes. The Tsunami Warning System is created, with five seismic stations around the Pacific Rim.

Tsunami

Hawaii, USA

Tsunami

Hawaii, USA

50-foot waves, some moving as fast as 490 mph, kill 96 people in the city of Hilo and destroy 46 homes. The Tsunami Warning System is created, with five seismic stations around the Pacific Rim.

100-mph winds cause a sea surge to crash into coastal Britain, Holland, and Belgium. In Holland the tidal waves cause dikes to break in 65 places; in Britain sea walls are breached in 1,000 spots. Flooding causes 1,800 deaths. The disaster leads to the creation of the national Storm Tide Forecasting Service and the erection of the Thames Barrier, the world’s largest movable flood barrier.

Storm Floods

North Sea, northern Europe

Storm Floods

North Sea, northern Europe

100-mph winds cause a sea surge to crash into coastal Britain, Holland, and Belgium. In Holland the tidal waves
cause dikes to break in 65 places; in Britain sea walls are breached in 1,000 spots. Flooding causes 1,800 deaths.
The disaster leads to the creation of the national Storm Tide Forecasting Service and the erection of the Thames Barrier, the world’s largest movable flood barrier.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Hilbersheimer (completed by other developers and architects) Part of a federally subsidized Urban Renewal project, the development includes town houses and 21-story apartment blocks, grassy expanses, and a system of closed streets.

Lafayette Park

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Lafayette Park

Detroit, Mich., USA

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Hilbersheimer (completed by other developers and architects) Part of a federally subsidized Urban Renewal project, the development includes town houses and 21-story apartment blocks, grassy expanses, and a system of closed streets.

10,000 houses destroyed. John F. C. Turner initiates a self-help rebuilding program.

Earthquake

Arequipa, Peru

Earthquake

Arequipa, Peru

10,000 houses destroyed. John F. C. Turner initiates a self-help rebuilding program.

Pierre Jeanneret
James Burke/Time & Life Pictures

Low-Income Housing

Chandigarh, India

Low-Income Housing

Chandigarh, India

Pierre Jeanneret
James Burke/Time & Life Pictures

Jane Jacobs

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Jane Jacobs

Bernard Rudofsky
The exhibition and publication of the same name celebrate the beauty of vernacular architecture, leading to a renewed appreciation for traditional building arts.

Architecture Without Architects

Architecture Without Architects

Bernard Rudofsky

The exhibition and publication of the same name celebrate the beauty of vernacular architecture, leading to a renewed appreciation for traditional building arts.

R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and other forward-looking ideas earn him the cover of Time magazine.
Time Inc.

R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and other forward-looking ideas earn him the cover of Time magazine.
Time Inc.

New government-subsidized low-cost housing in the Philippines (above) and Brazil (below).

New government-subsidized low-cost housing in the Philippines (above) and Brazil (below).

John F. C. Turner and Robert Fichter

Freedom to Build

Freedom to Build

John F. C. Turner and Robert Fichter

Minoru Yamasaki
St. Louis Housing Authority begins demolition of the 33-building public housing complex.
Wide World Photos

Pruitt-Igoe Housing

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Pruitt-Igoe Housing

St. Louis, Mo., USA

Minoru Yamasaki
St. Louis Housing Authority begins demolition of the 33-building public housing complex.
Wide World Photos

West German Red Cross and Bayer Company
Experimental dome structures provide emergency housing in Masaya, near Managua, Nicaragua, after three consecutive earthquakes strike the area, killing 20,000 people and rendering 250,000 of Managua’s 400,000 residents homeless.
Oxfam

Polyurethane Igloo

Masaya, Nicaragua

Polyurethane Igloo

Masaya, Nicaragua

West German Red Cross and Bayer Company

Experimental dome structures provide emergency housing in Masaya, near Managua, Nicaragua, after three
consecutive earthquakes strike the area, killing 20,000 people and rendering 250,000 of Managua’s 400,000 residents homeless.
Oxfam

Millard and Linda Fuller in Zaire.
The Fuller Center for Housing

Habitat for Humanity builds first project

Zaire

Habitat for Humanity builds first project

Zaire

Millard and Linda Fuller in Zaire.
The Fuller Center for Housing

Oxfam Emergency House-Making Unit

Lice, Turkey

Oxfam Emergency House-Making Unit

Lice, Turkey

Leaves 242,419 dead and 182,000 homeless. China refuses international aid.

Earthquake

Hebei and Tangshan, China

Earthquake

Hebei and Tangshan, China

Leaves 242,419 dead and 182,000 homeless. China refuses international aid.

Fred Cuny works with Oxfam and World Neighbors to design housing “pictographs” to educate Guatemalans in safer building techniques after an earthquake there ills 23,000 people and injures another 76,000.
Fred Cuny/courtesy InterWorks

Earthquake

Guatemala

Earthquake

Guatemala

Fred Cuny works with Oxfam and World Neighbors to design housing “pictographs” to educate Guatemalans in safer building techniques after an earthquake there kills 23,000 people and injures another 76,000.
Fred Cuny/courtesy InterWorks

Leads to the formation of UN-HABITAT.

United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat)

Vancouver, Canada

United Nations Conference on
Human Settlements (Habitat)

Vancouver, Canada

Leads to the formation of UN-HABITAT.

Drought and political instability lead to food shortages, killing more than one million people.

Famine

Ethiopia

Famine

Ethiopia

Drought and political instability lead to food shortages, killing more than one million people.

E. V. Leyendecker, National Bureau of Standards

Earthquake

Mexico City, Mexico

Earthquake

Mexico City, Mexico

E. V. Leyendecker, National Bureau of Standards

Jean Nouvel
The architect adapts an industrial aesthetic for the construction of 114 units of subsidized low-cost housing.
Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Nemausus I & II

Nîmes, France

Nemausus I & II

Nîmes, France

Jean Nouvel
The architect adapts an industrial aesthetic for the construction of 114 units of subsidized low-cost housing.
Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Balkrishna Doshi, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation
Vastu-Shilpa Foundation

Aranya Community Housing

Indore, India

Aranya Community Housing

Indore, India

Balkrishna Doshi, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation
Vastu-Shilpa Foundation

One in five victims camps outside his or her home rather than use the officially designated communal shelters.

Loma Prieta Earthquake

Wastonville, California, USA

Loma Prieta Earthquake

Wastonville, Calif., USA

One in five victims camps outside his or her home rather than use the officially designated communal shelters.

Developed in response to the earthquake that struck in 1990, the design improves upon traditional Quincha building methods (in which walls are constructed from wooden poles infilled with smaller wooden poles) by adding roof trusses and making them more flexible and therefore more earthquake resistant. In 1991 another quake destroys 17,000 homes, but the 70 locally built improved structures withstand the tremor, demonstrating the effectiveness of the design and prompting the group to build another 4,000 homes.

Improved Quincha Earthquake-Resistant Housing

Alto Mayo Region, Peru ITDG

Improved Quincha Earthquake- Resistant Housing

Alto Mayo Region, Peru ITDG

Developed in response to the earthquake that struck in 1990, the design improves upon traditional Quincha building methods (in which walls are constructed from wooden poles infilled with smaller wooden poles) by adding roof trusses and making them more flexible and therefore more earthquake resistant. In 1991 another quake destroys 17,000 homes, but the 70 locally built improved structures withstand the tremor, demonstrating the effectiveness of the design and prompting the group to build another 4,000 homes.

American Red Cross spends $44 million to help families recover. FEMA creates initiative to buy or relocate properties to prevent future flood losses.

Mississippi River Flood

Midwestern USA

Mississippi River Flood

Midwestern USA

American Red Cross spends $44 million to help families recover. FEMA creates initiative to buy or relocate properties to prevent future flood losses.

Samuel Mockbee founds the Rural Studio at Auburn University.

Rural Studio

Newburn, Alabama, USA

Rural Studio

Newburn, Ala., USA

Samuel Mockbee founds the Rural Studio at Auburn University.

Interahamwe Hutu extremists kill an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 Rwandans in 100 days. Two million refugees flee the country. The outbreak of disease in refugee camps claims an additional 80,000 lives.

Rwandan Genocide

Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania

Rwandan Genocide

Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania

Interahamwe Hutu extremists kill an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 Rwandans in 100 days. Two million refugees flee the country. The outbreak of disease in refugee camps claims an additional 80,000 lives.

Dr. Roger Hutchison/National Geophysical Data Center

Hanshin Earthquake

Osaka Bay, Japan

Hanshin Earthquake

Osaka Bay, Japan

Dr. Roger Hutchison/National Geophysical Data Center

Vastu-Shilpa Foundation

Earthquake Reconstruction

Ludiya, Gujarat, India

Earthquake Reconstruction

Ludiya, Gujarat, India

Vastu-Shilpa Foundation

175,000 people are killed and more than one million people in 13 countries
are displaced.

Tsunami

Indian Ocean

Tsunami

Indian Ocean

175,000 people are killed and more than one million people in 13 countries are displaced.

Pres. Robert Mugabe orders a crackdown on “illegal structures,” forcing slum dwellers to tear down their own dwellings throughout the country. Nearly 600,000
people are left homeless. UN-HABITAT condemns the slum-clearance program as indiscriminate, unjustified, and conducted with indifference to human suffering.

Operation Restore Order

Zimbabwe

Operation Restore Order

Zimbabwe

Pres. Robert Mugabe orders a crackdown on “illegal structures,” forcing slum dwellers to tear down their own dwellings throughout the country. Nearly 600,000 people are left homeless. UN-HABITAT condemns the slum-clearance program as indiscriminate, unjustified, and conducted with indifference to human suffering.

Developed by architects at the Carl Small Town Center, part of the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University, this self-sufficient, solar-powered unit was designed as an alternative to the traditional mobile home.
Jason Pressgrove and Michael Berk

Green Mobile Home

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA

Green Mobile Home

Mississippi State University,
Mississippi State, Miss., USA

Developed by architects at the Carl Small Town Center, part of the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University, this self-sufficient, solar-powered unit was designed as an alternative to the traditional mobile home.
Jason Pressgrove and Michael Berk

145-mph winds tear a path of destruction through the Gulf Coast. The storm and subsequent flooding of New Orleans kill an estimated 1,325 people; more than one million people are displaced from the Gulf Coast region. Emergency officials respond by bringing more than 50,000 travel trailers and mobile homes to the area, but 100 days after the disaster, demand continues to outstrip supply. At right, FEMA tag on the door of a home in New Orleans indicates it has been searched for survivors. Win Henderson/FEMA

Hurricane Katrina

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, USA

Hurricane Katrina

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, USA

145-mph winds tear a path of destruction through the Gulf Coast. The storm and subsequent flooding of New Orleans kill an estimated 1,325 people; more than one million people are displaced from the Gulf Coast region. Emergency officials respond by bringing more than 50,000 travel trailers and mobile homes to the area, but 100 days after the disaster, demand continues to outstrip supply. At right, FEMA tag on the door of a home in New
Orleans indicates it has been searched for survivors.
Win Henderson/FEMA

A month after the disaster the death toll estimate stands at 87,000; more than two million people are displaced. The United Nations exhausts its stockpile of tents. At right, desperate families in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, set up a camp using recycled advertising billboards in an attempt to shelter themselves as winter approaches. David Guttenfelder/AP Photo

Earthquake

Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Earthquake

Pakistan-administered Kashmir

A month after the disaster the death toll estimate stands at 87,000; more than two million people are displaced. The United Nations exhausts its stockpile of tents. At right, desperate families in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, set up a camp using recycled advertising billboards in an attempt to shelter themselves as winter approaches.
David Guttenfelder/AP Photo