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Planning for Resiliency: Portable Living Structures
A Graduate Thesis by MONICA A. JOHNSON
Mount Ida College
Module Analysis
The same chart used to analyze the precedent studied will be used to analyze the module based on the five factors of resilience.
To Adapt : By providing families a place to live that is their own with all necessities, it allows for each individual and the family as a whole to start to reground themselves with something that feels familiar. For example, living in their own space as a family is familiar, whereas living in a shelter with many families and no privacy is not familiar, comfortable, or an appropriate place for re-grounding. Giving families a space allows for one less worry, the most important aspects; shelter, food, and water are taken care of. Without that weight on their shoulders, they can begin to rebuild and restructure both buildings and homes, and their lives.
To Challenge: Allowing the families to adapt is the prerequisite for being able to face and handle stressful and tough situations. While it may not fix everything immediately, the modules let families start getting back to living their lives and looking towards the future.
To Maintain: The modules are meant for single family’s only, meaning only one family per unit. This allows families to have a private space to grieve and express themselves in a comfortable and supportive environment.
To Communicate: Each module holds a single family; however, the modules can be arranged in such a way that allows for communal activity and interaction. Being able to problem solve, not only individually but as a group, is an important aspect in growing community resiliency.
To Remain Optimistic: Without having the stress of where to live, where to stay, and how long they will be allowed to stay, families and communities can look towards how to live in the future rather than how to survive in the present.

Recommendations
All five factors are clearly present in the module making this an excellent candidate for re-building resilience in communities after a natural disaster.
The next step would be to create working drawings, specifications, and pricing in order to build a full scale prototype of the module. After a functional evaluation of the module, 6-10 additional modules will be created. This amount will allow for a communal arrangement of the modules. Further studies can be done through observations and interviews given to individuals, families and the community as a whole by a psychologist who specializes in resiliency.
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