Lance Jay Brown: Urban reconstruction cannot be measured only by number of houses built

Climate change, armed conflicts, forced migration, and natural disasters are becoming some of the main causes of housing loss and the growing number of homeless people worldwide, Lance Jay Brown, Co-Chair of the Habitat Professionals Forum, said during an event held as part of WUF13 in Baku.

Report quotes him as saying humanity is currently experiencing an unprecedented global polycrisis. The consequences of environmental degradation, severe social inequality, and housing instability are intersecting simultaneously, leading to the rapid displacement of vast populations.

Lance Jay Brown noted that Recovering the Future international concept offers a fundamentally new perspective on disaster recovery. Urban reconstruction should be viewed not merely as an emergency response to crises, but as a unique opportunity to create safer, fairer, and more environmentally sustainable spaces.

"The reconstruction process must under no circumstances reproduce the vulnerabilities of the past. Its goal is the long-term transformation of communities based on landscape-oriented planning and the active participation of citizens themselves," the speaker emphasized.

The forum representative also separately stressed that the success of reconstruction efforts must not be assessed solely by the number of buildings erected. According to him, high-quality reconstruction must guarantee people unhindered access to essential social services and reliable protection against repeated displacement.