Problems and Implications of Shelter Planning Focusing on Habitability: A Case Study of a Temporary Disaster Shelter after the Pohang Earthquake in South Korea

Habitability is an essential concept for shelter planning in terms of supporting victims’ right to life with dignity and recovering from what they suffered. The study aimed to identify problems and needs in shelter spaces and suggest measures to improve shelter space plans by conducting a case study in South Korea. The temporary disaster shelter in Pohang built right after the earthquake (2018) was selected as a case subject. From the literature review, a framework consisting of four concepts of habitability (safety, health, sociality, comfort) and four shelter zones (entry, residential, service, special needs zone) was developed for the in-depth interviews and analysis. The field study and in-depth interviews with victims, staff, and volunteers were conducted to collect problems and needs regarding shelter space planning. The results showed that the entry zone needed improvements in ‘protection’, ‘prevention’, ‘sanitation’, ‘accessibility’, ‘area’, and ‘privacy’. The residential zone lacked ‘area’, ‘privacy’, and ‘indoor environmental quality’. The service zone problems were mainly seen in the categories of ‘area’ and ‘privacy’. The special needs zone was less habitable in the categories of ‘protection’ and ‘area’. To appropriately respond to victims’ urgent needs, the temporary shelter planning should secure enough space beyond the legal minimum standards, provide sanitation and indoor environmental quality management, and separate spaces by function and user type.