IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jworld/v6y2025i4p142-d1772782.html

Interdisciplinary Drivers of Puerto Rico’s Informal Housing Cycle: A Review of Key Factors

Author

Listed:
  • Clifton B. Farnsworth

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

  • Andrew J. South

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

  • Kezia I. Tripp

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

  • Keona S. Wu

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

Abstract

In many disaster-prone regions, lower-income communities face disproportionate impacts due to the prevalence of informal housing. Informal housing, characterized by substandard construction and lack of adherence to building codes, exacerbates vulnerabilities during disasters, leading to widespread destruction and hampered recovery efforts. This study examines the multifaceted causes of informal housing in Puerto Rico using a qualitative content analysis of applicable literature. Seven interdisciplinary factors were derived from 42 relevant manuscripts with identifiable factors linked to informal housing in Puerto Rico: Knowledge, Perception, Government Dynamics, Institutional Support, Enforcement, Culture, and Resources. Despite post-disaster efforts advocating for building back better, systemic challenges perpetuate informal housing practices, reinforcing cycles of vulnerability. This research underscores the need for integrated decision making in pre-disaster preparation and post-disaster reconstruction efforts. This research presents a detailed understanding of the Informal Housing Cycle, demonstrates how interdisciplinary factors are barriers to safe and sustainable housing, and explores the complex relationships between these factors. This study aims to guide policy and practice to reduce future disaster impacts on Puerto Rico housing, thus breaking the cycle of vulnerability, empowering communities, and fostering sustainable resilience in post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • Clifton B. Farnsworth & Andrew J. South & Kezia I. Tripp & Keona S. Wu, 2025. "Interdisciplinary Drivers of Puerto Rico’s Informal Housing Cycle: A Review of Key Factors," World, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:6:y:2025:i:4:p:142-:d:1772782
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/6/4/142/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/6/4/142/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sebastian Rowan & Kyle Kwiatkowski, 2020. "Assessing the Relationship between Social Vulnerability, Social Capital, and Housing Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    2. Jessica Talbot & Cristina Poleacovschi & Sara Hamideh, 2022. "Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities and Housing Reconstruction in Puerto Rico After Hurricanes Irma and Maria," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 110(3), pages 2113-2140, February.
    3. Stéphane Hallegatte & Adrien Vogt-Schilb & Julie Rozenberg & Mook Bangalore & Chloé Beaudet, 2020. "From Poverty to Disaster and Back: a Review of the Literature," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 223-247, April.
    4. Pranita Shrestha & Nicole Gurran & Sophia Maalsen, 2021. "Informal housing practices," International Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 157-168, May.
    5. Sou, Gemma & Shaw, Duncan & Aponte-Gonzalez, Felix, 2021. "A multidimensional framework for disaster recovery: Longitudinal qualitative evidence from Puerto Rican households," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Junyan Tian, 2025. "Vulnerability to Adverse Climate Change: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 37(4), pages 765-791, August.
    2. Azam Khosravi Mashizi & Mohsen Sharafatmandrad & Sahar Karami Robati & Maryam Khosravi Mashizi & Esfandiar Jahantab, 2025. "Investigating the impact of multidimensional management on the willingness of villagers to protect the ecosystems and avoiding rural–urban migration," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(11), pages 27063-27094, November.
    3. Maruyama Rentschler,Jun Erik & Salhab,Melda, 2020. "People in Harm's Way : Flood Exposure and Poverty in 189 Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9447, The World Bank.
    4. Yidi Liu & Xin Li & Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, 2024. "Consequences of China’s 2018 Online Lending Regulation and the Promise of PolicyTech," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(3), pages 1235-1256, September.
    5. Anil Markandya & Laura Cavalli & Arnab Bhattacharya & Gregmar Galinato & Luca Farnia, 2025. "Links between the sustainable development goals: An analysis for Italy," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 1068-1084, February.
    6. Verschuur,Jasper & Becher,Olivia Rose Elizabeth & Schwantje,Tom & Mathijs Van Ledden & Kazi,Swarna & Urrutia Duarte,Ignacio M., 2023. "Welfare and Climate Risks in Coastal Bangladesh : The Impacts of Climatic Extremes onMultidimensional Poverty and the Wider Benefits of Climate Adaptation," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10373, The World Bank.
    7. Ervin, Paul & Gayoso, Lyliana & Rubiano Matulevich, Eliana Carolina, 2025. "Uneven Waters : Examining Poverty and Urban and Rural Households' Exposure to Flood Risk in Paraguay," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11215, The World Bank.
    8. David A. Novelo-Casanova & Gerardo Suárez, 2024. "Social and seismic structural vulnerability in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 120(5), pages 4925-4939, March.
    9. Claudia Calle Müller & Mohamed ElZomor, 2024. "Addressing Post-Disaster Challenges and Fostering Social Mobility through Origami Infrastructure and Construction Trade Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Emmanuel Eze & Alexander Siegmund, 2024. "Identifying disaster risk factors and hotspots in Africa from spatiotemporal decadal analyses using INFORM data for risk reduction and sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 4020-4041, August.
    11. Wang, Donglin & Li, Yanbin & Zhang, Binbin & Jiang, Tengcong & Wu, Siyu & Wu, Wenjie & Li, Yi & He, Jianqiang & Liu, Deli & Dong, Qinge & Feng, Hao, 2025. "Explore the evolution of winter wheat production and its response to climate change under varying precipitation years in the Loess Plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    12. Ahmadzai, Hayatullah & Morrissey, Oliver, 2025. "Climate shocks, household food security and welfare in Afghanistan," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    13. Asha Williams & Gracia Hadiwidjaja & Rabia Ali & Imam Setiawan, 2024. "Adaptive Social Protection, Human Capital, and Climate Change," World Bank Publications - Reports 41180, The World Bank Group.
    14. Eduardo Macías García & Fábio Ferreira Dias, 2024. "Future scenarios in the former oil capital: coastal flooding and social vulnerability in Macaé, RJ," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 18625-18640, July.
    15. Rohit Kumar Yadav & Suresh Chand Rai & Md Riyazuddin Khan & Karuna Shree, 2025. "Drought's silent symphony and unmasking the invisible weight on human life in Chhatarpur of Bundelkhand Region, India," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 1-23, March.
    16. Philile Dladla-Jaca & Busisiwe P. Ncama & Yoshan Moodley & Nafiisa Sobratee-Fajurally & Rashieda Davids & Mjabuliseni Simon C. Ngidi & Catherine Sutherland & Muthulisi Siwela & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, 2024. "Impact of pre-existing depression and food insecurity on the trajectory of depressive symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in South Africa: A panel analysis of nationally representative South African data," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(4), pages 1009-1018, August.
    17. Kalsi, Jaslin & Mackay, Robert & Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Tarverdi, Yashar, 2025. "Crimes of the current: Natural disasters and crime in Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    18. Raluca Maran, 2023. "Drivers of sovereign catastrophe bond issuance: an empirical analysis," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(6), pages 1-20, June.
    19. Jie Fan & Baoyin Liu & Xiaodong Ming & Yong Sun & Lianjie Qin, 2022. "The amplification effect of unreasonable human behaviours on natural disasters," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    20. Vincenzo Salvucci & Finn Tarp, 2024. "Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 in Mozambique in 2020," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(4), pages 803-840, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:6:y:2025:i:4:p:142-:d:1772782. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.