Disaster risk reduction or disaster risk production: the role of building regulations in mainstreaming DRR

Whilst it has not experienced any major disasters in recent years, Barbados is prone to a number of hazards and has the highest proportion of its urban produced capital at risk in the Caribbean due largely to the island's high population density. One of the main challenges that Barbados faces in coping with the possible impacts of natural hazards is the enhancement of construction practices, and consequently, the quality of building stock. This is however hard to achieve due to the lack of enforced building codes. Using a qualitative case study methodology, that includes semi-structured interviews with a broad range of public and private stakeholders in Barbados, this paper aims to explore how the lack of such codes affects the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction across the island. This paper demonstrates that whilst the awareness of the hazards among the population is high, the willingness to proactively deal with those hazards is low due to general complacency. The case of Barbados, despite good intentions and limited resources, is a good example of why it is essential to improve communication of DRR principles to a wider set of stakeholders including the general population and the construction sector. Such activities may positively influence the uptake of the best practices despite the lack of regulations.