UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE CLOSING THE GAP: TINY HOMES, SOCIAL CAPITAL, IMPLEMENTATION, AND DISASTER RECOVERY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY By JENNIFER HAMEL Norman, Oklahoma 2019 CLOSING THE GAP: TINY HOMES, SOCIAL CAPITAL, IMPLEMENTATION, AND DISASTER RECOVERY A THESIS APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BY Dr. Travis Gliedt, Chair Dr. Laurel Smith Dr. Charles Warnken © Copyright by JENNIFER HAMEL 2019 All Rights Reserved. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oklahoma for taking a chance on me when I had nothing but a dream and an art degree. I am grateful for my committee members, Dr. Travis Gliedt, Dr. Laurel Smith, and Dr. Charlie Warnken, whom have challenged me in ways that will only help me grow stronger as a participant in the field of sustainability. I give my utmost gratitude to Dr. Mark Meo for an excellent introduction to a fascinating world and opening my eyes to the opportunities that a designer has for making a difference. His guidance has been instrumental in helping me understand my purpose in this field. I could never repay Mooshe, Alex, and Alyssa for the patience, encouragement, and support they have shown me throughout this process. I also thank Samantha and Dana for standing in solidarity with me through the trials and tribulations of graduate school. Rose Scovel deserves credit for her seemingly endless resources, knowledge, and challenging questions that have kept me grounded and critical. Heartfelt appreciation goes to Greg and Marie Hamel, for supporting me through an unconventional baccalaureate and for believing in me when I decided to pursue a graduate degree in science. Finally, I give particular mention to Jesse Tardif for being by my side through 15 years of growing pains – without him, I would not be the person I am today. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... v TABLE OF FIGURES ..................................................................................... viii INDEX OF TERMS.......................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 2 Hurricane Katrina ................................................................................................. 2 The storm ........................................................................................................... 2 What went wrong ............................................................................................... 4 A toxic environment ........................................................................................... 6 The Lower Ninth Ward ........................................................................................ 8 The immortal trailer ......................................................................................... 12 What changed .................................................................................................. 12 Hurricane Harvey ................................................................................................ 14 The storm ......................................................................................................... 14 Agency response and housing the displaced ..................................................... 15 Kashmere Gardens ........................................................................................... 16 1.2 Approach .......................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................. 21 2.1 Tiny Housing .................................................................................................... 21 Living Deliberately ............................................................................................... 21 Size Matters ........................................................................................................ 23 2.2 Off-grid Technologies ........................................................................................ 24 Thermal Regulation ............................................................................................. 24 Water Catchment ................................................................................................ 28 Net-zero Water Treatment .................................................................................... 29 2.3 The First Crusaders .......................................................................................... 32 Katrina Cottage ................................................................................................... 32 Make It Right ....................................................................................................... 35 Lowernine.org ...................................................................................................... 37 2.4 Tiny Concepts ................................................................................................... 38 A Tiny Prototype .................................................................................................. 38 vi Minimalist Relief House ....................................................................................... 39 Flex House .......................................................................................................... 40 2.5 Design Approaches ........................................................................................... 41 Integrated Design Approach ................................................................................ 42 Integrated Project Delivery ................................................................................ 42 Integrated Project Team .................................................................................... 42 Okala Eco-design Strategy ................................................................................... 43 Life Cycle Analysis ............................................................................................... 45 2.6 Social Capital ................................................................................................... 47 Leadership and Trusted Networks ....................................................................... 47 No Place Like Home ............................................................................................. 54 2.7 Summarizing the Literature .............................................................................. 57 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 60 3.1 Research Overview ............................................................................................ 60 3.2 Research Method .............................................................................................. 61 Sustainability Framework .................................................................................... 61 Economic ......................................................................................................... 62 Environmental ................................................................................................. 62 Social ............................................................................................................... 62 Cultural ........................................................................................................... 63 Economic Dimension ........................................................................................... 64 Unit price ......................................................................................................... 64 Energy.............................................................................................................. 66 Water retrieval .................................................................................................. 68 Environmental Dimension ................................................................................... 69 Energy consumption ........................................................................................ 69 Water consumption .......................................................................................... 69 Social Dimension ................................................................................................. 71 Formaldehyde exposure ................................................................................... 71 Indoor environment .......................................................................................... 72 Social capital .................................................................................................... 73 Cultural Dimension ............................................................................................. 73 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS ................................................................................. 75 4.1 Financial Costs of Relief Housing .....................................................................