NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 39

While some think it's a practical
idea worth exploring, others argue
that creating different tiers of safety
requirements for different countries
is unworkable as well as unethical.
Proponents answer that it's better to
have a minimum standard that can
be met rather than one that's overly
aspirational and is ultimately ignored,
thereby putting more people at risk.
Those sides tend to agree that problems
faced by rapidly growing cities in
the developing world cannot be erased
simply by transferring codes and systems
of regulation that have proven
successful in the West. Taking " a regulation
or a standard from a developed
country and trying to drop it into a
country that doesn't think or work
in the same way " gets complicated,
according to Meacham.
For one, developing countries generally
do not have nearly enough skilled
inspectors, designers, plan reviewers,
or other safety professionals to keep
up with demand-or big enough
budgets to hire them if they did.
Additionally, different nations tend
to utilize different building materials,
building techniques, and systems of
measurement; even cultural priorities
around the notion of safety can
vary widely. Even if such codes were
adopted and enforced, a contractor
or civilian homebuilder may simply
not be able to afford to buy imported
materials or build a structure that
could meet Western building codes.
" With that context, it can feel a
little bit imperialistic to come in and
dictate that you 'shall' do this because
we know it works in our country, "
Meacham said of applying developed-world
codes and standards to
the realities of the developing world.
" What if you don't have anything in
place to actually make that regulation
or code work in that same way? "
Other strategies beyond regulation
and enforcement could have
significant impacts on building and
life safety, experts say. One idea is to
develop improved methods for building
cheaper and safer homes using
locally available materials. A recent
effort in Mexico, for example, used
3D printing technology to construct
low-cost, 500-square-foot homes out of
a fire-resistant material similar to concrete.
The homes have already been
shown to withstand 7.4-magnitude
earthquakes, and each structure can
be built in less than 24 hours.
Other innovations could one day
lead to affordable alternatives to
dangerous open-flame heating and
cooking appliances, common in the
developing world; the creation of a
safer and more reliable electrical infrastructure;
and, as a way to address
the shortage of
building safety
officials, the
creation of local
programs to teach
residents without
technical backgrounds
how to
inspect a residential
building or
review a building
plan.
Meacham, who
considers himself
an optimist,
believes all of
those scenarios
NFPA.ORG/
ULTRAURBAN
Read the
International
Building Quality
Center's report,
" Guidelines and
Principles for
the Development
of Building
Regulations in
Low Income
Countries. "
Read a New York
Times story about
earthquakeresilient
houses in
Mexico created
using 3D printing
technology.
are possible with enough investment
and more attention. Small improvements
like these, he said, could have
profound impacts on an urban world
poised for unprecedented growth.
" I choose to think of this challenge
as an opportunity, but we need champions
to help raise the banner and
pull people along because it's not just
going to happen on its own, " he said.
" We need the top-down activities at the
World Bank, and we also need the private
sector and NGOs working from the
bottom up, looking at communities and
asking, 'What can we do in terms of
helping communities help themselves?'
We need to put appropriate private-sector
investment into the renovation of
existing buildings, and work at the
NGO level to help transition people
from informal to formal construction.
And then maybe, over a generation
or two, we can actually make real
progress. But that will only happen
by addressing the issue, not having a
doom-and-gloom attitude about how
big this problem is. " -Jesse Roman
NFPA .ORG/JOURNAL * NFPA JOURNAL | 39
High-rises worldwide taller
than 40 stories
Year
2000
2018
2050
High-rises
600
3,251
41,000
Source: Metropolis: A History of the City,
Humankind's Greatest Invention. Ben Wilson. 2020
The Numbers
13,000
Estimated number of buildings that
would need to be constructed
worldwide each day between 2018
and 2050 to keep pace with urban
population growth, not including
single-family homes
80+
Percentage of these buildings
predicted to be built outside of the
US and Europe
Source: Statista
100
Percentage growth of building stock
in low- and middle-income countries
predicted between now and 2050
Source: United Nations
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

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