Center of Excellence in Capacity-building for REsilient Housing
Welcome to the
Transforming Housing Recovery through Research-driven Capacity Building
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Red Raider Lounge · Student Union Building · Texas Tech University
All times Central. Open a session for details.
Start the day with breakfast and student poster presentations.
Explore the Summit postersSpeaker · CECREH Director · Texas Tech University
Speaker · Member of the TTU Board of Regents
Speaker · TTU Vice President for Research and Innovation
Speaker · TTU Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement
Speaker · CECREH Director · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Postdoctoral Research Associate · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Postdoctoral Research Associate · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Research Assistant · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Research Assistant · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Research Assistant · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Research Assistant · Texas Tech University
Roundtable participant · Research Assistant · Texas A&M University at Galveston
Roundtable participant · Research Fellow · Texas A&M University at Galveston
Roundtable participant · Texas Southern University
Roundtable participant · Texas Southern University
Moderator · CECREH Associate Director · Texas A&M University at Galveston
Continue the conversation over coffee and student posters.
Explore the Summit postersParticipant · Texas A&M University
Participant · Texas A&M University
Participant · FHNR
Moderator · Texas Housers
A break for the group photo and box lunches before the final roundtable.
Roundtable participant · Texas Appleseed
Roundtable participant · Urban Institute
Roundtable participant · Texas Housers
Roundtable participant · Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Moderator · CECREH Director · Texas Tech University
Speaker · CECREH Director · Texas Tech University
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Browse the complete program, people and research portfolio.
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Speakers, moderators and roundtable participants. Open a name for their sessions.
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Nine projects across three research objectives. Open a project to explore the work.
Objective 1Understand climate riskLocally tested models of insured flood losses support screening after major storms.
National Flood Insurance Program loss data cover the Tax Day Flood, Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida. Spatial and cross-event comparisons test statistical and machine-learning models.
The 2026 Urban Climate article reports XGBoost AUC values of 0.84, 0.90 and 0.83 for the three events. Classification outperformed loss-magnitude regression. The models screen observed insured losses; they do not estimate total physical damage.
Dr. Ali Nejat · Dr. Katharine Hayhoe · Temidayo Popoola · Jesse Andrews · Kaifa Lu
Climate projections, housing growth and vulnerability identify persistent exposure hotspots in Harris County.
A public dashboard links precipitation at four warming levels with 2020–2050 population, households, employment, land use and vulnerability. The team tests 432 index specifications across 1,115 tracts.
Ninety-four tracts remain top-quintile priorities in at least 90% of specifications. The 163 growth-only tracts account for 67.8% of projected household growth. Preliminary planning-gap analysis identifies 167 priority tracts.
Dr. Ali Nejat · Dr. Katharine Hayhoe · Temidayo Popoola · Jesse Andrews · Kaifa Lu
Community capitals and local capacity shape future housing needs in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
A published review, interviews with 14 officials and community leaders, BRIC mapping and an exploratory system dynamics model examine six capitals. A resident housing-access survey is planned.
Interviews identify drainage constraints, slow assistance, staffing shortages, language barriers and coordination gaps. The exploratory model supports scenario discussion rather than forecasts.
Dr. Ashley Ross · Dr. Ali Nejat · Danielle Craig
Objective 2Measure recovery capacityExplicit reference points help agencies judge whether housing recovery is adequate and equitable.
The review distinguishes a 61-study manuscript sample from 112 eligible supplemental studies. Expert interviews and Hurricane Ian recovery records in Lee County inform the work; household interviews are planned.
Supplemental analysis found 65 inclusive benchmark mappings across 34 studies and 19 strict indicators across 12 studies. The manuscript sample contained no strict benchmarks. The manuscript is under final internal review.
Jesse Andrews · Dr. Sara Hamideh · Dr. Ashley Ross · Dr. Ali Nejat
Administrative, technical, financial, intergovernmental and community-engagement capabilities support equitable recovery.
Five decades of scholarship and roughly 20 practitioner interviews inform a framework of local government recovery capacity. Continuing Houston and Harris County interviews add CDBG-DR experience.
Practitioners emphasize engagement and collaboration more than scholarship does. The framework informs capacity-building guidance, participatory training and coordination; coding continues.
Dr. Ashley Ross · Dr. Laura Solitare · Abigail Ulman · Miranda Sauceda · Summer Pylant · Dr. Ali Nejat
System dynamics and agent-based models examine funding, administrative review and construction capacity.
The system dynamics model follows 22,476 post-Harvey homeowner cases. RAAbIT models households, insurers and contractors and is tested against rebuilding records in Santa Rosa and Paradise. Related studies compare grants across three states and review 35 computational recovery studies.
The preliminary system dynamics model separates funding limits on completed homes from timing effects on recovery pace; calibration is the next step. RAAbIT reproduces observed wildfire rebuilding patterns. The models support comparison of recovery policies.
Dr. Rodrigo Costa · Dr. Ali Nejat · Dr. Sara Hamideh · Amin Sobhani
Objective 3Tools and interventionsProgram-specific government capacity is linked to CDBG-DR spending, completion and equitable delivery.
A national study examines 130,605 quarterly-performance records across 18 disaster cohorts through June 2025. A public database covers 2001–2023 disasters and appropriations across 40 states and territories.
Heavier workloads are consistently associated with weaker recovery performance. Timing analyses retain programs that are not complete, and spatial screening helps identify capacity and implementation gaps for technical assistance.
Dr. Sara Hamideh · Dr. Laura Solitare · Dr. Ali Nejat · Kaifa Lu · Jesse Andrews
Climate information and simulation can strengthen recovery planning for underserved communities.
State Action Plan and expenditure comparisons track allocation changes. Houston interviews examine data and coordination needs. A drafted wildfire-risk review integrates climate, land use, exposure, vulnerability, infrastructure, health and loss.
Preliminary interviews reveal recurring data and coordination gaps. The framework remains a research synthesis, with operational policy testing ahead; planned focus groups will refine practical uses of simulation.
Dr. Rodrigo Costa · Dr. Ashley Ross · Dr. Ali Nejat · Kaifa Lu
Manufactured housing and new construction methods must balance affordability with resilience.
Price and retrofit-cost data, benefit-cost and life-cycle analysis, wind fragility and anchorage models complement full-scale Wall of Wind tests of three homes and seven configurations. RAMP adds concrete printing, debris-impact testing and finite-element analysis.
The pricing manuscript is in revision and other analyses remain drafts. The simulated mean benefit-cost ratio is 10.72 under baseline assumptions for 252 Texas counties. Installation and anchorage remain critical to wind performance; wall-response analysis supports further validation.
Dr. Elaina Sutley · Dr. Bradley Ewing · Dr. Ali Nejat · Paul Iyoha · Mehrdad Nourbakhsh
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Explore the work presented by CECREH researchers at the 2026 Summit.
View the collection in the Documentation Hub
Amin Sobhani, Ali Nejat, Rodrigo Costa
Uses a system dynamics model of Houston’s post-Harvey housing program to examine how application processing, funding, construction delays, and contractor productivity affect the pace of home completion.
Open poster · PDF
Jesse R. Andrews, Ali Nejat
Compares mapped flood zones, hydrology, and built exposure with flood insurance uptake and FEMA flood-damage registrations across U.S. census tracts, including exploratory screening beyond mapped high-risk zones.
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Kaifa Lu, Ali Nejat
Examines the timing of CDBG-DR financial milestones and resource–workload relationships using QPR records, workforce data, and spatial diagnostics. Financial milestones are distinguished from physical housing recovery.
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Mehrdad Nourbakhsh, Ali Nejat, Elaina J. Sutley
Compares hurricane-wind fragility across manufactured-home construction eras in Florida, considering installation standards and FEMA-based proxy damage states. Results are preliminary.
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Paul Iyoha, Ali Nejat, Sina Mostafavi
Integrates computational design, multi-material prototyping, concrete fabrication, debris-impact testing, and finite-element analysis to evaluate wall geometries for disaster-resilient 3D-printed construction.
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Temidayo Popoola, Kaifa Lu, Jesse Andrews, Ali Nejat
Combines historical and future flood risk with flood maps, mitigation actions, and local planning priorities to examine planning misalignment across Harris County, Texas.
Open poster · PDFExplore five journal articles, two interactive dashboards and 21 research posters in the summit booklet and Documentation Hub.
Student Union Building · Texas Tech University
1502 Akron Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409
October 22 · 8:00 AM–1:00 PM Central
The summit room-block deadline was October 7. For current availability, call 806-776-7000 and mention CECREH SUMMIT 2026.
Explore local art, music, food and places to spend time before or after the Summit.
Photos: Texas Tech University · Overton Hotel & Conference Center
Complete the Summit registration form. For participation, accessibility or accommodation questions, contact CECREH@ttu.edu or 806.834.4065.
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