PREPHubs

The PREPHub is a prototype for a new kind of urban infrastructure designed to increase disaster resilience. By activating public spaces with useful functions in everyday life, hubs become a community focal point for critical needs in the case of an emergency. 

Cities are densifying at an unprecedented rate around the world, exposing them to greater natural disaster risk. The infrastructure supporting this urbanization is vulnerable. When an earthquake or hurricane hits, these lifelines often break, leaving survivors without power, water, or communications. But what if public spaces already had these resources embedded in them as off-grid everyday amenities?

PREPHubs are composed of critical lifeline modules that form a flexible kit of parts which can be combined in different ways according to neighborhood need. The MIT Campus PREPHub allows you to charge a phone, listen to the radio, hear public announcements, and connect with loved ones. We foresee larger versions that include water tanks, medical supply storage, tools for cooking as well as sanitation services.  

Because PREPHubs are embedded in the community, they become integral to everyday life, beautifying and activating public space while acting as a reminder for disaster preparation. If a disaster hits, dual function Hubs, networked throughout a city, become meeting points to receive resources, illuminate necessary evacuation routes, and connect with family. They reduce panic, helping the community begin its recovery.

PREPHub, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Project Team: Urban Risk Lab (Miho Mazereeuw, David Moses, Justin Lavallee, Seungho Park, Jongwan Kwon, Aditya Barve, Saeko Nomura Baird, Elizabeth Yarina, Abraham Quintero, Ananya Nandy) and Lincoln Laboratory (Adam Norige, Brice Maclaren, Christopher Budny, Tom Smith, Ed Orchanian, Peter Klein, Andrew Weinert)
Dates: research project 2013 – present, prototype March – May, 2016