Urban Integration of Post-Refugee Camps-The Case of Dbayeh
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT URBAN INTEGRATION OF POST-REFUGEE CAMPS: THE CASE OF DBAYEH PALESTINIAN CAMP by NADINE FADI SALHAB A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Design to the Department of Architecture and Design of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon June 2020 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT URBAN INTEGRATION OF POST-REFUGEE CAMPS: THE CASE OF DBAYEH PALESTINIAN CAMP by NADINE FADI SALHAB Approved by: ______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Howayda Al-Harithy, Professor Advisor Department of Architecture and Design, AUB ______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Mona Fawaz, Professor Member of Committee Department of Architecture and Design, AUB ______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Yaser Abunnasr, Professor Member of Committee Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management, AUB Date of thesis defense: June 15, 2020 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT THESIS, DISSERTATION, PROJECT RELEASE FORM Student Name: SALHAB FADI NADINE _______________________________________________________ Last First Middle X Master’s Thesis Master’s Project Doctoral Dissertation X I authorize the American University of Beirut to: (a) reproduce hard or electronic copies of my thesis, dissertation, or project; (b) include such copies in the archives and digital repositories of the University; and (c) make freely available such copies to third parties for research or educational purposes. I authorize the American University of Beirut, to: (a) reproduce hard or electronic copies of it; (b) include such copies in the archives and digital repositories of the University; and (c) make freely available such copies to third parties for research or educational purposes after: One ---- year from the date of submission of my thesis, dissertation, or project. Two ---- years from the date of submission of my thesis, dissertation, or project. Three ---- years from the date of submission of my thesis, dissertation, or project. ________________________________ July 2, 2020___________ Signature Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to deeply thank my advisor Dr. Howayda Al-Harithy, for believing in my research subject. Without your motivation, patience and full support this work would not have been accomplished. Thank you for helping me grow to become a better researcher and designer. Furthermore, I would like to thank both Dr. Mona Fawaz and Dr. Yaser Abunnaser for their encouragement, insightful comments and reflections on my thesis work. Their knowledge and experience have been inspirational. I also thank my friends Abdo Feghali, Yasmine Farhat, Rouba Haddad, Cynthia Gebran and Keara Masterson, for their support, the stimulating discussions, and their assistance throughout my research. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family: Dad for guiding me through all the challenges I encountered ever since I started my masters; my sister Christina for always finding the time to review and discuss my work; and my biggest supporter, my grandmother Simone for believing in me, every step of the way. Thank you. Nadine Salhab. v AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Nadine Fadi Salhab for Master of Urban Design Major: Urban Design Title: Urban Integration of Post-refugee Camps: The case of Dbayeh Palestinian Refugee Camp Displacement has become a worldwide issue with over 68 million people displaced including 25.4 million refugees that reside mostly in urban areas (UNHCR, 2020). Camps established in response to an emergency situation, often last longer than the crisis itself and end up as permanent settlements. In the Middle-East, since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, 7 million Palestinian refugees across the world managed to create coping mechanisms and new practices to adapt in hosting urban environments, during seventy years of exile. Today, Lebanon is home to 174,422 Palestinian refugees (Census, 2017) residing in twelve camps that suffer from overcrowding, poverty, poor infrastructure, and lack of social interaction. This thesis focuses on Dbayeh camp, located north of Beirut, which is an interesting case study since it has been existing for a long time and became a permanent part of the urban landscape. The study will investigate the urban evolution of the camp, a congested built environment that lacks services, infrastructure and healthy public realm. It will also analyze the improvised socio-spatial tactics that refugees use to improve their living conditions, in order to inform a site-specific Placemaking strategy. The thesis aims to explore the role of urban design in addressing the integration of the camp with its surroundings and the enhancement of living conditions in camps particularly through shared open spaces, by building on these tactics. The research relies on qualitative and quantitative methods such as data visualization, field observation, interviews and extensive mapping for data generation, since there is not enough data on this camp. The strategy will aim to upgrade the physical environment and reintegrate the social structure, while retaining the multilayered identity which includes the ‘campness’ of the camp. By translating the concept of Placemaking inside refugee camps, the thesis aims to prove that strategic urban design interventions can improve livability and create a sense of belonging. The research aims to create a discourse around the post-camp urban condition, recommending that aid agencies intervene in existing refugee camps that are becoming permanent, using urban design tools. vi CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................... v AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF ............................................. vi ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................... x Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 A. Site of Inquiry.............................................................................................................. 3 B. Research Problem and Significance ............................................................................ 5 1. Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 5 2. Research Question and Hypothesis ............................................................................. 6 3. Research Objective and Significance .......................................................................... 7 C. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 8 1. Data collection ............................................................................................................. 8 2. Data generation ........................................................................................................... 9 D. Thesis Outline ........................................................................................................... 11 II. THE CASE OF DBAYEH REFUGEE CAMP ........................................ 13 A. Location and Population............................................................................................ 13 B. Reading the site: Historical Overview ...................................................................... 16 C. Reading the site: Urban Evolution ............................................................................ 19 D. Reading the site: Land use ........................................................................................ 20 E. Reading the site: Living conditions .............................................................................. 22 1. Road Network ........................................................................................................... 22 2. Infrastructure ............................................................................................................. 24 3. Housing conditions .................................................................................................... 26 4. Socio-Economic condition ........................................................................................ 29 vii F. Stakeholders and Administration .................................................................................. 29 III. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 36 A. From camp to city and Palestinian informal practices .............................................. 36 1. Global crisis overview ............................................................................................... 37 2. Refugees and Urbanization in the Middle-East ......................................................... 38 3. Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Dbayeh camp ........................................ 42 B. Placemaking .............................................................................................................. 49 1. Theoretical framework .............................................................................................. 50 2. Placemaking in the context of refugee camps ........................................................... 54 3. Placemaking and the question of identity ................................................................. 59