Post-traumatic spatial self-organization of mobile populations

Balkız Yapıcıoğlu,Charalampos Tsavdaroglou,Konstantinos Lalenis

doi:10.24306/traesop.2020.01.004

Balkız Yapıcıoğlu, Charalampos Tsavdaroglou + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.24306/traesop.2020.01.004

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Abstract

Since 2012, and particularly since 2014, instability and wars in North African countries and the Middle East have brought a wave of refugees, trying to flee from violence in their countries, to Europe. They usually go north, crossing the Mediterranean towards Italy, or the Aegean, going west to the Greek islands. In their quest for a safe refuge, a significant number drown or disappear. The rest reach in Europe carrying their traumatic experiences with them, and face immediate humanitarian needs. A major task for host cities is to provide shelter for the refugees, taking into consideration the influence of their psychological trauma on local societies. This complex task, which combines technical, economic, social, psychological, and political dimensions – simultaneously targeted on two social groups – constitutes the ‘post-traumatic urbanism’ which intervenes in the recreating of the refugees’ spatial and social networks in the host city. This paper discusses how the complex issue of post-traumatic housing triggers spatial self-organization by the refugees, in contrast to the ‘official’ provisions from host states, through the lens of complex adaptive theory (resilience). This article examines the features of refugee housing in Athens and Thessaloniki through qualitative research, quantitative methods and participatory observation. Through this study, it is highlighted that the post-trauma self-organization of mobile populations is a process of gaining dignity and self-respect in a new and often hostile environment, and a tool for spatial and social resilience.

Highlights

Overview of the Recent Refugee Problem in the EUHousing refugees is a global concern, especially recently, with the increased refugee flows finding their way to Europe via ‘irregular’ and highly dangerous routes
Since 2012, and since 2014, instability and wars in North African countries and the Middle East have brought a wave of refugees, trying to flee from violence in their countries, to Europe
This paper focuses on how refugees self-organise and create resilience within the urban fabric of the host city, and the importance of resilience in self-reliance

Summary

Introduction

Housing refugees is a global concern, especially recently, with the increased refugee flows finding their way to Europe via ‘irregular’ and highly dangerous routes. A UNHCR (2018a) survey indicates the seriousness of the matter – showing that the majority of refugees do not plan to return to their original country. This paper focuses on how refugees self-organise and create resilience within the urban fabric of the host city, and the importance of resilience in self-reliance (i.e. living with dignity). The country has been at the forefront of the refugee crisis, and only in 2015, 856,723 refugees and migrants crossed into the country (UNHCR, 2016), and into its two biggest cities (Athens and Thessaloniki), which host the highest numbers of refugees. The data relating to the existing refugee camps, the refugee self-organised housing, and the interviews with the refugees shown of this paper and used as inputs in the analysis were collected and conducted during the period 2016-2018 – in the course of a post-doctoral research – and are recorded in Tsavdaroglou and Lalenis (2020)

Complex and Dissipative Systems

State Policies for the Accommodation of Refugees

Living Conditions of the Refugees in the Hospitality Centres

Self-Organization of the Refugees

Synopsis

Conclusion