Rapid response housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine

Abstract

ABSTRACT With the mass displacement from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine driving millions from their homes, accommodating them elsewhere has in turn prompted the need for rapid-response housing solutions. This commentary points toward several case studies in Ukraine where these practices are underway and suggest how future development may build off their work. Situating things within the broader context of pre- and post-conflict development in the country, it then reflects on these models’ long-term feasibility. Despite positive gains toward emergency shelter and ameliorating the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, housing efforts have invariably come up against chronic issues of poor infrastructure and building quality, alongside tenure security. Those displaced join earlier waves of IDPs fleeing from Donbas and Crimea, compounding an existing national housing crisis. There is an opportunity to not only quickly house those internally displaced but also establish more robust, long-term housing policies and development strategies positioning housing as a fundamental human right. This commentary argues that, without such key measures in place, Ukraine’s conflict-driven migrants risk entering long-term precarious housing and future secondary displacement.