Abstract

The increase in refugee numbers is an increasingly important concern globally. Many countries in different regions have been accommodating refugees by providing temporary shelters made from ineffective and inadequate materials to provide thermal comfort for refugees. However, the shelters provided are often inadequate solutions for shelter and neglect the social and cultural diversity of the refugees. Socio-cultural norms, practices and values are rarely considered in the design of shelters and this has an adverse impact on how refugees live in these spaces. Using insights from the Al Baqa’a refugee camp in Jordan as a case study, this paper uses a mixed-method approach to explore how the challenges of inadequate shelter has consequently led refugees to self-organize and create new socio-cultural spaces to adapt to the place. The findings suggest that historically, Al Baqa’a camp has reorganized by users due to social needs and climate challenges. When the camp was created in 1967, the inadequacy of the housing and infrastructure to provide comfort influenced refugees to self-organize and create adaptive spaces of comfort. However, over the decades, these spaces have evolved into spaces of enterprise, belonging and memory of their homeland. Therefore, this paper argues that refugee shelter design should have an integrated consideration of the climatic elements and the social and cultural aspects of refugees. The paper concludes with lessons learned drawn from the evidence to act as guideline for the consideration of official humanitarian organizations in other camps and local communities.

Highlights

  • A myriad of situations are leading to the unprecedented growth of the refugee’s crisis

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan have contributed to this displacement, as well as the massive flow of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017 (UNHCR 2019)

  • The uniqueness of the lived experiences of refugees in refugee camps has given way to an increasing global discourse that is investigating the improvement of refugees and the camp space (Agier 2002, 2008; Alnsour and Meaton 2014; Ashmore et al 2003; Brun 2001; Hart et al 2018; Herz 2012)

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Summary

Introduction

A myriad of situations are leading to the unprecedented growth of the refugee’s crisis. The global landscaping is facing present challenges such as the pandemic, growing effects of climate change, humanitarian emergencies and increasing political instability. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported (UNHCR 2020) a rapid increase in the global population of forcibly displaced people from 43.3 to 79.5 million between 2009 and 2019. The majority of this increase occurred between 2012 and 2015 due to the Syrian conflict in 2011. Jordan has a historical relationship with refugees and has been housing refugees since 1984 up till present. The main stakeholders of the refugee camps in Jordan are refugees, governments and non-government organizations (NGOs) (UNHCR 2019)

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