History many times over has shown when war and internal conflicts erupt, communities are forced to flee their homes and leave behind all they cherished until, if ever possible, the time and conditions re-align to return. In such conflict zones with countless uprooted communities news of refugees often gets more coverage in the media. Yet, alongside them are internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking as much help if not more, and not to mention can be significantly larger in number. Research also shows the majority of these groups end up being women and children exacerbating the problem and adding to the urgency. None the less, such post-conflict zones with widespread need seldom receive sufficient support for resettlement, from basic shelter and food to achieving a resemblance of some self-sufficiency.
Shelter in post-war zones is a critical issue. But, due to challenging conditions on the ground like shortage of resources against the high demand among others, organizations participating in the rebuilding and assistance effort often resort to temporary and transitional settlements. Unfortunately, such displaced populations end up living in these potentially deteriorating settlements for many years with their lives at a standstill, while support and resources dwindle. The matter of creating shelter being of architecture, a question then follows how can architecture alleviate the problem of resettling displaced populations in post-war zones? And in the process how can it help communities restore what they lost and potentially establish a better future? And is there perhaps a practical approach to resettlement that spurs a positive change in motion to what would be a long process of rebuilding a community and then a nation as a whole?
The issue of post-war resettlement being a complicated one, and requiring many hands, this thesis strives to propose a resettlement model from an architectural standpoint. As a case in point, the thesis looks at the extensively damaged city of Raqqa in Syria, following the ongoing civil war of more than 7 years. The thesis furthermore aims to propose a model that can serve as a catalyst towards much-needed rebuilding in this historic city and beyond. Besides this, the thesis makes an effort to identify and translate what post-war resettlement specific to the area in question could mean and design a communal campus at the end of which. Also, contrary to a temporary relief typology, the thesis attempts to break down and respond to some of the contextual issues present through targeted questions of why what and how towards a potentially evolving and flourishing housing and community rebuilding campus. / Master of Architecture / In the aftermath of conflicts and war, communities are forced to abandon their homes along with all they cherished into the worst of circumstances that leave them in limbo for many years. A majority of these displaced populations become Internally Displaced People(IDP) while others become refugees in near and far lands. Adding to that, women and children make up nearly 80% of these groups. Yet, during and post-conflict, the support for resettlement continues to be a no match to the extensive need created from basic housing to reaching a level of self-sufficiency as communities rebuild their lives piece by piece. While issues surrounding post-war resettlement are intricate and need all resources possible, this thesis identifies and puts forward a proposal towards architectural responses. Particularly looking at one of the extensively bombed city of Raqqa in Syria, the thesis furthermore suggests a model that can be a catalyst towards the extensive need for rebuilding communities against the predicament that continue to cloud the hopes of the nation and its people. Besides this, the thesis brings forth solutions potentially suitable for a post-war campus taking into consideration material resources to human factors like labor. The thesis, unlike temporary and transitional shelters that could leave behind settlements into a slum-like state, proposes a permanent rebuilding model to help lay a foundation to what is urgently needed and will be a long term undertaking.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/94359 |
| Date | 04 October 2019 |
| Creators | Alemnew, Eyob Moges |
| Contributors | Architecture, Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C., Kelsch, Paul J., Emmons, Paul F. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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