Revisiting Urban Resilience: Exploring the Resilience of Spatial Structure in Refugee Settlements of Jordanian Cities

Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been a substantial and unpredictable increase in the number of refugees, which presents challenges to the urban infrastructure of host countries. Urban areas in these host countries already face issues related to overpopulation and inadequate infrastructure, and the arrival of refugees seeking a new life further strain these already burdened systems. To address these urban challenges in a sustainable manner, it is crucial to adopt a resilience-based approach that prepares cities for emerging physical, social, and economic challenges. By designing, managing, and planning infrastructure that is resilient to a growing population, urban systems can resist, adapt, and transform. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to study the characteristics of sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure, with a specific focus on refugee settlements in Jordanian cities. The research aims to identify the background and tools of urban design that can contribute to resiliency based on urban stability, livability, and overall quality of life.In this dissertation, I review theories of urban resilience from the perspective of urban form and design. The main objectives of this review are as follows: 1) explore various approaches and frameworks for resilient urban forms, 2) propose a theoretical framework to address the resilience of refugee settlements, 3) reflect on the relevant value of urban resilience in the human-environment relationship, and 4) provide an analytical tool for assessing the resilient urban form of refugee settlements, incorporating valuable geospatial theories and technologies. The assessment methods employ both quantitative values and qualitative descriptions. In this study, I specifically focus on a set of resilient design criteria and spatial characteristics that contribute to creating urban resilience. The assessment tool utilizes metric-based methods to measure the resilient capacity and vulnerability of urban forms at both the mesoscale and microscale focusing on physical factors such as geometry, spatial patterns, functions, typology, and topology.Jordan, as a host country located in the politically unstable Middle East, has historically been shaped by displaced populations. Jordanian cities host a large number of refugees and internally displaced people. The research applies the assessment tool to 24 real-world cases of Palestinian and Syrian refugee settlements dispersed across major Jordanian cities, namely Amman, Mafraq, Irbid, Zarqa, and Jerash. These cases represent different past and ongoing refugee crises, as well as variations in locality, refugee density, and historical context.The research contributes to existing knowledge on urban resilience, urban forms, and humanitarian practices in developing countries, offering both theoretical and methodological insights. Through a comparative study, similarities, and differences in spatial resilience among the Palestinian and Syrian refugee settlements are identified. The study also provides spatial strategies for humanitarian organizations and inter-governmental bodies to effectively contribute to the improvement of vulnerable spatial structures in refugee settings improving urban resilience. Furthermore, it broadens opportunities for assessing, profiling, communicating, monitoring, and planning resilient refugee settlements.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Alawneh, Salwa Mohammad

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rashid, Mahbub

• Architecture
• Urban planning
• Livability
• Resilience and Quality of Life
• Resilience in Refugee Settlements
• Resilient Urban Form
• Urban Design
• Urban Resilience in Jordanian Cities

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:19136

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/38781