The (im)Permanent City: Reimagining Infrastructure and Civic Space in Zaatari Refugee Camp

Refugee camps are meant to be temporary places that provide an immediate solution to the problem of displacement. The problem arises because refugee displacement is not a temporary problem, and the camps are now becoming permanent settlement locations. The oldest refugee camp has been functioning for over 20 years as a “temporary” place, with fleeting materials and living conditions. Because these camps were designed to be makeshift places there is a breakdown in their infrastructure. If the future for refugee camps is going to exist in a more permanent setting, their design strategy needs to be reevaluated.

This thesis project looked at the problems facing communities with in refugee camps and focused on rethinking the design of three main spaces: bath houses, mosques, and schools.