Shelter in urban displacement : a case study of Syrian refugees in the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp, Beirut (Lebanon).

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011, over one million refugees have entered Lebanon. In the absence of an official national response strategy, refugees have gradually settled across the country, concentrated mainly in Lebanon’s large cities where they have joined other groups of vulnerable populations (e.g. migrant workers, Palestinian refugees) (Fawaz 2017) who occupy dilapidated buildings, blocks, and neighborhoods, (Fawaz and Peillen 2002). How did this settlement occur in the conditions of the current protracted crisis of eight years and counting? More specifically, and given that UNHCR indicates that the vast majority of Syrian refugees access shelter through rental (UNHCR, 2014:48), how did the refugees secure their access to housing? Who do they rent from? In what conditions? And what kind of spatial arrangements support the organization of this rental market? This thesis seeks to explore the processes of housing acquisition by Syrian refugees. Building on earlier work that studied access to housing in Beirut’s informal settlements (Fawaz 2017), this thesis explores the materialization of the housing patterns in the Shatila refugee camp. Since the camp’s establishment in 1949, it has developed on land rented by the United Nations, with early comers assigned the right to land, but not ownership. Over time, the camp has grown and consolidated its role and purpose to become one of Beirut’s most iconic places. Although poor and seemingly chaotic, it is also the sheltering space of numerous vulnerable individuals and families who appreciate its desirable location and consider it as a “home”. Yet, very little is known about this transformation both spatially and institutionally. What are the mechanisms through which housing production and exchange occur in this neighborhood? Who are the actors involved in organizing and providing urban services? How did the physical conditions of the camp change over time?