Rethinking Refugee Communities
Tens of millions of people have been forcibly uprooted by conflict or persecution worldwide. Although some of these people obtain asylum in advanced industrialized countries, a far larger number remain as refugees and internally-displaced people living in hastily-built refugee communities in the developing world. This project-based, interdisciplinary class is focused on exploring alternatives to improve the planning, design, and governance of refugee communities. It considers some of the legal, design, engineering, and governance challenges associated with communities of refugees and other forced migrants. The goal is to exercise and enhance students¿ ability to deal with multifaceted complex issues by developing recommendations that can be implemented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).