The Normalization of Purgatories
Exploring Urban Inequalities in The Shatila Refugee Camp.
2 October 2019
Refugees who reside in the Shatila Camp face overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and inadequate living conditions that lead to poor physical and mental health issues. The model has been long-term "temporary" refugee camps, where the designs and policies are ineffective and outdated, with no significant improvements over the last three decades. Camp systems are designed for the emergency phase, yet many end up becoming impromptu cities and inadequately provide functional long-term living condition or opportunities.
The project partners with the local municipality, several global NGOs and policymakers to facilitate a series of photography and policy dialogue workshops in Lebanon. Refugees were invited to the workshop to discuss their experience, capturing images and environmental details that represent spatial vulnerabilities that deem the camp as urbanely unequal. This included inadequate water supplies, food provision, transportation networks, infrastructure and how the built environment deepens vulnerabilities at the camp. The refugees resented to local policy reseachers and map out a route for policy changes around camps environments.
An infrastructural and design toolkit was produced that aims to improve the environments of camps.
Image credit: Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash