Land use planning innovations in the midst of a 'Migration Crisis' : developing a spatial definition of refugee integration

Abstract

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' 2016 Global Trends Report, global human displacement is at a record high and refugee crises are increasingly urban. Research on forced migration has historically focused on the obligations of the nation state, overshadowing the role of cities in urban displacement. Using the conceptual framework of a refugee's 'right to the city,' this thesis seeks to contribute to literature on urban displacement by beginning to developing a spatial definition of refugee integration. A case study of state-provided refugee housing in Hamburg, Germany identifies innovations at the federal and state levels that outline a new model of how urban planning can contribute to refugee housing policy. This research provides an alternative to leading refugee housing models and highlights the importance of linking the historically segmented phases of emergency housing with long-term development and land use planning in cities experiencing rapid urbanization as a result of migration. Practices from this case study, as well as opportunities to refine the approach, provide insight into the development of refugee housing policy in land-constrained urban areas in the future.