Enhancing Resilient Refugee Settlements through Innovative Spatial Information Contributions

The knowledge about refugee camps has critical gaps. There is a noticeable lack of spatial information about the least-visible long-term refugee camps and about the perspectives of populations affected by them. Yet, research on prominent cases and regions shows how quality spatial information—developed with new technologies and active community involvement—can shape policy and improve liveability in and around these areas. The CAMPS project is a pioneering initiative to generate first-time contextual and comprehensive spatial information about long-term refugee camps worldwide. It leverages the existing policy and academic emphasis on the power of space and space-making processes, and new tools to create spatial knowledge about human settlements. This novel and unique project will create an open-access atlas of long-term refugee camps, including spatial features and perspectives of affected populations to understand their impact on resilience and sustainability; it will influence evidence-based policies for better management of these settlements; and spur new academic research. CAMPS' innovative methodologies and interdisciplinary approach—combining urban studies, architecture, ethnography, and geography—use qualitative mixed methods, including spatial mapping, participatory design, and ethnography, yielding insights into the camps' spatial attributes and their effects on populations and ecosystems. The ethical rigour and singularity of CAMPS' meaningful population engagement through participatory methods and feedback loops will allow for rectifying the marginalisation of refugees in research and policy. Long-term camps hold profound human significance beyond humanitarian aspects. They impact millions of lives, representing a complex philosophical, social, and political issue of our era. The depth and originality of the CAMPS project's findings and the research they will facilitate will position Europe as a leader in comprehending human settlement dynamics.