Planning an integrated urban settlement: Kalobeyei New Site, or how to build a sustainable integrated town

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to give a broad vision of the process the refugee camps are facing, regarding the constant failure of the refugee camps during the past decades, a new approach, more sustainable and integrated, aims to give response to the insecurity, dependency and instability existing in the camps. The need to build permanent settlements where the refugees and the host community can live together seems a more effective way to achieve this, as well as engaging the local community in the process for sustainable and participatory development. For this matter, the case study of Kalobeyei New Site acts as a catalyst on how to consider an urban settlement of these characteristics. The case study is presented as an example of how this new approach is being handled, showcasing the good practises and errors learnt from it. This way, a set of guidelines and advice is built up, in order to be replicated in future settlements. In the same way, the experience gained in this process enables us to acknowledge the problems and weaknesses; generating a list of recommendations that could be further applied and improved in the forthcoming projects.