Planning for the 'Urban displaced': post-colonial refugee scenario in Delhi (original) (raw)
2018
Abstract Over the last year, the Rohingya populations have turned into the world’s most persecuted minority. Genocide and brutal torture by the authority have rendered thousands of people refugees. At present most of them are seeking shelters in the neighboring country Bangladesh. According to the latest count RRRC of May 01, 2018, there are approximately 1 million Rohingya populations currently residing in Bangladesh. Refugee crisis by now has turned out to be an issue of global concern. Various attempts and approaches are made worldwide to address and manage the unwanted situation. But in case of the refugees subjected to political persecution, unlike the ones victim of any natural disaster, a conflicting set of opinions is immediately formed, starting from the authorities to the social level, about whether they are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, or are intruders themselves and should be avoided considering to be a source of crime and anarchy. And in between this dilemma, a mass population is doomed to suffer for an uncertain period of time, for a crisis which was not in their hands in the first place. With time, the crisis is politically managed under the practiced categories of Repatriation, local Integration or third country resettlement. But in either of the cases, the impact which becomes inevitable is an unsustainable livelihood among the refugees. No matter how efficiently planned, in terms of natural disaster of architectural efficacy, the camps turn out to be mere store house for humans. The mass population is deprived of basic human rights, as well as a life of dignity. The children don’t have a future to look up to; the adults involve in antisocial or criminal activities due to lack of economic opportunities and the entire community turns out to be a burden upon the host community. Whereas on a positive note, these refugees could become a potential source of human resource. Rather than debating on who should be responsible for the situation, and whether to treat them with compassion or with intolerance, the focus should be on how we can admit what is inevitable and try to make the best out of it. Now the challenge is how to design a sustainable settlement, irrespective of time period and space? What parameters define sustainability in human communities? Can architectural interventions contribute to addressing this crisis, yet allowing the temporariness or uncertainty? The objectives of this thesis are to explore the ways of attaining efficiency and sustainability in a refugee settlement through adaptive architecture, rethinking shelter design through community approach and enhancing the skills and potentials of the community through the process. The aim is to ensure economic and social resilience by creating self-reliant opportunities to meet up the challenges.