Iraq's housing crisis : upgrading settlements for IDPS (internally displaced persons)
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The most recent war in Iraq has resulted in a large
wave of internal and external displacement with increased sectarian
violence and ethnic tension. Subsequent conflict has exacerbated
conditions within the nation and further increased displacement.
Throughout the country, over one million Iraqis are currently
displaced. Inadequately supported by infrastructure due to a
negligent dictatorship and consecutive wars, over 250 settlements
have peppered Baghdad's landscape and aggravated the capital's
insufficient infrastructure. It is clear that the rapid rate at
which informal settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs)
are being established exceeds the rate in which settlements are
forming Many settlements have exhibited user-initiated incremental
housing processes. The topic of this thesis is upgrading
settlements for IDPs in Baghdad, Iraq through user-initiated
methods. Baghdad is facing an overwhelming amount of sub-standard
IDP settlements, and while some settlements are turning into slums,
other settlements are becoming more durable. Community action can
be a solution for the problems addressed in semi-durable
settlements that have exhibited enough solidarity through
incremental processes to reach a semi-durable state. This thesis
examines the solution through three methods. First, it looks at a
historical review of incremental housing processes parallel to
Iraq's housing policies and history to understand the nation's
current housing crisis. It finds that Iraq has struggled in
addressing housing needs for the low-income sector since its
independence. Following the historical review, this thesis screens
IDP settlements in Baghdad to evaluate the feasibility of upgrade
for different types of settlement. In the screening process,
settlements that exhibit semi-durable characteristics and are
available for secure tenure are most eligible for upgrade. One
particular semi-durable settlement is studied: Al-Sadeq in
Baghdad's peripheries. Al-Sadeq is evaluated based on the following
measures of durability: infrastructure, housing, and social
networks. As hypothesized, findings supported the role of
incremental housing principles and community action to improve the
settlement's state of durability. Lessons are extracted from
community field research. As hypothesized, social cohesion and
community action are the catalysts that allow incremental methods
of infrastructure and housing improvements to thrive. This is
especially important in a conflict zone as Baghdad, where
displacement is often a direct outcome of danger. In such
environments, social networks can provide feelings of security to
invest in development. Lessons for communities like Al-Sadeq
include the power of community action in incremental housing
processes and user-initiated development. Lessons from the
historical review shed light on the ineffective solutions for
mitigating social housing concerns in the nation's past. Lessons
for the government in this study challenge the lack of an
established tradition of community action in public sector…