Responding to displacement in urban recovery approaches - urban recovery framework

This Responding to Displacement in Urban Recovery Approaches report is part of a series of policy papers developed under the Urban Recovery Framework (URF) project, led by a multi-stakeholder consortium, that explore conditions and recovery options under a set of thematic areas. Situating the URF in the Syrian displacement context, this paper aims to support evidence-led area-based approaches in high displacement or future potential return areas, drawing on experiences in Syria to date; and to embed further displacement sensitivity and considerations for reintegration in urban recovery programming.

In Syria, fighting has often been concentrated in urban areas, particularly in informal or impoverished city neighborhoods, rendering cities and regions highly damaged, fragmented, and with low- or non-functional social and infrastructure systems, and markets. The large-scale displacement has contributed to the urbanization trend seen in Syria over the last decade. With a likely continued high urbanization, cities will have to prepare to house an even greater share of the population, while at the same finding ways to recover from the large-scale damage and destruction from the conflict.

The report discusses policy analysis, housing, land, property rights, conflict dynamics, social cohesion, economy, infrastructure, environment, and more, and it emphasizes the need to consider displacement when planning urban recovery efforts.