Redefining Refugee Camps as Livable Cities (Case Study: Saveh Refugee Camp)

Every year, a large number of the Earth inhabitants have to leave their homeland due to violence and discrimination so that there are now over 60 million displaced people worldwide. Almost 20 million of them are refugees. In this circumstance, refugee camps, considered a common settling way, not only have a great effect on the current lives of refugees, but also influence their future lives because of the long-term presence of refugees in such an environment. The purpose of this study is to review the refugee camps from economic, social, physical, managerial, and environmental perspectives. In the next step, the rational basis of refugee camps as a city is explained by examining city, its features, and its dimensions and comparison with refugee camps. Afterward, diverse criteria are developed to improve the quality of life in various social, environmental and physical dimensions using the livability approach. These criteria are the basis of redesigning Saveh Camp, Iran as a livable city. Finally, a livable city-based design is proposed for the case study.