Re-Designing Refugee Communities, Settlement Design, Large Community Site Design

Discussion in 'The big picture' started by Marcus Busby, Sep 19, 2015.

  1. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    A thread to share and compare thoughts, information, insights, articles, experiences on crisis settlement design. "Crisis" being high pressure, "Settlements" being both temporary and long-term community residences, "Design" being improving the response to a given situtaion.

    synergising designs solutions around three timeframes:

    Short term - emergency aid relief,
    Medium term - refugee camp design and,
    Long term - settlement design

    It may be best to focus the discussion particularly for arid regions. I say arid regions, mainly because it is often arid regions suffering severe conflict, and where refugee camp functionailty is under the most pressure due to natural resource availablility and agricultural conditions, particularly water, shade, vegetaion and materials - e.g. Jordan, Syria, Egypt, N-E Africa.

    See this article for instance: https://www.theecologist.org/News/new...es_of_war.html


    To start this thread, I wish to share two main references; the first one regarding Re-designing Refugee Camps, the second one, designing The Burning Man festival site in USA, as we may see cross-overs in principle. Principles such as providing clean water and sanitation, and catering for large volumes of people in extraordinary circumstances.


    The Festival situation is of course markedly different from a Refugee Community. A festival is a celebration of culture of the arts, crafts, music, perhaps only permissable by a degree of political, social and economic stability, the other is an extreme reflection of political, economic and social destabilisation, insecurity, cultural degradation and displacement.

    I do not share these two for comparaison or a critique of priviledged societies vs empoverished societies which is a debate for another discussion thread, but for contrast at the same time as extracting value; implementation experience/s, pratictices, design approaches, with a view to discussing design approaches.



    The first article is presented by Anicet Adjahossou on the UNHCR innovation website, Anicet describes in a short article how he has taken steps to redesign camp layout and to include communal gardens in a real life situatuion, receiving Sudanese refugees in Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia :

    - UNHCR Blog post : https://innovation.unhcr.org/redesign...e-communities/


    The second article is the open design competition for Burning Man Festival. Although the design compétition is not official connecter to the BM Festival. Please refer to the following three links.

    - Article summarising the festival and the open design competition: https://www.archdaily.com/771869/open...of-burning-man
    - Burning Man design competition website: https://brcmup.org
    - Burning Man design guidlines: https://brcmup.org/some-guidelines/



    To return to the subject of shared, or transferable principles :

    - providing clean water and sanitation
    - able to receive large volumes of people in a short period of time
    - fluctuations in residence numbers - people come and go
    - infancy in culture - to a certain extent - a great mixture of people, values, cultures in a very focussed situation, within a short timeframe
    - unifying circumstances - people with similar needs/aspirations
    - food catering for large volumes of people in extraordinary circumstances.
    - high time pressure
    - other pressures from circumstances
    - short construction time
    - short deconstruction time
    - experiences gained in situe
    - experiences / approaches / techniques / technology brought to site
    - experiences / approaches / techniques / technology developed on site

    There are many cross-overs with settlement design, principles of garden cities, smart cities, sustainable cities, commons cities and so forth, which can all translate into refugee community design. A discussion for Urban design is presented in this article:

    https://permaculturenews.org/2012/03/...and-city-life/


    I would like to discuss design - for the possible outcomes being -

    - identifying/evaluating short, medium, long term disaster/post conflict responses
    - developing, testing and evaluating design proposals for site layout



    The Burning Man Festival site design competition is now live and will be receiving design entries from October 2015. It may be an opportunity for a test-bed - a test-bed for more critical situations as it is situated in a an extreme location - in a désert, but is also close to municipal and emergency services provided in modern cities. I'd like to discuss this with interested persons. I have registered an interest and recieved confirmation along with around 1500 other interested parties to submit a design proposal. Burning man is about exploration and testing things and has strong values based round sharing and participation in the creative process.


    The main focus of the exercise presented here however, is on designing better short, medium and long-term outcomes for post-conflict and post-disaster communities.


    For this we may generalise into three timescales, short, medium, long (in this thread I wish to focus on medium to long-term) but if people would like to focus on short term we can start another thread for this.

    Very general :

    - Short term response - assessing, evaluating and if necessary (re)desiging first response aid packages - to mitigate disaster and post conflict situations - a "community re-boot kit" - ranging from immediate supplies such as water and food rations, how to package them, how to deliver them, what food stuffs to include, medication, sanitation and first aid supplies..... runnning to water filtres, heat/cooling and light sources, cooking utencils, clothing and bedding, short-term shelter materials and tents, tools etc.

    - Medium term response - better camp structures - that are faster and easier to implement, better laid out, more resource efficient, more autonomous in terms of sustainability, and more inclusive in terms of social structure. Camp designs that are easier to live in and easier to manage for residents and also for delivering supplies, activities, health treatment, what types of health treatment and which types of social activities, counselling, grief, personal, family, and psychological support.

    - Long-term - In very general terms, How refugee(s)/communities can either return home, integrate with(in) new cultures/communities, or evolve and grow into entirely new communities and settlements - How to plan for, or identify the foundations for this at the preceeding timescales i.e. in the short and medium , with a view for long term rehabilitation and/or settlement.

    It is apparent that Permaculture has huge value in this process - social and practical - which can make good of terrible situations, and allow people to go onwards with new skills and renewed confidence.

    Is there an NGO with a specifically permaculture-orientated response methodology?


    I have no experience in disaster relief. So please forgive my ignorance, and I ackowledge there is very very much to learn, and many people involved and experienced within this field. I understand it is a very consuming and very challenging environment to work in, and it can be difficult to make time to discuss alternative approaches within budgetary restrictions. This is the reason I would like to at least open the possibility for discussion here - to evaluate, propose, and refine existing and new solutions and designs with others who have ideas to share, have understanding and experience to share.


    I've some ideas to propose and am interested to listen to others ideas and experiences, to share and discuss these regarding the subject of Settlement/camp design and Festival site design with the central focus upon Refugee Community Design.

    [​IMG]

    Link to Website : https://www.koltkorivera.com/psychology.html
    Direct link to the refered paper : click here

    A central guiding principle is satisfaction of human needs/aspirations, I propose using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a universal reference point- see wikipedia. For crisis situations, focus is of course upon establishing the foundational needs satisfaction - the physiological needs - clean water and sanitation, food, shelter, warmth, rest, followed by safety and health, followed by friendship and love, esteem and so forth.

    Once again, I ask for patience and understanding, and emphasise that I do not have all, or necessarily any of the answers, but would like to talk with others about this subject and hope that mutual benefit can arise in order to help those in need.




    Thank you for reading
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2015
  2. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    The idea I wish to place forward is a very simple geometric design, designed specificaly for ease of marking out, ease of distribution of supplies, with open communal areas for social activities and for growing - permaculture démonstration and learning areas if you like, and the idea that this layout, as a foundation footprint, can further evolve into a permanent settlement if the site and situation are viable and stable enough.

    The géométrique design benefits from being expandable and modular, and maximises edge, access and distribution of enveloped open (green) space land used for the cultivation of food and materials, it can grow rapidly and take in large volumes of résidents in a short time span, it can accommodate all timescales (depending upon political situations), and population scales. For these reasons I would like to discuss with others possible virtues and problems with the design, and if it is deemed totally unviable, to consider alternative designs. I also believe it can work for any culture - by embracing cultural construction and agriculture methods for instance, and any climate by applying permaculture agroecology approaches to food and materials growing.

    A friend prepared an animated version of how the site can grow you can see it at the link below. The light green snowflake patches represent communal and food growing areas aka the green infrastructure providing écosystème services, the brown patches are settlement areas. The straight lines represent transport routes - whether on foot or by véhicule or animal..



    I must point out the diagram is only conceptual, and this can work at any scale, and may also function in a linear format or a better layout as deemed by group discussion. However, this pattern - derived from sacred geometry, and platonique solides, is the fundamental building block of all life - if we look at the atomique scale - it is the same form as carbon molecules, and how water molecules crystallise and emerge. It is the most efficient structure known to science. but this can be discussed and evaluated, and perhaps even refined of course!



    Description of the settlement growth process presented in the video above:

    0:04 It starts with a crew camp, who are there to set up - mark out, get tracks in place, set up food systems etc, They set up the streams - for others to partake in as they arrive.

    0:05 They set up the distribution network (purple lines) - to make sure the whole camp can be supplied with essentiels, throughout the whole timeframe,

    0:07 next they establish large satellite farms (the light green snowflakes and notes in their centre) - perhaps using greening the desert techniques, these larger farm spaces can begin to grow food and natural materials, immédiate resources can be supplied by importation, but establishing these growing areas makes for longer term strategy - refugee camps can be in place for a number of years, this reduces the dépendance upon importation of many resources, over the spa of time.

    0:07 - 0:10 now camp sites are marked out within the outer farming area, to be ready for the influx of residents.

    0:11 Next the satellite centres are set up - these are initially for refugee management personnel and then to house refugees coming in from all directions,

    0:12 The central camp then moves out to continue to develop the outer farms which grow and feed supplies into the camps within. This opens up space in the centre for administration focussed activities i.e. recevions new arrivals, and repositions tools, utility hits/work stations etc to the outer limits as the big satellite fards get more established, to refine the processing.

    Now smaller landscape patches, also indicated in light green are set up within the settled areas (settled areas indicated in brown) - training provided where needed and where people are ready, but the whole time, the main focus is on getting people fed and settled and feeling safe again. The establishment of smaller garden and communal areas helps people back on their feet at intimante communie level - but they can see there is a shared goal and meaningful purpose and even routine, which allows people to feel settled and to participate and to regain their independence, instead of not just wait in tents for news and food to arrive. even if the sites are not growing enough food at this stage they begin to obtain a yield, and people are beginning the process of community again - starting to be part of community again with communal activities.

    next we see bigger green spaces established within and around the smaller sub camps. then as more people arrive they set up along the main routes - this is recognised urban morphologie concept, but formalised to allow for natural growth minus the issues raised by urban sprawl and unmanaged urban growth. So here the settlement can grow organically, quickly and at the same time organised, to maximise distribution and permeability - to continue to provide and distribue resources and services.

    next the main interior farm areas are set up. the whole time all the light green areas are growing in productivité and social activity - which I hope can be a community building exercice - both physically and also socially.

    Now all the new communities are set up and all the little green spaces function as gardens and social spaces, and people can be involved and learning and growing, partaking at many sales or whichever suits them most - some may préfère to work on the larger farming areas, or in building activities, procession activities, whilst others préfère smaller scale cottage indisutsries, maintainnence, clothing repairs, shoe making, even arts and singing and entertainment etc - and each one meets one teaches one..

    as permaculturists know - working with the soil and gardening and growing is a universal activity and above religious, age, race boundaries and backgounds it is unifying...

    now this settlement is complete, but using the same pattern can continue to grow in the sale way as necessary. Once one settlement is established it will create a surplus to provide to neighbouring settlements - and the inhabaitants can then go on to teach and share their produce, experience, knowledge insights... and instead of being in a terrible situation, they are empowered and in a position to help others and that is surely is the essence of the social permaculture message, as well as creating surplus - or abundance of material needs there is abundance of inner and inter joy.


    I say again, i think this type of growth pattern can be fast and easy to implement and manage. Parking out is very easy using a rope and peg.


    I am very very interested to identify flaws or potential flaws in the design and can share more information and diagrams to explain or to evaluate - I'm hoping to work with others to define a concept as a team with a view to implement as a team..

    please be as critical as you feel necessary, I have feelings of course, but I don't take offence to any criticisms for this design


    Thanks for reading
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2015
  3. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Marcus,
    I like your ideas for the overall modular/fractal layout design as well as your thoughts about making provisions for more autonomy and self-reliance for the displaced communities.

    The details of implementation will directly affect the location and relationships of elements within system design:
    1) You mention arid climates and farming areas. Water would need to be provided from external sources both for daily life of the residents and for the farming activities. How about some provisions/arrangements to offer communal water-use points coupled with grey water reuse directed into the farming areas?

    2) Sanitation is always an issue in these types of situations, often addressed with such things as portable toilets or pit latrines depending on the context. Portable toilets are very energy intensive to transport, empty, service, etc. Pit latrines are often not very sanitary and merely sequester human "outputs" in a hole rather than taking advantage of their intrinsic value. With the importation of mere carbon "duff" (wood chips/straw), some education, and formal composting stations, a Humanure system could be implemented to help build soils in the farming areas (for non-root crops). Properly done, humanure process is sanitary, non-smelly, and provides a valuable resource over time.

    3) After air/water/food, tempering the air temperature in arid climates is essential. Many arid climates have extreme heat during the day and become quite cold at night. Mere fabric tents don't do much to alleviate these temperature swings and while perhaps "easy" to set-up, have a huge energy investment in their construction and transport (and maintenance). I might propose shallow earth-bag dugouts with a large umbrella-mechanism roof anchored to the earth-bag walls. Earth-bags stacked two to four bags high. Ground cloth inside. Sculpted sleeping areas around the perimeter and a central table structure (maybe perched on more earth-bags?). Even this amount of earth sheltering would give some relief from the heat/cold fluctuations in a desert environment.

    4) All structures/hardscapes must be designed to take advantage of any precipitation. In arid climates evaporation exceeds precipitation and there is no sense in letting water falling from the sky go to waste in evaporation. This is a large detail to address for each structure and pathway/roadway, but the necessity of incorporating provisions to capture/direct precipitation is self evident.

    That's all I have for now. Keep up the good work!
     
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  4. Geoff Lawton

    Geoff Lawton Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Marcus I am typing this from a 60 year old refugee camp in Jordan and I have worked in all ages of camp from brand new to this and the main thing I have realised is that these are frustrating, complex and reactive places
     
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  5. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Dear 9anda1f

    Hi, Thank you for raising the questions and assertions ; thank you for making key points - setting foundations on water availability, usage and sanitation.



    The applications referred to below, were found on the following four knowledgebase (KB) web sites :


    PC UK Knowledgebase (KB) Website : https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...ter-and-sewage

    Practical Action Technical Info Page : https://answers.practicalaction.org/o...sanitation-1-2

    CAWST Online Resources : https://resources.cawst.org

    SamSam Water Foundation Library: https://www.samsamwater.com/library.php


    plus…

    Warka Water (although this is in experimental phase) : https://www.warkawater.org/design
    - a tried and tested and fog harvesting system is here : https://creatingwater.nl/projecten/?lang=en

    In principle, the Earthship Biotecture Biologic Cell design – interior cell inside the building uses grey water (showers, washing & kitchen. NOT toilet) And, the exterior cell for processing black water (from Toilets). See https://earthship.com/Systems/sewage-treatment and https://earthship.com/blogs/2012/09/h...-an-earthship/
    Can this be scaled up/adapted for communal installations – such as communal shower/kitchen block(s)?




    To reply to your points raised :

    « The details of implementation will directly affect the location and relationships of elements within system design: »

    This is a key point – agreed. Site selection, or site allocation will directly affect the approaches taken and the design & implementation.

    Therefore, without specific site details (except for the BM site), I share more general responses. Again thank you, these are really pertinent and foundational points.




    1. WATER INPUTS / SOURCES, WATER RECYCLING


    IMPORTED WATER
    By Bowser/Tank import – tanks distributed throughout site, replenished via mobile bowser – e.g. on a trailer+4x4/tanker lorry, or equivalent. It can be via a Quad plus trailer with IBC 1000L plastic tanks. Or delivered by mule. There is a range of possiblities – the realisation of which, would depend upon what is available.


    PRECIPITATE CAPTURE
    – Rainwater harvesting and storage : See Earthship harvest systems, which actually harvest dew as well as rainfall, plus PC UK KB page for rainwater.
    – Humidity, Fog and Dew harvesting : https://www.warkawater.org/design
    – Air Well (Condenser) : Does anybody have more resources/info for building these? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_well_(condenser)

    The Warka Water module below may be a particularly relevant design for this situation, need to know more, both about how effective the Warka Water module is ie climatic needs/performance, and also about local climate for proposed site(s).

    Invaluable Book – pdf download – via IRC WASH Website : https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...nd-partnership


    GROUND SOURCE
    Erg, Geoff Lawton - https://youtu.be/owlVLwEB11o
    Well / Bore Hole, - need to research this approach !
    Spring – Various Tapping Methods excellent book - https://www.samsamwater.com/library/T...er_tapping.pdf

    FILTERS
    CAWST Biosand filters KB website : cheap simple sustainable sand filters - https://www.biosandfilters.info

    DESALINATION

    Condensers – various designs and scales, e.g. Solar.
    New Egyptian Membrane Invention : https://www.sciencealert.com/this-new...ter-in-minutes

    Another topic is STORAGE.

    Desiging for continued improvement is key objective – allowing water infrastructure to develop, be refined ; improved with an aim not to back-track.
    An example may be installing storage tanks in situ perhaps 1cuM, distributed according to population density, initially replenished by a mobile bowser/tanker. Tanks can later be linked via alkathene pipework, allowing for a central tank that can be replenished, (gravity) feeding the smaller tanks by pipe.
    Also encourage/develop smaller autonomous network of water harvesting and also recycled water, via filtering and or treatment. This would make the centra system for drinking primarily.

    Using grey water to irrigate food growing in proximity is essential. The benefit of the geometirc site design I posed above, is that - residential space surrounds areas of green space. Thus it makes sense for cleaning/washing/drinking/grey water systems to be situated in the centre of these green spaces, and grey (even black) water to ‘fan out’ irrigating the surrounding growing areas. This also places both food, sanitation and water centrally available to residential areas.
    (Detailed concept design needed)



    2. SANITATION AND HUMANURE


    Yes very much agree. Essential resource to create and build soil.

    Joe Jenkins, author of the Humanure Handbook posts excellent videos for the solutions he has implemented in post-crisis situations on the Humanure Channel on YouTube.

    Brilliant: "Compost Sanitation" in Post Earthquake Haiti video describes set up, and education : https://youtu.be/mAuOHecBxP0

    Samuel Alexander and Geoff Lawton articles regarding wheelie bin solutions, I think design originated in NZ after the quakes, then refined for eg festivals :

    Wheelie bin design : https://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/30/composting-toilets-made-wheelie-bins/#comment-2072104

    Festival wheelie design : https://permaculturenews.org/2014/10/...mpost-toilets/



    All links, plus more on this page : https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...ompost-toilets



    3. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND HOUSING


    Yes ! The great thing about earthbags being cheap, compact and light to transport, and offer the propspects of viable long-term shelter more easily, with good protection from the elements – wind, heat, cold, rain… love this approach – and the reasons you set out above.

    I recently read that, among many other projects, one of Geoff Lawton’s projects built a village of 53 straw bale houses in Iraq. https://www.permacultureconsultants.com/the-team/

    If such reseources are available then they make total sense to use – particularly to address the in/isolation qualities necessary to deal with the extremes in hot-cold arid desert climates you described above.


    Have tried to find as many useful pages – ie with build instructions, videos, techniques and posted them to these pages (there was no specific earthbag page, so included it under the Adobe/Earthshelter page :

    https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...d-construction

    https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...olutions/adobe

    The above two pages are subheadings under a main subject area – Green Building Methods :

    https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...ilding-methods

    Many techniques and approaches, each suit various time and environmental conditions.



    4. WATER EFFICIENCY


    EVAPORATION
    I guess any covered area might be a system for harvesting condensation, such as a corrugate metal canopy.


    There is the Creating Water Foundation - Tacna Project, Peru – Fog Harvesting - Capturing water from the fog and producing food on the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, Peru. This water has two purposes: clean drinking water and to grow food. https://youtu.be/xsNNp9N2v9Y

    The video also refers to Biochar – for water retention and soil building – so it's like a nutritious sponge – i guess works like a Hegulkultur in temperate cilmate, but in a more advanced/extreme state..

    See the project at : https://www.facebook.com/creatingwater or https://creatingwater.nl/projecten/?lang=en

    The Creating Water Foundation recently posted a map : about where and if fog nets work in specific regions of the world. To clarify the situation; we have this picture with all officially measured locations in the world since 1987 by the Canadian organization: FogQuest!: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=535178656634295

    By the map it look s as though there has been no test or confirmed test in the Levant region, but it appears that there have been confirmed tests in Ethiopa/Sudan region – plus all the others indicated of course !

    And again, I refer to the Warka Water design – because this design features three water harvesting methods – fog, dew and humidity harvesting, plus a communal water collection point under a canopy shade..



    RAINWATER CHANNELLING / HARVESTING

    Harvesting water from buildings - https://youtu.be/tenh8gKBhBA
    Desert oasis using large swale – almost an erg ? design https://youtu.be/ywoVj4z4doE

    So using the tracks to direct rainwater into swale/channels – perhaps into pond/lake ?? Similar principles to Village Homes by Michael Corbitt u mean?

    I clustered all the links/references I could find for Village Homes here :
    https://circlesdesign.blogspot.fr/201...ngreading.html

    The animations in Bill and Geoff’s video tours explain really well this sort of broadscale rainwater harvesting, allowing the fruit trees to grow : https://www.ecofilms.com.au/americas-...-rediscovered/

    Or there’s a really small diagram on this article by ‘In Context Journal’
    https://www.context.org/iclib/ic35/browning/



    With availability of water systems, and water cycing/recycling perhaps opens up possibilities for aquaponics systems as a means of high yield, dépends also on the local cultural diet. Or is Aquaponics just pie-in-the-sky for hot désert climes? With sufficient shading - either via textile or plant canopy ?



    Thank you again 9anda1f for taking the time to reply – which has stimulated a lot of ideas ! And some more r&d to do !

    Best
     
  6. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Hi Geoff, with warm regards.

    I feel almost foolish writing or proposing the above with no direct experience with refugee community design or service. Only half a dozen months experience with festival build/site crew and only eight or so years of design and build. As many are, I too am continually inspired by your work and the pioneering achievements of the permaculture community.

    I posted the above articles (the one by Anicet Adjahossou on the UNHCR innovation blog, and the Burning Man site design open invitation) as they may be linked - really by Permaculture;

    - Anicet proposing Refugee community design - socially orientated site design, including food growing gardens.. instead of the standard rows of tents with not-much social interaction space lat alone growing provision and associated opportunity these provide.
    - Burning Man wishing to explore the application of "creating" or "maximising" edge" plus increasing what I would call 'habitat opportunity' or 'habitat creation' - smaller social areas for micro-events/installations within the greater festival site. These can become gardens...


    The site layout I tentatively propose (see links below), being modular (expandable) using fractal geometry for ease of setting-out and site expansion, incorporating green spaces for ecosystem service provision, and arranging the settlement into smaller, interlinked circular micro-communities (remeniscent of organic, tribal site design), is admittedly very conceptuel, therefore requires testing and deeper analysis before any prospect of going 'live'... if this can be done in a 'safe' environment such as a festival site, and it works, can be a transferable design concept - perhaps transferable to the currently, very linear refugee site design as implemented by INGOs.

    In the following images - scales and populations figures not confirmed - also the following images are taken from a Garden City design, but the form and function applies the same -

    Zone 0 - (Residential envt)
    Larger images - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusbusby/15058380008/in/album-72157647208012937/
    [​IMG]
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0


    Zones 1-4 (Green space)
    Larger Images - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusbusby/15058192739/in/album-72157647208012937/
    [​IMG]
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

    General Zonal Map
    Larger Images - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusbusby/15347460438/in/album-72157647208012937/
    [​IMG]
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

    Detailed Zonal Map
    Source - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusbusby/16950491066/sizes/o/
    [​IMG]
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0


    Transport Infrastructure and Route Hierarchy
    There's a description article on this subject here. This would be adapted for camp scenario. But by arranging the camp with a hierarchy of transport infrastructure in mind, it can mean that, if the camp becomes established long-term (According to UNHCR average refugee stay is 12 yrs) as the camp becomes increasingly self-sufficient, in terms of water, food, energy even, (future) investments can be allocated twoards transportation systems. This may be in the simple form of a bus, or a donkey and cart... whatever is available - depending on the scale and local situation.
    [​IMG]
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
    SOURCE : https://circlesdesign.blogspot.fr/2015/04/transport-hierarchy.html


    I can send or post more recent and detailed designs, with colour keys and scales. (anyone interested can email [email protected])



    I dont know how well it may work or transfer though... lacking direct experience/knowledge of challenges of refugee and arid climes - hence proposing the discussion/development of a design.

    "frustrating, complex and reactive" the opposites being mundane, monocultural, entrenched!? Precisely what also needs to change in the West. Much much respect for yours and others working on the front line of the anti-war, literally the opposite-of-war movement - for life preservation, allied with Creation. Sending the best from my heart.



    Why Buring Man? It's not necessarily Buring Man, but the open design invitation they present ... being an opportunity for siteplan testing...

    For the Burning Man site, the geometric form which includes open space, can open the possibility of an ongoing process of revegetating/revitalising that part of the Black Rock desert ( situated to the NE of Gerlach in Nevada). Using greening-the-desert approach at many scales, allowing for a broadscale demo/trainning site/testing bed in USA. The spirit of Burning Man festival also encourages innovation and design - thus the annual event can yield further R&D... more innovations and more practitioners for the field.

    It can be great for Michael Reynolds' Earthship Biotecture to become involved too as a large-scale settlement and training centre.. have you met Michael?

    It's not that I feel drawn to Burning Man, but synchronicity / coinciding events present it as a potential for Permaculture - for field research for application in real-world situations, whilst at the same time contribution to the festival site development. I know the site is cleared every year, but with nearly 70,000 attendees must produce an abundance of creations - and no shortage of Humanure... coupled with water capture-storage, the foundation for agri-cultivation are there, as a foundational level for settlement establishment - as an ongoing project that has exemplar training centre potential.

    Burning Man will happen anyway... they are keenly focussed upon the positive wider social impact of the event both short and long-term. Incorporating Arid Permaculture design can be an ongoing and durable aspect for a currently, highly ephemeral event. Yielding temporal and spatial design and implementation experience - for a growing audience and more importantly, a growing number of active, experienced participants.

    Having said all of this, the geometrique design is obviously flawed in the sense that it is only tested in that 'control' form, on a perfectly flat expanse of land - which the Black Rock désert is... to apply the principles elsewhere , incorporating extant landscape features (topo/geo/hydrological) is a whole different exercise, but none-the-less, the idealised spatial pattern (or scientific 'control' environ) allows the functionality of the pattern (spatial design) to be explored, thus can inform a transfigured physical form elsewhere.


    Am I wasting time on this? Do the potential benefits even match or surpass the required time/energy investment? Is this geometric plan too idealised? Is this just an elaborate ego trip on my part?

    I have investigated the economic implications, and the long-term potential... it's basically - like Permaculture is - a re-boot of the foundations of the economy and approach to civilisation, in terms of settlement design fit for the future - stemming from base needs provision (water, food, sanitation, shelter...) upwards to higher needs/motivations satisfaction - sourced/created in a regenerative way -

    Regenerative in all aspects of the term - land, people, culture, ressource creation... all being fondations for continued social and societal spiritual/psychological development attendant with earth care - to continue to realise true human potentials that exist within peaceful, collaborative, sane, balanced, harmonious existence as a species on a planet, not a culture of competing, destructive, conflicting, warring and wasteful nations and factions on a planet - the continuation of which, as evidenced, is the exact recipe for "man"-induced distaster.

    If this is a waste of time/energy I am happy to be told this, especially by the Permaculture community - so as to not waste any more time, and focus more fully on other projects.


    If anybody has read this, thank you and again, would love to hear others' thoughts/concerns/critique/developments


    Best, Marcus.

    n.b.

    I am happy for registered members the permaculture community to use, annotate and share any of my images, the Copyright and Creative Commons licences are to prevent predatory commercial and/or corporate use.

    I share all images/concepts with Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

    Creative Commons License
    Smart Garden City by Marcus Busby is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
    Based on a work at https://fr.scribd.com/doc/230228252/A-Garden-City-of-Today-v2-0 and https://www.academia.edu/12257381/A_Garden_City_of_Today_v2.0.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2015
  7. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    New Garden Cities Alliance in UK are working on defining a set of principles for a Garden City Accreditation Scheme, there are 51 principes to date, which presently include the 12 Permaculture Principles.

    The working draft list of principles can be viewed here:
    https://homepage.ntlworld.com/rosspe/NGCA-002.xml

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Recent meeting, 23rd Sept 2015
    raised the following during meeting:

    "Special types of Garden Cities" and "a refugee garden city that embeds principles of garden cities, which can be implemented world-wide"


    New Garden Cities Alliance Website: https://gardencities.info


    In response to the above subjects raised, I posted the following in the NGCA Google+ Community :
    Google+ link :
    https://gardencities.info/working-groups/principles/



    ----Post START----


    ""
    Response to Liz's notes from Principles Meeting Notes 23d Sept 2015 regarding "Special types of Garden Cities" and "a refugee garden city that embeds principles of garden cities, which can be implemented world-wide"


    Some related articles:

    UNHCR Anicet Adjahossou : UNHCR Innovation Blog - Redesigning Refugee Communities - for social design, incorporation of gardens and communal space:
    https://innovation.unhcr.org/redesign...e-communities/

    CASE STUDY : Kilis, Turkey. How to Build the Perfect Refugee Camp.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/ma...camp.html?_r=2

    TEST-BED OPPORTUNITY : Burning Man Festival - site design open invitation.
    https://brcmup.org

    CASE STUDY SYRIA : Over-grazing and desertification in the Syrian steppe are the root causes of war
    https://www.theecologist.org/News/new...es_of_war.html

    CASE STUDY JORDAN : Greening the Desert with Sustainable Agriculture
    https://knowledgebase.permaculture.o...ench-subtitles

    INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT - Geoff Lawton; worked on Masdar City design, for several Govts, Military, Local and international communities, numerous refugee projects throughout Jordan and Middle East.
    https://www.permacultureconsultants.com/the-team/

    UN Sustainable development goals: changing the world in 17 steps – interactive.
    https://www.theguardian.com/global-de...ps-interactive

    I'v started some research on this, and started discussion within the Permaculture Global Community Forum. Interested persons can read my proposal to date, and of course all comments contributions welcomed:

    https://permaculturenews.org/forums/f...ty-site-design

    Happy to be part of a sub-group discussing this apsect, in relation to NGCA and a model for Refugee site design/implementation using GC principles.

    Possible to link with senior contact at UNHCR, also two multinational project directors based in Jordan should anybody be interested in taking this forward formally representing NGCA. It may be possible to collaborate with Groupe SOS France who are taking initiative in Eastern Europe.

    ""

    ----Post END----
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2015
  8. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    CASE STUDY : Kilis, Turkey. How to Build the Perfect Refugee Camp.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/ma...camp.html?_r=2


    This is a very interesting article, raising many useful points. It may also raise some objections, but from the article I took the following, of many points contained in the article and Kilis Refugee Camp case study:


    Kilis Refugee Camp, Turkey. Not managed by UNHCR, but directed internally by Turkish Govt via AFAD (Disaster & Emergency Management Presidency)

    Turkish Camps cited in article : Kilis (Transhipment container camp), Nizip 1 (Overflow Tent Camp), Nizip 2 (Transhipment Container Camp)
    Other Camps cited : Za'Atari Jordan - for crime problems, Dadaab Kenya - 20 year old camp designed for 93k now holding 420k)

    UNHCR use the term PRS for refugees who have lived in camps for more than 5 yrs. PRS - Protracted Refugee Situation.

    Average time a for a person staying in a refugee camp : 12 Years.

    Standard Refugee Solutions as per UNHCR:

    1 - Voluntary repatriation (return to fled country)
    2 - Incorporation into citizenry (settle in new country)
    3- Third-Country re-settlement (relocation from the receiving country to another country, not their native country)

    UNHCR in Oct 2014 Meeting proposed a 4th solution:

    4 - More support for host countries - building up (economic and development support) for host countries. Creating jobs by improving infrastructure and lessening the competition between locals and refugees for resources and employment.

    (External point, raised by POSITIVE MONEY UK : for every £1 invested in building infrastructure: schools, housing, hospitalise etc, there is a net economic return in terms of value created and return to the economy of £3.75 - by using money to buy materials, and employ people to build infrastructure, creates tangible wealth within the economy - wages are spent by workers into existing economy, materials are bought for construction contribution to the economy, and the assets created are worth more (in economic terms) for the services they provide, and in the form of tangible assets - ie instead of a pile of bricks, materials etc, the same materials are now a school or hospital, and this has net growth for the economy in terms of building assets and the services provided - health, éducation, mobility etc.)



    Quote from article:

    "In a camp, no matter how big the family, bordom prevails. Aside from cooking and cleaning, there is little to do. Errands are within 5 mins walk, there is no livestock to tend or garden to hoe."


    List of some of the central facilites provided (free) in Kilis Refugee Camp, (according to the news article):

    Laundry centres
    Cotton and weaving lessons
    Sewing workshops
    Beauty salons
    Every container has its own cooking and warm water washing facilities
    3 x Grocery stores run by private supermarché companies e.g. Bizim and Sima
    Each refugee family has a credit swipe card. appox $40USD per month per person added to card for shopping in camp. Funds collected from international donations from countries. Each swipe card is credited accordingly from this central account.
    Kindergarten and School
    Childrens playing grounds
    Satellite TVs and internet
    Library/Mediatech
    Street lamps
    Guarded entry
    Camp security
    On-site Maintenance crews - for plumbing, electrics etc
    ID card/registration for access and use of facilities


    List of some of the independent businesses set up by refugees within the camp, (according to the news article):

    Clothing shop
    Canary (pet bird) shop
    Falafel shop
    Bicycle repair
    Tea shops
    Department store - clothes, glasses, rugs, bags
    Coat Shop
    Jeans shop
    General store
    Gaming cafe for kids (3 computers with games)
    Barbershops

    quote from article by refugee:

    "We wake up, we sleep, we wake up, we sleep, we eat food, we always watch TV to see the news, we're all very bored. There's no purpose in a life like this. One day is like another."

    Refugees not permitted to work in the host country - also to prevent tensions arising by job competition for locals, but there is also resentment by native/locals struggling to earn a living for the economic advantage of free services and facilites provided free for the refugees.

    For incorporation of refugees into citizenry of host country, concernes over burden on schools and job markets.

    In the knowledge that refugees are being cared for elsewhere, can mean that occupying factions in the affected country are under less pressure to find peaceful settlement/negotiation, therefore continued coup/occupation is easier - as there is a lowered humanitairian pressure. Politically this means the occupying faction has less international pressure than it would otherwise be if there were high if civilian death rates triggereing international attention/intervention.


    UNHCR Mr Bachelor quote:

    "In a non-camp setting, if people are able to keep themselves engaged, that provides a healthy outlook, helps establish local integration, keeps alive their skill sets if they repatriate." it does a lot to retain psychological well-being.


    Using Transhipment Containers for buildings
    Instant shelter, with lockable doors and windows, plumbing and electricity, bedrooms, living rooms. Secure safe, stable. Re-usable. Possible to transport and relocate when/if necessary.


    SHELTER TYPES

    short, medium long term approaches

    Considering different building types - tent, earthbag shelter, container, etc

    Construction time, unit cost, materials, mobility/transportability, maintenance requirements, longevity, security,

    Defined by available budget/resources and the envisioned duration of the camp - 3yrs, 5yrs, 10, 15, 60 years?


    For instance,

    TENTS - light to transport, quick to construct, but obviously suffer poor security, poor longevity and poor long-term shelter, they are reusable/repairable.
    CONTAINERS - bulky to transport, but feasible to transport, instant long term shelter, possible to fit plumbing electricity, secure, safe, reusable/repairable
    EARTHBAGS - not moveable, long term shelter, require carpentry and building skills on site, possible to fit electricity/plumbing, good shelter, can become long term homes.

    etc


    Quote in article by Fabos:

    "...it's also the case that refugee camps dont provide opportunities for livlihood. The aid is very small compared to the actual needs."


    This returns to the 4th point proposed by UNHCR in the October 2014 meeting (cited above), and brings into the equation of all the above points regarding sustainability, employment, livlihood, economic viability, education - balancing short-term needs with long-term needs. That is, physiological needs are currently catered for, but psychological needs satisfaction must go beyond basic provisions of water, food, warmth, sanitation.

    It's like we used to have signs that said "dont walk on the grass" then people wanted to use the public spaces, so now we are allowed on the grass. Then people wanted to participate in maintaining the gardens, so there were volonteer groups and public solidarity gardens. Now people want to grow food in public spaces so now we are in the third phase of this evolution - urban agriculture and community supported agriculure, public growing food co-ops and so forth - these are the latest of initiatives being introduced in modern developed cities, as part of urban planning - and, as refered to in post #1 above, the blog article by Anicet Adjahossou ( a qualified urban planner working on refugee site design in Ethiopa) on the UNHCR innovation website - he aims to incorporate éléments of urban planning into refugee site design, including social environmental design and gardens.


    People, refugees alike, need to be engaged and social/communal activities that provide the sanctuary of hope, and to a means of (re)connection, or rootedness, even if it is temporary, growing vegetables for a season, gives you a connection to the earth again (but most refugee sites are 10yrs+), growing/cultivating plants/animals gives a sense of achievement and investment... and an economic return, also to grow something can act to normalise an extreme situation. It gives people a focus outside of their deep concerns. Of course issues relating to psychosocial well-being have to be discussed regarding this - ie is it building up false hope, false security... but at the same time, it is addressing that core feeling of displacement and uprootedness that is the base of unhappiness and longing-to-return.

    TV etc provide normality, but not meaningful existence.. such as tending livestock or growing crops/gardens can. These are very settling activities, and keep the core skill sets alive, and the opportunity to develop new ones, learning and practicing skills retains psychological well-being both on a personal level, and on a social/community level.

    Such activities can provide meaningful existence, and contribue to the sustainabliility of the camp, by obtaining yield, eg food harvest, growing materials, making things, crafts etc create and maintain skill sets, and universal community activities such as gardening, farming, building, carpentry, cottage industries, can go beyond cultural/religoius/age/creed boundaries - facilitating both local intégration and contribution to the local and wider economy through resource création - food, materials, skills and so forth

    In social and economic terms this makes great sense. In environmental terms, using permacultural techniques developed by Geoff Lawton and PRI, at the greening the désert sites in Jordan for example, can contribute to ecological recovery and adaptation to cliente change, building ecological resilience and agricultural productivity, through revegetation by restoration agriculture, developing new skills and new jobs, new ressource streams, and benefitting local and refugee population, now and for future generations.
     
  9. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    The following presentation by John D. Liu author of the "Green Gold" film, features Geoff Lawton's PRI Greening the Desert site 2 in Jordan, and presents the types of activities that can be put into practice, together with those noted in previous posts.

    Thereby a refugee camp and community can have the option of becoming involved - a terrible and protracted situation can become a huge socio-ecological positive force. A camp, once established, becomes a community support system/vehicle a home, for literally "The Healing of the Earth." Jobs, resources, skills, opportunies and peaceful existence can result through creative activity, and has a much more solid, reasoned and democratic foundation than the causes of war and poverty - these must be reasons to come together for, and the reasons for dispute and violence are surely obsolete in such light; the opportunity for unity and diversity and shared abundance.


    NIOO Seminar by Chinese-American filmmaker John D. Liu. Title: 'The Healing of the Earth'. The seminar took place on 26 January 2015 in the Colloquium Room at NIOO-KNAW in Wageningen.

    https://youtu.be/hk10WfUlciM
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2015
  10. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Notes realised from reading/listening to the permaculturenews.org post :

    Greening the Desert Site, Jordan PDC with Rhamis Kent and Salah Hammad

    Rhamis Kent and Salah Hammad on the award winning Greening the Desert Site in the Dead Sea Valley just 10km north of the Dead Sea and 6 km east of the Jordanian-Palestinian border, directly east of the West Bank.

    Rhamis Kent: Permaculture in Somalia (IPC10 Presentation – VIDEO)
    Rhamis Kent respectfully describes funding allocation and expenditure with reference to INGOS and International Aid Agencies, particularly in Somalia.



    During the presentation Rhamis refers to many successful projects, which have been run from grass roots organisations and movements which provide valuable insights for improving aid provision and socio-economic recovery through environmental education and restoration. Some links to these people and projects are as follows :


    Changing agriculture in Afghanistan from Opium to Pomegranates - more profitable for the farmers/community and brings greater stabilisation, and eliminates the "situation" where military or any conflict dangerous to life may occur

    "given the opportunity to make a decent living, people will take that opportunity... instead of picking up a gun and risking life and limb to make a couple of bucks..."


    • Plant for Peace
    James Brett
    https://plantforpeace.org


    Modern Orchard Techniques Flourish in an Ancient Afghan Valley


    « High-density planting in new orchards is also showing that it is more profitable to grow fruit than opium poppies, leading to changes in land use. » World Bank

    “As people see these orchards, they see the benefits and move away from opium. They can make a lot of money without the disturbances that come with opium now.” Local participant resident


    https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/f...chniques-flourish-in-an-ancient-afghan-valley


    "the models do exist, the exemples do exists - look at the Loess Plateau example...

    $500,000,000 for 35,000km2 (3.5 million Hectares) that equals just $142.86 per Hectare. The return was 2.5 million people raised out of poverty, the poverty in that area (the size of Belgium) from 1992 to 2005 was reduced from 59% of people in poverty, to 20%.



    • Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project 1

    See "Hope in a Changing Climate" film

    World Bank Loess Plateau Project Page:

    https://www.worldbank.org/projects/P003540/loess-plateau-watershed-rehabilitation-project?lang=en


    World Bank Loess Plateau Description and Economic Performance - Final Report (43 pages):

    https://documents.worldbank.org/cur...oess-plateau-watershed-rehabilitation-project

    The Man Who Stopped the Desert Film
    https://www.1080films.co.uk/project-mwsd.htm




    • Stabilisation Agriculture
    Dr Julia Wright
    Senior Research Fellow in Agroecological Futures
    https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research...otlight-on/2014/spotlight-on-dr-julia-wright/

    _________________________________________________


    From John Dennis Liu recently :


    @Johndliu recently tweeted:

    "Many of you know that many concerned and self-motivated people have been working to design "RHIZO CAMPS... https://fb.me/46D1dcwZg"

    https://twitter.com/Johndliu/status/649297575498002432


    "The Commonland Foundation is moving rapidly to ensure that ecosystem restoration on a planetary scale becomes... https://fb.me/2o7jp8xtm"

    https://twitter.com/Johndliu/status/635299211869847552


    Common Land Foundation

    Website : https://www.commonland.com/en

    Publication : https://www.academia.edu/9969837/COMMONLAND_FOUNDATION



    Other Links from Mr Liu:


    Environmental Education Media Project : www.eempc.org


    Facebook Group : Research, Training & Innovation Centres for Ecological Restoration


    John D. Liu Published Papers : https://knaw.academia.edu/JohnDLiu


    Rhizo Camps Blog : www.greendeserts.wordpress.com
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2015
  11. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    CASE STUDY : Sadhana Forest Haiti

    "One day, everything will be free" documentary film

    « One day, everything will be free » is a feature-length documentary about an ecological restoration project run by a utopian community (Auroville) located in one of the most politically complicated and environmentally degraded terrains in the world—in an area of referred to locally as "the wasteland."

    The movie explores the motivations, contradictions, and broader implications of Sadhana Forest Haiti, an unlikely reforestation community organized around an alternative, cashless economy in an area of Haiti devastated by soil erosion and social immobility.

    Video by Joseph Redwood-Martinez
    ‪https://vimeo.com/user4734734

    Also posted on YouTube
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2015
  12. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Notes


    Funding Opportunities

    For Stabilisation Agriculture / Restoration Agriculture / Agroecological Restoration

    EIB & EC – e.g. Natural Capacity Financing Facility – Natural Capital Fund (see here)
    EU – Funding to achieve SDGs - funding available looking into it starting here
    World Bank – to repeat successes of previous projects eg Afghan, China
    National/International Aid Funds – EU Memeber States target of 0.7% of GDP allocated for Aid
    Private Investors -
    State Funding – By showing proven long term economic benefits to the Country, its people and its environment and agriculture, flood risk reduction, climate adaptation etc.

    _______________________________________________

    The Opposite of War Movement

    Comparitive Table… draft – help/input needed !!

    Below is the beginnings of a comparison chart – can be pretty helpful to compare budgetary allocation, and budgetary returns… as a way for peace and prosperity, using economic terms/methodology…
    This may be a useful approach for requesting National budgetary allocation, as the (above) results speak very clearly.

    Cost benefit analysis… not possible to put a table on here, but the two columns are as follows:


    Left Column

    War/Conflict


    Costs
    - military budgets ($trillions)
    - expertise diverted from creative means
    - rebuilding/reparation costs ongoing for many years

    Benefits



    Destabilisation
    - ecological
    - social
    - economic
    - increased vulnerability to change (climatic/environmental, economic)


    Direct Effects <10 yrs
    Social division

    Fear and disempowerment
    Destructive activities, violence, crime etc
    Intererruption of education
    Employment/commerce restricted
    Economic destabilisation

    Direct Effects (10+ yrs)

    Poverty increased and exacerbated
    Destroyed habitats (natural and built)
    Infrastructure destroyed
    Agriculture undermined, food aid required
    Deforestation exacerbated
    Economy crashed/not present

    Destruction
    Conflict
    Resource Consumption
    Ideological political/religious
    Dividing
    Globally Destructive/Degrading


    Costs
    - c$150/Ha (based upo Loess case study)

    Right Column
    Restoration (opposite of war)


    Benefits
    - expertise created within local populace
    - direct economic returns

    Stabilisation
    - Ecological
    - economic/employment
    - productivity
    - increased resilience to change (climatic/ environmental, economic)


    Direct Effects <10 yrs
    Social inclusion
    Purpose and hope
    Creative activity
    Education/Skills/Literacy enhanced
    Employment/commerce increased
    Economic stimulation

    Direct Effects (10+ yrs)

    Poverty reduction
    Ecological and Community Stability
    Improved infrastructure
    Food production increased
    Deforestation reversed
    Economic growth

    Creation
    Collaboration
    Resource creation
    Non-Ideological
    Unifying
    Globally Reparitive/Constructive


    ----to be expanded -----


    Using the transferable restoration frameworks, that recognise universal principles, such as how climax ecosystems e.g. forests are layered, and how they are (re)created through, or by employing, universal biological processes such as water retention, carbon sequestration, nitrogen fixing and cycling, decomposition and composting, nitrogen and carbon cycles and so forth – all ecosystems are united by these models/understandings, however the species involved in various regions throughout the planet , for restoration are diverse and locally specific. Forests, for example, share the same characteristics and functions within their ecosystems, but are different and diverse in species composition according to geographical factors.

    Stabilisation Agriculture / Restoration Agriculture / Agroecological Restoration / Permaculture
     
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  13. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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  14. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    What might a Transition response to the refugee crisis look like?

    https://www.transitionnetwork.org/b...might-transition-response-refugee-crisis-look

    By Rob Hopkins - Transition Network

    It's a question many people are asking, and it's one that was discussed at the Transition Network conference a couple of weeks ago. While there is no definitive answer, and the response will look different in each place, I thought you might be inspired to hear the story I recently heard when I visited Brussels. I visited members of 1000 Bruxelles en Transition to see their amazing Potager Alhambra, of which more next month. While I was there, one of the group, Julien Bernard, told me the amazing story of a spontaneous refugee camp that many of the Transitioners were central in initiating. Although not formally a 1000 Bruxelles en Transition project, it captures beautifully one example of what a response to the migrant crisis might look like if underpinned by Transition thinking. Here's the conversation we had, standing in the Potager (it is transcribed below if you'd prefer to read it)..... continued here

    Photos, video and audio interview
     
  15. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Translated page : https://translate.google.fr/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://www.archi-urgent.com/&prev=search

    Original page address : https://www.archi-urgent.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=294&Itemid=569

    Long term emergency shelter

    It is important, in case of disaster, not to solve the emergency by developing new problems. This is why the Emergency Architects Foundation strives to act in favor of permanent and lasting solutions as quickly as the situation allows.


    [​IMG]

    However, the relocation in temporary shelters and the creation of refugee camps are sometimes unavoidable, first aid assistance. It is best to design shelters in terms of cost, delivery, technical performance, ease of implementation, respect for the dignity of beneficiaries, respect for the environment ... It is also necessary to evaluate needs and deploy adequate measures.

    The expertise of professionals in the construction and housing (architects, engineers, urban planners) is indispensable to the organization of this first stage of reconstruction.

    There are two main scenarios reconstruction (Figure). In the first scenario, the bulk of international assistance (human, material and financial) focuses on interim solutions (First Emergency and Transitional), so there are only very few resources for sustainable reconstruction . In the second scenario, the first emergency solution absorbs part of the transition phase, so as to begin the permanent reconstruction quickly and to be able to devote more resources.


    [​IMG]




    The Emergency Architects Foundation develops first emergency support solutions (temporary light shelters resistant), in order to promote rapid sustainable reconstruction.


    GENERAL CASE :

    [​IMG]


    EMERGENCY ARCHITECTS OF PROPOSAL:

    [​IMG]




    SHELTER SMALL SIZE



    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Shelter 11.5 m²
    Shelter 23 m²


    To avoid the use of temporary solutions and be able to direct the bulk of aid to sustainable reconstruction, Emergency Architects Foundation develops new ultra portable shelters (light and compact) and high performance in terms resistance and cost. Their technical characteristics, summarized in the table below against, allow them a lifetime warranty to three years.



    [​IMG]



    The goal is to permanently keep a stock of 400 shelters immediately available disaster.



    Long light shelter
    Long-term light shelter
    Size
    Size
    11.5 m2
    23 m2
    Weight
    Weight
    42 kg
    57 kg
    Dimension
    Packaging 0,35m x 0,35m x 1,5m
    Strength
    Resistance Ripstop technology Rip-Stop ®
    Anti-ripping technology Rip-Stop ®
    Fire resistance M1
    Non-flammable M1
    UV resistance
    UV resistant
    Impermeability
    Waterproof
    Imputrescibility
    Anti-mildew
    Mosquito Protection
    Mosquito repellent
    Warranty
    Guarantee 3 years
    3 years


    The Foundation is also developing an additive heating system and insulation by insulating thin layer to better meet the needs of areas in cold weather.

    Survival kit
    Survival kit
    1 radio / light / solar charger and dynamo
    1 Radio / lamp / solar and dynamo load
    80 water purification tablets
    80 water purification tablets
    5 covers survival
    5 rescue blankets
    2 know
    2 soaps
    1 10L jerry
    1 jerry can 10L
    1 kitchen kit
    1 cooking kit

    [​IMG]


    The shelter, packaged in a low volume bag that incorporates a survival kit can be deployed very quickly.

    [​IMG]




    SHELTER LARGE BAG

    Another line of current development is towards larger shelters inflatable structure capable of hosting facilities (clinics, classrooms ...).

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 23, 2015
  16. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Marcus,
    I changed the image links in your latest post to point at the original article instead of the google translation.
    Good stuff!
     
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  17. Billy VanCuren

    Billy VanCuren New Member

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    9ANDA1F, Thanks for getting the pics to show up! That is great!

    Marcus, I'm looking at this thread for ideas regarding refugees. I am an Advisor for the Afghanistan Ministry of Interior, Kabul Afghanistan. Primarily security concerns, but a happier population is a more secure population - very similar to Anicet's experience with UNHCR. There is a large population of IDP/refugees/homeless - whatever the government is calling them today - here and I would like to help them find a solution to housing, etc. Thank for the information and links. If I gather any information/experience, I will happily share.
     
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  18. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    A call to arms for the Global Earthship Army
    https://earthship.com/blogs/2015/10/a-call-to-arms-for-the-global-earthship-army/

    [​IMG]

    We recognize the current and pressing nature of the Syrian refugee crisis. The German Prime Minister has stated, “If Germany can’t show a friendly face in an emergency situation, then this is not my country.”

    We are proposing/planning a small city prototype that is the campus of an International Earthship Academy that teaches Syrians (alongside Europeans) how to build a city for themselves while at the same time demonstrating to all of Europe and the world a sustainable approach to living that uses no infrastructure and no fuel. We all know this is possible. The Earthship concept and the Earthship Army are now powerful and experienced enough to do this…

    The game plan is evolving as we speak.

    We are looking for a building site of 500-1000 acres in size, corporate sponsorship, materials donations, university and NGO partnerships and we are open to any suggestions that could help further this endeavor.

    For more information on how to become involved in materials acquisition, land acquisition, donations, or participation in the build please use the form below. Kindly address your communication to the appropriate person.

    Kirsten: [email protected]
    Earthship Academy director, media manager

    Deborah: [email protected]
    Land and materials acquisition, monetary donations

    Martin: [email protected]
    Inquiries from Australia and New Zeeland

    Lara Joe: [email protected]
    Communications, graphics and cultural affairs
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2015
  19. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Question from a friend working for UNHCR:

    "How exactly does permaculture intersect with refugees? Because in fact, UNHCR is often looking at new dynamic ways to enhance camp design."
     
  20. Marcus Busby

    Marcus Busby Junior Member

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    Dear Billy. Very sorry to read of earthquakes in Afghanistan. Prayers go to those affected. I'm happy you found some useful links here. Please, if the the opportunity arises do share info/experiences from Afghanistan here.

    Sending best
     
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