Papers by Lara Alshawawreh
Sheltering animals in refugee camps
Forced Migration Review, 2018
Animals play an important role in many people's lives in displacement. Camp planners and mana... more Animals play an important role in many people's lives in displacement. Camp planners and managers need to take animals' needs into greater account in order for displaced people to continue to benefit from this interaction.
This study focuses on the sheltering response in the Middle East, specifically through reviewing ... more This study focuses on the sheltering response in the Middle East, specifically through reviewing two Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, involving Zaatari and Azraq. Zaatari camp involved the rapid deployment of tents and shelters over a very short period of time and Azraq was purpose built and pre-planned over a longer period. At present, both camps collectively host more than 133,000 occupants. Field visits were taken to both camps and the main issues and problems in the sheltering response were highlighted through focus group discussions with camp occupants and inspection of shelter habitats. This provided both subjective and objective research data sources. While every case has its own significance and deployment to meet humanitarian needs, there are some common requirements irrespective of geographical region. The results suggest that there is a gap in the suitability of the required habitat needs and what has been provided. It is recommended that the global international response ...
Participatory design for refugee shelters: An experiment in Syrian camps in Jordan
Zaatari and Azraq camps are the two largest Syrian camps in Jordan, with Zaatari camp being the l... more Zaatari and Azraq camps are the two largest Syrian camps in Jordan, with Zaatari camp being the largest refugee camp in the Middle East. This chapter discusses a participatory design experiment that was held with 43 participants from both Zaatari and Azraq camps. The experiment took the form of 3D mockups, which were transformed afterward by the researcher into 2D plans. The aim of the experiment was to analyze and compare the plans to generate design ideas and understand the space needs and priorities of the Syrian refugees. Findings showed that most designs had a strong synergy with function. There were no major differences between the outcomes when comparing the different camps' responses, but these were found in terms of the participants' gender. Moreover, it was found that a degree of flexibility is preferred in any given design to allow the residents to add their identity to their shelters and support a feeling of attachment and belonging to the designed habitat.
In view of the problems existing in the current online learning recommendation system, community ... more In view of the problems existing in the current online learning recommendation system, community discovery algorithms in complex networks are introduced to study the structure and evolution of learning communities, and learners' habits, learning behaviors, learning environments, learning tools and other factors are considered to discover and dynamically update the community; at the same times, it can provide community recommendations, community recommendation, knowledge resource recommendation, dynamic quality information sharing, to provide more intelligent services for learners, so as to promote the common development of users and communities.
Sustainability
During the course of 2018, 70.8 million people globally were forcibly displaced due to natural di... more During the course of 2018, 70.8 million people globally were forcibly displaced due to natural disasters and conflicts—a staggering increase of 2.9 million people compared to the previous year’s figure. Displaced people cluster in refugee camps which have very often the scale of a medium-sized city. Post-disaster and post-conflict (PDPC) sheltering therefore represents a vitally important element for both the short- and long-term wellbeing of the displaced. However, the constrained environment which dominates PDPC sheltering often results in a lack of consideration of sustainability dimensions. Neglecting sustainability has severe practical consequences on both people and the environment, and in the long run it also incurs higher costs. It is therefore imperative to quickly transfer to PDPC sheltering where sustainability considerations are a key element of the design and decision-making processes. To facilitate such transition, this article reviews both ‘existing solutions’ and ‘no...
Sustainability of post-disaster and post-conflict sheltering in Africa: What matters?
Sustainable Production and Consumption
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Papers by Lara Alshawawreh