This research project explores how refugee camps’ geographical and built environment information can help assess their impact. This research, created and analysed detailed maps of long-term refugee camps, which helped identify critical characteristics that influence their spatial growth and change. Understanding these spatial features, can inform more adaptable and beneficial refugee assistance strategies that cater to the needs of the people living in these camps.

Our study shows that refugee camps are not static; the refugees come and go, like migrations elsewhere. The boundaries of these camps blur due to negotiations between the humanitarian system, host government, local authorities, surrounding communities, and refugees. The camps become more urban, leading to land scarcity, poor soils, and issues with WASH facilities. Therefore, adopting a humanitarian approach that is more like acupuncture and less like major surgical interventions, accompanied by advocacy efforts to improve refugee rights is crucial.

The diverse local adoptions of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) provide examples of how camps can transform into actual villages with self-building taking place, resulting in increased autonomy. Could these camps eventually evolve into cities or villages and become attractive to locals? Are the spatial characteristics of long-term camps present in newer settlements? By understanding these characteristics and their evolution over time, we can define alternative solutions to the traditional camp model.

Understanding the evolutionary spatial paths of these camps can shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by refugees in other camps and newer settlements.