Seminar SoSe 2025
Dr. Hassan Elmouelhi, Hellen Aziz

Contemporary Arab Urbanism VI
Resettlement between post-conflict and informal settlements

This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of urbanisation trends and the complex challenges facing cities in the MENA region, focusing on different development trajectories shaped by socio-political, economic and historical factors. While some countries have modernised rapidly, others are struggling with the lasting effects of war, unrest and conflict on their urban landscapes. The seminar will focus on the reconstruction efforts in severly war affected Arab countries including the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza), Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, and Sudan. Students will examine how urban governance, strategic planning and bottom-up approaches through local initiatives contribute to the recovery and rehabilitation of public spaces, housing and historical heritage. The seminar will highlight the challenges and innovative policies through case studies of cities.

The seminar will particularly address the relocation and integration of informal settlements in middle-income Arab countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Informal urbanisation remains a significant phenomenon in these countries, raising critical questions about housing policies, land tenure, infrastructure development and social inclusion. This part of the course will analyse both government-led interventions and community-led solutions to address the complex realities of informal settlements. Finally, the seminar will explore and compare approaches to post-conflict urban reconstruction and the management of informal settlements in Arab cities, highlighting both differences and similarities.

As part of the international cooperation project Power Relations in Urban Governance: Participation in Arab Public Space, funded by the DAAD Ta’ziz Programme (2023-2025), this seminar will be complemented by a hands-on workshop in Egypt in September (tbc).

Photo: © Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Download poster here.