Transitional Housing. Adaptive and Sustainable Design Strategies for Gaza Strip Reconstruction

Abstract

This paper presents the experience of Università Iuav di Venezia as a consultant to UNDP/PAPP in developing design strategies for a transitional community neighborhood in the Gaza Strip. Recognising the complexity of the humanitarian crisis and the challenges posed by protracted and evolving conflict, the paper proposes an adaptive and replicable design framework. The strategy shifts from a rigid conventional top-down model to an adaptive, bottom-up methodology, introducing design processes guided by a cohesive urban vision. The strategy proposed involves an integrated and incremental set of phased interventions, implemented through a community-based and area-based approach. The outcome is a transitional community neighborhood designed to meet immediate recovery needs while facilitating long-term reconstruction efforts. The proposed transitional housing system provides a medium-to long-term solution, with the potential to evolve into permanent housing or public services according to contextual needs. Flexibility remains a core design principle, enabling site-specific urban configurations tailored to the distinctive characteristics of different locations within the Gaza Strip.