Architecture studio BIG wants Uganda’s Bidi Bidi refugee settlement to function as a place of work, not only a place of waiting. Its masterplan, Refugee City, treats the site as a city with an economy of its own.
The Bidi Bidi refugee settlement is the largest in Africa, home to around 250,000 displaced people. BIG developed the plan with social enterprise To.org, and it proposes housing, schools and markets for the site.
Planners reshaping whole cities, not single buildings, will appreciate Zaha Hadid’s digital plan for Benghazi through 2050.
The project is meant as an alternative to short-term aid and charity-led approaches. BIG and To.org describe it as a “resilient economic model” that empowers displaced communities.
Ingels argues that the word “temporary” no longer fits. Refugees often stay in camps for around two decades, he says, so the settlements need to be planned as cities.
“If the average stay in refugee camps is around two decades, then the term temporary cannot be said to suffice,” Ingels said.
He says that treating these places as cities changes the role of donors. Money becomes an investment in the future, and companies can be encouraged to set up production inside refugee cities. Refugees would gain the jobs they say they need.
The plan would sit alongside a performing arts centre that was completed at Bidi Bidi in 2024. If built out, Refugee City would expand the settlement’s civic and commercial life well beyond that single building.
Growing one unit at a time
BIG designed the refugee city masterplan to be scalable and modular, so the same approach can be applied at other locations. Ingels describes it as a “scalable, phaseable, modular blueprint” for housing the global flow of refugees.
The studio calls its method a “fractal approach.” Growth starts with individual housing units, then widens into neighbourhoods, and eventually into districts over several years. The city expands gradually, in step with the people who live in it.
The first phase is a prototype single-family housing unit, which is under construction on the site now. Its modular structure aims to improve existing shelter types, while drawing on the design of local buildings.
Once finished, the prototype will serve as an operational guesthouse. It will host international investors and future collaborators working on the project.
Mimran explained the design logic to Dezeen. “The prototype base unit is inspired by local vernacular settlements where homes grow as a sequence of rooms around shared spaces,” he said.
Renders show a commercial street lined with markets. Its buildings use local materials, including brick and bamboo.
Why Bidi Bidi
BIG chose this settlement because of Uganda’s 2006 Refugee Act. The law gives refugees the right to work and start businesses. It also guarantees freedom of movement and the right to acquire agricultural plots within integrated rural settlements.
Mimran said very few countries offer that combination of rights. In his view, this is what makes Uganda the right place for the first Refugee City.
For another example of architecture serving displaced and vulnerable communities, explore Nakshabid Architects’ socially driven projects in Bangladesh.
Building the full masterplan depends on capital investment. Future projects elsewhere would also need host-nation governments willing to grant flexibility and legal work rights to refugees, which is a political decision as much as a design one.
The studio is also designing other spaces for refugees. These include an easy-build playground for children fleeing war and wooden beds that give residents more privacy and dignity. Together, these small objects show how the masterplan’s logic reaches down to daily life, where BIG’s proposal will be judged in the end.
Via dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
What is BIG’s Refugee City masterplan for Bidi Bidi?
Refugee City is a masterplan by architecture studio BIG, developed with social enterprise To.org, that treats the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda as a city with its own economy. It proposes housing, schools and markets for the site, and is meant as an alternative to short-term aid and charity-led approaches.
Why does Bidi Bidi need to be planned as a city?
Bidi Bidi architect Thomas Ingels argues that the word “temporary” no longer fits because refugees often stay in camps for around two decades. He says these settlements therefore need to be planned as cities rather than temporary shelters.
Why did BIG choose Uganda for the first Refugee City?
BIG chose Uganda because of its 2006 Refugee Act, which gives refugees the right to work and start businesses. The law also guarantees freedom of movement and the right to acquire agricultural plots within integrated rural settlements.
How will the Refugee City masterplan grow over time?
The masterplan is scalable and modular, growing in a “fractal approach” that starts with individual housing units, then widens into neighbourhoods and eventually districts over several years. The first phase is a prototype single-family housing unit, which will later serve as an operational guesthouse for international investors and collaborators.
More in
Architecture
All Architecture
More like this
BIG and to.org Launch Ambitious Plan for Self-Sustaining Refugee Cities in Uganda
Burning Man's Architectural Wonders: From Wooden Pyramids to Inflatable Orbs
Thessaloniki's Urban Evolution: A Bold Plan to Connect 70 Monuments
Hangzhou's Urban Landmark: OMA's 43,000 m² Prism Connects Cityscape with Rail and Park Views
New York's VV's Cocktail Room Transforms USM Modulars into Midcentury Bar Marvel
