Cities of Refuge in the Middle East: Bringing an Urban Lens to the Forced Displacement Challenge

This policy note focuses on urban forced displacement—the influx of refugees and internally displaced persons—from the perspective of receiving towns and cities primarily in Jordan and Lebanon. It explores why we need to think about urban displacement in terms of both humanitarian and development assistance, and what we can learn from existing urban development approaches. Written for the World Bank and its audiences, the report encourages “thinking differently” on the part of local, national, and international development practitioners and policy makers.  Karen was the lead consultant on the report.