An investigation into the compliance to the National physical planning standards and guidelines of Uganda in refugee settlements ,A case of Palorinya refugee settlement

Abstract

According to Brysk (2018) wars, natural disasters have continued to displace millions of refugees, internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) worldwide which according to Gaucher 2017, asserting that there is limited or no evidence to show that the issues of displacement of refugees and IDPs will end sooner. UNHCR adds that the Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26% of the global refugees’ population of over 18million people in this region which is of great concerns to UNHCR. These numbers continue to rise due to the ongoing crisis in the South Sudan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Central African Republic, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda with Internally Displaced Persons due to natural calamities like flooding, Land slide, and mudslides in areas like Western Uganda (Kasese) and Eastern Uganda (Bududa). A refugee settlement according to Simon Turner (2016) is a spatially and temporary settlement. Spatially, meaning camps having boundaries, while in practice refugees and locals cross these boundaries for trade, employment, etc. Temporally, meaning refugee camps are meant to be temporary, while in practice this temporariness may become permanent where by most refugees refuse to return back to their origins and the area ends up becoming their permanent settlement. Therefore, dynamics between residents and their physical environment will shape behaviors and outcomes within and beyond the confines of the settlement. Consequently, refugee and IDP settlements are basic grounds for the application of urban design theory and important insights in the management of settlement can be gained through this approach.