Re - Settled: A New Typology for Refugee Housing Promoting Community Assimilation through Integration, Interaction, and Adaptation

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze the challenges resettled refugees face, propose architectural guidelines that address these needs, and introduce a new typology of public housing that helps to assimilate resettled refugees into U.S. communities. The test site for this thesis will be the city of Chicago. Chicago has a long history of welcoming immigrants and refugees and continues to be a forerunner in refugee resettlement. How can housing in the United States be designed to address the challenges faced by refugees and help asylum seekers more quickly adapt to life in a new and unfamiliar country?