Refugia: Utopia for Refugees
My thesis started with investigating the phenomenon of migration from the perspective of Landscape Architecture. Examining the relationship between displaced people an the landscape they occupy in more depth. Also, I used this opportunity to highlight the fundamental issues of the ‘Refugee Crisis’ to incite positive change in organisational policies. This led me to figure out if it is possible to envision an island that is a perfect haven for refugees who have been displaced from their homeland. To imagine this potential utopian city I need to delve deeper into this idea of UTOPIA, looking into this ideology of a perfect civilisation. I aimed to experiment through landscape design and create a floating island which will house refugees providing them with resources and knowledge on how to self-govern and prosper in the middle of the sea. From a broader perspective, I think my research has brought attention to and addressed the fundamental issues that migration poses for both the host and migrant communities. From the lens of Landsape Architecture, it examines an alternative solution to the Calais migrant problem. Last but not least, I understood that everyone’s experience of settling in a new setting is unique, but as my master’s thesis, I found it fascinating to investigate how landscape architecture may help people feel “more settled.”
