Applying build back better (BBB) in northern Syria

This study aims to highlight the advantages of applying Build-Back-Better (BBB) process in the northern regions of Syria and specifying the major aspects, which can play a significant role in the positive transformation of Syria and Syrian community. In addition to the destruction and damage caused by the conflict, many buildings have been built without considering safety technical standards. Moreover, the infrastructure of these areas is either missing or very poor. Therefore, defining and assessing these damaged and under-standard buildings are essential, as urgent initial steps for reducing the disaster risks. Refugee camps in that area repeatedly suffer from natural disasters including floods and freezing weather in winter. One of the three applications considered in this study is transforming the big camps in northern Syria into appropriately planned cities. Both the Syrian code of urban planning and AFAD standards for container cities are compared in this study. A modified Syrian code for urban planning is used to re-plan one of the biggest camps, Atmeh Camp, as an example of the first application of the camps into cities. The second application is about improving the urban planning of key cities and towns in northern Syria like Al-Bab and Azaz. The requirements of this application are discussed, and the achievements of the Association of Al-Bab Engineers are listed to illustrate some of the efforts that can facilitate this application. The third application is based on a survey concerning the Syrian refugees in Turkey in specific as it hosts about four million Syrian refugees. The survey investigates the privileges that Syrians enjoy in Turkey and wish to see if they return to Syria. A possible BBB framework is proposed for northern Syria enlightened by the Syrian refugees' experience in Turkey. This application tackles how BBB could encourage the return of Syrian refugees and specifically those in Turkey. The three suggested applications of the BBB principles are aimed as the attempts to rebuild and revive Syria or at least a part of it for now.