Refugee accommodations in Berlin: From temporary socio-spatial protection to a new urban reality

Abstract

Berlin has been a significant destination city for refugees over the last decade. However, providing temporary accommodation and long-term housing solutions for urban refugees has presented complex issues. In response to the surge of arrivals during the 2015 European refugee crisis, various typologies of state-run refugee accommodations were established throughout the city. Their aim is to offer temporary socio-spatial protection, generally in collective form, until longer-term housing solutions are found. However, Berlin’s rental market today is under considerable pressure, negatively impacting access to affordable housing for both local and refugee groups alike. As a result, urban refugees remain in a state of precarity and unsettlement, lengthily trapped in spatial configurations and tenure conditions initially designed for temporary stays. The research addresses a gap in the literature on the spatial geographies that refugees in urban contexts in the Global North inspire, navigate and inhabit. Empirically, the research asks: How have urban refugees been navigating formal and informal city systems to access refugee accommodations and affordable housing, and what are the necessary conditions to achieve tenure-security in Berlin? Theoretically, the research asks how urban refugees can achieve socio-spatial protection, eventually moving from spaces of exception to spaces of protection. Methodologically, a case study approach is adopted, drawing on in-depth interviews with forty Syrians and Arabic-speaking refugees who sought asylum since 2015 in two neighborhoods. While the research focuses on Berlin, the hope is to offer insights relevant to other cities in the Global North struggling with the urbanization of protracted displacement.