In Transit 3

In 2016 Sicily became the main entry point for people seeking sanctuary in Europe and Italy was bearing the responsibility of both saving lives in the Mediterranean Sea and accommodating a high number of arrivals. 7,500 different reception centers across Italy were used to accommodate refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. The definition of a reception center is broad and includes military barracks, camping sites, apartments, self-organized informal settlements, and abandoned buildings – many of the facilities never intended for living. The In Transit 3 Studio focused on developing architectural and urban strategies with different spatial and programmatic interventions befitting both the new arrivals and the residents of the host communities in the Ragusa region of Sicily, Italy.

All projects are using the arrival of refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants as a catalyst for revitalizing shrinking cities and towns. Architecture can play an important role in fostering integration by defining and creating common meeting places for the ones arriving and for their hosts. As a guiding principle for determining suitable architectural solutions and strategies, In Transit aims to influence a shift in emergency response and integration initiatives by pointing out the opportunities for upgrading a host community, and not only addressing the immediate needs of the new arrivals.

As the definition of a reception center is broad - especially in the Italian context, a reception center can also be defined as a 'Collective Center'. Collective centers are existing buildings or structures used as temporary accommodation for displaced populations. Collective centers have highly variable life spans. While most collective centers are used only for a couple of days or weeks, in other contexts they may be used for a decade or more. There are mainly two types of buildings used for hosting displaced persons. The first one being buildings meant for living (e.g. apartment buildings), but also short-term accommodation (hotels). The other type commonly used as temporary displacements sites are buildings that were never intended for living, - planned, and designed for other uses (e.g. sports halls). Purpose-built collective centers are rare. All In Transit 3 projects looked at the potential for combing purpose-built collective centers with other spatial and programmatic opportunities within a host community.

The In Transit 3 Studio focused on developing urban strategies with different spatial and programmatic interventions befitting both the new arrivals and the residents of the host community. All projects produced during the semester are recognizing the arrival of refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants as a catalyst for revitalizing shrinking cities and towns, and used as a point of departure for developing architectural and urban planning solutions for the Ragusa region in Sicily, Italy.