Abstract

Mafraq has witnessed rapid urban growth over successive years. This growth has been heavily impacted by the presence of 180,000 Syrian refugees inside the city. The wider Jordanian economy has been affected by the continuous influx of Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis in March 2011. Some of the Syrian refugees live in refugee camps, while the majority of them prefer to live among the local communities and the Jordanians themselves, which has led to an impact on Jordanian urbanism and the society itself. In Mafraq, this led to the opening of new streets and shops along Jerash Street and Baghdad Street, which extended in all directions, especially from the Mafraq center toward the Za’atari camp area. The main aim of this article is to determine the impact of refugees on host communities by analyzing the real situation of the Syrian refugees and their impacts of them. The study used a mixed-method approach using qualitative and quantitative research to achieve the main aim of this research. It is concluded that urban refugees are an important factor in the transformation of cities occupied by them and play a key role in reforming the urban and architectural void in the cities in which they settled. Therefore, the research calls on decision-makers in the governments containing the refugees to enact specialized regulations and laws that are fitting to reduce the negative impacts, such as the random spread of housing and disorganized urban expansion. This can be applied by setting a comprehensive plan for urban characteristics and architectural style.