# Modular Refugee Districts BIG Builds Refugee Cities with a Single-Family Base Unit By Ellen Smith | Written with AI assistance | Published 2026-10-31 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modular-refugee-districts References: [wallpaper](https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/bjarke-ingles-group-refugee-cities)  BIG is developing Refugee Cities as a decade-long plan for refugees that pairs legal permits with a self-sustaining [modular urban layout](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modular-bv-system) financed by institutional investors rather than short-term aid. The project responds to a displacement outlook of 1.2 billion refugees by 2050 and starts with a [single-family base unit](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype) built for longer stays, not emergency shelter. The first prototype is set for the Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre in Uganda. Its layout groups [homes into neighborhoods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/la-comunidad-habitacional) and then districts, with shared assets such as a food market and co-working space, while separate Opportunity Zones for farming and manufacturing are intended to generate returns over decades. Institutional financing and host-nation work rights turn refugee housing into an infrastructure pitch for governments and investors, not just donors. A modular plan built around family units and on-site production moves long-stay settlements closer to economic hubs that can support jobs alongside shelter. Image Credit: to.org ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 42% | Activity: 17% | Freshness: 100% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Modular Refugee Urbanism:** Prefabricated family-based districts signal a shift from temporary camps to scalable urban systems that combine shelter, services, and long-term community formation. - **Investor-financed Humanitarian Infrastructure:** Institutional capital introduces new models for displacement response by treating refugee settlements as investable assets with measurable social and economic returns. - **Self-sustaining Settlement Economies:** Integrated farming, manufacturing, markets, and co-working spaces create pathways for refugee communities to function as productive local economies rather than aid-dependent enclaves. ### Who This Affects Most - **Affordable Housing:** Long-duration modular homes create opportunities for housing providers to adapt durable, low-cost construction systems for displaced and underserved populations. - **Impact Investing:** Refugee infrastructure opens a market for blended finance vehicles that connect humanitarian outcomes with long-term, revenue-generating development assets. - **Urban Planning:** District-scale layouts designed around work rights, shared amenities, and local production reshape how planners approach inclusive cities for rapidly displaced populations. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Inflatable Expedition Base Camps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inflatable-expedition-base-camps.md) - [Modular Bamboo Housing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bamboo-housing.md) - [Modular Healthcare Workforce Housing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modular-healthcare-workforce-housing.md) - [Humanitarian Sleep Pod Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/enclosed-sleep-pod.md) - [Compact Shelter Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zodiac-building.md) - [Circular Pavilion Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Circular-pavilion-design.md) - [Temporary Workforce Housing Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dickens-county.md) - [Emergency Shelter Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-48sqft-model.md)