Integrated Spatial Reconstruction: A GIS-Based Assessment of Transport-Housing Interdependencies for Sustainable Post-Conflict Urban Recovery in Yemen

Abstract

The ongoing fighting in Yemen has caused a collapse of the complex transportation and housing systems of the country and has profoundly impacted the humanitarian emergency situation and the possibility of sustainable development. In this research, the focus of the Geographic Information System (GIS)-based spatial research of Yemen assesses the intersection of the destroyed transportation networks and the housing deficit in the major cities of Yemen (Sanaa, Taiz, and Aden). It analyzes the impact of stagnation and the lack of housing through the integration of longitude and latitude spatial data, network data, and census data in a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Results illustrate the systemic exclusion of housing the vulnerable and the critical points of stagnation in the systems of the spatial networks, which deteriorate the condition of housing the vulnerable. The research proposes the humanitarian programs shift the Yemen integrated reconstruction approach (with emphasis on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) principles to the Yemen-specific socio-economic situation). It meets the requirements for empirical-based integrated urban planning approaches, urban policies, and post-conflict Yemen, integrating the urban non-formal sites into environmentally sustainable development in post-conflict Yemen. The research enriches the sustainable and post-conflict reconstruction/enhancement of urban recovery policies.