From Shelter to Healing Environments: A Systematic Review of Healing Architecture Informing Humanitarian Settlement Planning for Displaced Communities

Abstract

The growing scale and duration of global displacement driven by complex humanitarian crises pose significant challenges for humanitarian shelter and settlement planning. Refugees and displaced persons often live long-term in settlements and collective accommodation initially intended as temporary, which are frequently characterised by overcrowding, limited privacy, inadequate infrastructure, and uncertain living conditions, heightening psychological distress. Despite the recognition of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in humanitarian response, the role of the built environment and its impact on MHPSS remains underexplored. This study utilises a systematic-informed review of academic and grey literature to examine how healing architecture can support humanitarian settlement planning, with a focus on the wellbeing of displaced communities. Literature was identified through searches in Web of Science and Google Scholar, alongside selected publications from United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations, resulting in a total of 34 documents included in the analysis. The paper addresses three research questions: What mental health challenges are most common among displaced populations? What healing architecture strategies are most relevant, and how do they influence mental health? How and under what conditions can healing architecture strategies contribute to humanitarian settlement planning to support wellbeing? Studies were identified through database and repository searches, appraised for quality, and synthesised using thematic analysis. Findings highlight key design strategies, including access to private and communal spaces, connection to nature, and culturally responsive layouts. Although the analysis identified contextual and methodological limitations in humanitarian settlement planning, integrating healing architecture offers practical pathways to enhance wellbeing through participatory and inclusive design.