City profile Aleppo: Multi-sector assessment

The crisis in Syria has had a signi cant e ect on the country’s major cities, with large scale movements of population, damage to buildings and infrastructure and interruptions to markets. Cities represent multiple and inter-related formal and informal systems and need to be described and analysed in an integrated manner that captures the complexity of urban conditions. Up to now the majority of information available has been sector-wise, rather than integrated or area-wise.

A major characteristic of this crisis has been the shortage of information to inform decision making, from assessment of needs or monitoring of evolving issues. For example, the majority of displaced families are nding accommodation through host or rent arrangements but information on such dynamics is very limited. Without better understanding at family, community and city levels, humanitarian interventions may not be responsive or appropriate. Without better understanding of local institutions, interventions may not be anchored. Without better monitoring of local conditions, the impact of interventions cannot be evaluated.

In 2011, Aleppo was Syria’s largest city, accommodating almost 3 million inhabitants (25% of the national urban population). The city enjoyed a strong economy as a national industry and trade hub, with historic and collaborative commercial relations with neighboring countries. 40% of the city population lived in informal areas, as Aleppo was the most attractive city for rural migrants and had grown rapidly during the last decades.