Aleppo expands as displaced population grows
Massive displacement from the war has brought thousands of Syrians north, and with them urban expansion.
The rural areas to the east and north of Aleppo are seeing urban sprawl as residential construction skyrockets. The areas under the control of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in northern Syria became a destination for those fleeing the bombing elsewhere in the country.
The relative stability in the cities and towns of northern and eastern Aleppo is a major factor in this urban expansion. The construction has also granted hundreds of people the opportunity to work and provide for their families amid widespread unemployment in the countryside.
Amid rising costs of construction materials and construction permits, many families cannot afford to build their own homes and have sought housing in the already existing multi-story buildings in the area.
Azaz, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, is one of the places most affected by the construction boom.
