Post-conflict Aleppo as a Crisis Context: How Micro-Scale Construction Firms Sustain Housing Production Under Extreme Uncertainty

Abstract

Post-conflict contexts pose severe challenges for urban economies, particularly for micro-scale
construction firms that play a critical role in housing provision. Aleppo, as a city undergoing
post-war reconstruction, represents an extreme crisis environment characterised by economic
instability, institutional fragility, and limited resources. This study investigates how micro
scale construction firms in Aleppo develop economic resilience and sustain housing
production under post-conflict conditions. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study
is based on semi-structured interviews with six micro-scale architecture, engineering, and
construction firms, supported by contextual document analysis of post-war reconstruction
reports. The findings reveal that micro-scale firms rely heavily on informal networks, adaptive
financing mechanisms, flexible labour and material procurement practices, and trust-based
relations to maintain operational continuity. The study contributes to post-conflict
reconstruction and construction management literature by highlighting micro-scale firms’
project-level governance practices and underlining their significance for housing recovery and
urban resilience in post-war cities.