Refugee Cities has formed partnerships with leading firms selected based on their commitment to the refugee cities vision and their ability to fulfill key components of it. Refugee Cities will provide overall supervision of the project and technical assistance on its legal, policy, and institutional aspects.

The Innovation and Planning Agency creates global networks that connect knowledge and ideas to refugee communities. It will help engage stakeholders in government, international organizations, and the private sector. It will also help develop policies and institutional frameworks for refugee cities. Its founder, Kilian Kleinschmidt managed the 84,000-person Za’atari refugee camp and has over 25-years of hands-on experience with the UN on emergency responses to refugee crises.

The Human Tech Innovation Lab (HTiL) gathers data on migration and integration on a collaborative platform. HTiL utilizes its extensive network of humanitarian organizations working in the field to gather data that will help us study the potential impact and needs of proposed refugee cities in various locations.

The Living Design Lab is a design firm that strengthens communities through urban planning based on data-driven analysis drawn from community engagement and research. It will help draft preliminary designs for refugee cities. Its founder, Davin Hong, has designed numerous award-winning urban development projects with global design firms RTKL and KlingStubbins.

The Middle East Investment Initiative designs and deploys finance and technical assistance programs to entrepreneurs and small- to medium-sized enterprises, as well as other financial inclusion and private-sector growth programs. It will help implement similar programs for businesses in refugee cities. Its President and CEO, James Pickup, also serves as General Counsel of the Aspen Institute, Co-founder of Impact Capital Strategies, and Partner at DLA Piper.