ANY form of humanitarian crisis?

I would suggest that you narrow down your scope ('humanitarian crisis' is a big field), perhaps to post war reconstruction, post disaster relief... or even slum clearing and informal settlement.

I am often struck by the fact that we have 8 billion people on the planet with mass infrastructural and housing deficits in many countries, yet...Architects universally struggle to find work.   I think the problem is summarized by the lack of organizational energy around the politics and economics of providing for people's urban needs.  The NGO model doesn't seem as successful as it should be either.

Indigenous architecture, evolved over millennia to satisfy local conditions of environment, building materials, culture and sustainability has been discarded in favor of largely counterproductive exercises in technology and ego.  Thus, architects as we know them are essentially obsolete. The "need" for a technological /  egotistical designed environment is an illusion.

The architect of the future will design and construct with locally available materials (including refuse) for sustainability, low energy use and with agriculturally productive site management as a primary purpose.
 

I think the problem is summarized by the lack of organizational energy around the politics and economics of providing for people's urban needs.

what's the incentive for people with the power/money to spend it on infrastructure?  they need to see some kind of benefit for themselves - and is especially difficult in places where the ruling class maintains their grip on power by keeping those at the bottom uneducated and destitute.

with agriculturally productive site management as a primary purpose.

Growing tomatoes and baby cucumbers on your patio is one thing. A few fruit trees on a lot is another. But actual farming is a messy operation that invites a number of unwanted pests, diseases and problems. We tend to keep chronically overlooking why farming has always had a separation between the field and the house.

I also agree with toasteroven.

But I disagree with the categorical use of "urban." In true urban settings, there's a significant overlap or "cohabitation" of the very rich with the very poor whether it's office buildings in or around poor or lower-income neighborhoods or two smaller neighborhoods within a larger district (i.e., Chinatown with SoHo literally across the street.)

But, generally, I find those with the most infrastructurally-deficient neighborhoods and areas to be those of the lower-middle to middle-middle class. These neighbors generally lack curbage, parallel parking (a.k.a. a "third lane), sewerage, stormwater and even sufficient electrical systems.

And there's good motivation to keep these "non-urban urban" environements the way they are— development leads to price increases that leads to more jobs which leads to economic and political power.