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Project

Post-conflict divided cities and the agency of space: the case of Belfast

Post-conflict divided cities are a common phenomenon, especially since the 20th century shift in conflicts from interstate to intrastate, which led to the further increase and articulation of polarized and ethnically divided cities. This phenomenon has been studied by various disciplines. Nevertheless, the examination from the perspective of urban space is still in short supply. We will address this knowledge gap through the study of the role of urban space in Belfast. This city is suffering from a long colonial occupation that evolved into the current nationalistic-ethnic conflict. Belfast is an archetypical living (apart) together city. Protestant unionists and Catholic nationalists, predominantly reside in separate neighborhoods. Nevertheless, the communities in this case are displaying a Living-Together of divided communities, the tension between which has been (more or less) effectively contained. To address the role of the built environment in this type of relation (and mediation), this research will test an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that combines Roland Barthes’s understanding of Idiorrhythmic Living-Together with Henri Lefebvre’s concept of rhythmanalysis. Through this framework, the Living-Together of antagonistic communities will be examined through a diachronic analysis of typo-morphological transformations and of the spatial organization of the common spaces on one hand, and an investigation on a micro scale of the socio-spatial qualities of selected prominent spaces on the other. Such analytic interpretations will allow us to better understand the agency of urban space in accommodating and managing ethnic conflict.

Date:31 Mar 2022 →  Today
Keywords:Beflast, divided cities, agency of space, the built-environment, Living-Together, idiorrhythmic Living-Together, idiorrhythmy
Disciplines:Urbanism and regional planning, Architectural history and theory
Project type:PhD project