The Urban Ecologies of Divided Cities

The book discusses how division affect the fabric of cities, and people’s sense of identity and agency, and are reflected in physical features, architecture, and urban planning. The question of divided cities represents a complex and multistranded urban Ecology―at once both social and spatial; it cannot be limited to a single science or discipline, such as social or spatial fields. This suggests integrated and cross- disciplinary understandings, as well as integrated or parallel approaches and solutions. Urban ecologies of division manifest in multiple forms. One of their most palpable expressions is conflict, with parallels around the world, and often with correlations in the spatial fabric. Violence in such contexts is often a surface expression of deeper socio-economic or ideological differences. Whether as a result of intervention by authority or by dissent between groups, a divided city inevitably becomes a place of conflict in various forms andintensity, eroding the joy of living and sense of collective belonging to the detriment of all. In effect, it erodes the collective advantage of being part of a more unified society.

A city exists in collections of social structures which mutually form a society. A divided city implies divided social structures and, in consequence, a divided society. The papers compiled in this book present many case studies of divided cities, discussing the different causes of divisions and their effects on societies. Some of the causes can be linked to conflicts, wars, colonialism, or legislative political systems. 

In response to the serious challenges resulting from these divisions, the book aims to provide opportunities for new approaches and possibilities for new interventions and solutions, making it significant to urban planners, architects, and policymakers.

Amira Osman is a Sudanese/South African architect, researcher, academic, activist, public speaker, and author. She is a professor of Architecture at the Tshwane University of Technology and holds the position of SARChI: DST/ NRF/SACN Research Chair in Spatial Transformation (Positive Change in the Built Environment). Amira obtained a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Pretoria in 2004. She was a convener for the World Congress on Housing (2005) and the Sustainable Human(e) Settlements: the urban challenge (2012); she served the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) as UIA 2014 Durban General Reporter and Head of the Scientific Committee for the event tilted ARCHITECTURE OTHERWHERE. More recently, she was a chair of the Local Organising Committee for the 9th International Conference on Appropriate Technology (9th ICAT 2020). Amira is currently a joint coordinator for the international CIB W104 Open Building Implementation network and the president of the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA). She is the director of the organisation PLATFORM100 which is a thinktank and a collaborative vehicle for promoting change in conversations and practice around architecture, space, and cities. Amira is a registered professional architect (SACAP 7267) and the editor of the Built Environment in Emerging Economies (BEinEE) Book Series. Amira has extensive experience curating international events, coordinating complex programmes and exhibitions in terms of design, conceptualising content and managing diverse teams.

Professor John Nagle is a chair of Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. He is a fellow and member of the advisory board for SEPAD (Sectarianism, Proxies & Desectarianisation), a project hosted at the Richardson Institute, Lancaster University, and a fellow of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice. His research focuses on non-sectarian social movement activism in divided societies, particularly Northern Ireland and Lebanon. He has published six books and over 50 chapters and articles in leading international journals.

Dr. Sabyasachi Tripathi teaches Economics at Adamas University, Kolkata. Currently, he is on leave from September 2019 for his postdoctoral studies at National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. He completed Ph.D. in Economics from Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, in 2013. He has earned a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Jadavpur University. Before joining Adamas University, he has worked as a fellow at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and as a research fellow at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), New Delhi, India. He has also taught at Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. He is working in different areas of development-related issues such as regional economics, poverty, inequality, and international trade from both Indian and cross-country perspectives. His research outputs have received meritorious attention from the global community by publication in international journals and presentations in various international conferences held in different countries in the world. He has published 36 articles in various internationally reputed journals such as Habitat International (Elsevier), International Journal of Urban Sciences (Taylor & Francis), Journal of Business and Globalisation (Inderscience), Journal of Income Distribution (Ad Libros Publications Ltd.), Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies (Wiley-Blackwell), Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science (Springer Nature Switzerland), and Journal of Applied Economics Research (Sage). He has participated in more than 20 international conferences and visited 17 countries in the world. He has also participated as a Young Economist in the 4th LindauMeeting of the Winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel held in Lindau, Germany. He has received Shri T R Satishchandra Memorial Best Thesis Prize in Economics from Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. He acted as a reviewer for more than 50 research papers from interracially reputed journals such as PLOS One, World Development, Urban Research and Practice, China Economic Review, and Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies. He is also an associate editor for the Journal of Public Affairs (Wiley-Blackwell).