Division and the City: Spatial Dramas of Divided Cities

Abstract

Gizem CANEREvery contemporary city is divided to a certain extent. The present study is concerned with urban division defined by extreme tensions related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, and culture, which are channelled into urban arenas. Once these contestations are made spatially visible, the "divided city" with which this study is concerned appears. Well-known examples of such "divided" cities are Belfast, Jerusalem, Nicosia, Mostar, Beirut, and Berlin. Due to distinctive attributes, these cities contain an exclusive discourse that differentiates them from other urban areas. In this context, the aim of the present study was to comparatively analyze urban consequences of division in selected case studies: Belfast and Berlin. As each city has unique attributes of geography, history, and economic development, the processes and outcomes of their division differ substantially. This investigation of the consequences of urban division in a temporal perspective presents patterns of urban development before, during, and after division in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of spatial dramas faced by these cities. Comparative analysis revealed a common pattern of functional and structural urban consequences, in spite of differences. It is suggested that an illustration of common patterns of development can facilitate an early recognition and management of division. It is believed that the findings of the present study will aid future studies that aim to understand the patterning of urban division and generate planning models to tackle problems faced by divided cities. ARTICLE

Managing the Co-existence of Difference: Applications of the Geographies of Encounters Framework

“…In more (ethnically) homogenous cities difference is examined through other markers, such as sex, age, disability, and class, with quite a bit of scholarship focused on sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues in countries with Catholic histories (Körs et al, 2018). In other settings differences are examined through intersecting axes, such as race and class especially in highly divided societies like post-apartheid South Africa, Israel/Palestine, and former east/west Berlin (Caner, 2016). By sorting through large concentrations of literature on difference, I observed common themes of religion/beliefs, race and class, and gender and sexuality which informed my case study selection.…”

“…Urban divisions are present in nearly all contemporary cities (Caner, 2016), which is why theorists like Healey (1997) describe planning as a tool to manage the co-existence of difference in shared publics. However, there are cities where tensions over differences are so extreme that they create severe patterns of segregation that make intergroup contact increasingly difficult to facilitate (Caner, 2016). Divided cities are demarcated with harsh boundaries whether implicitly or explicitly.…”

“…Divided cities are demarcated with harsh boundaries whether implicitly or explicitly. In developed western cities, urban populations are often polarized based on income, which can often correlate to race (Caner, 2016;Hulchanski, 2010). In some instances, people may choose to segregate willingly, such as the case of ethnoburbs (Caner, 2016;Schuermans, 2016).…”

“…In developed western cities, urban populations are often polarized based on income, which can often correlate to race (Caner, 2016;Hulchanski, 2010). In some instances, people may choose to segregate willingly, such as the case of ethnoburbs (Caner, 2016;Schuermans, 2016). In other cases, segregation is not a choice individuals make, and urban exclusion is a direct result of segregation that has been codified in law (Schuermans, 2015).…”

Managing the Co-existence of Difference: Applications of the Geographies of Encounters Framework

“…Colonial histories, the rise of globalization and increasing numbers of global conflicts displacing large diasporas have all contributed to the diversification of cosmopolitan urban populations (Harvey, 2000;Caner, 2016). This has led to changes in economic, racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic composition (Shaker et al, 2021).…”