Post-war reconstruction in contested cities : comparing urban outcomes in Sarajevo and Beirut

Abstract

This chapter examines the process of urban-architectural post-war reconstruction in Beirut and Sarajevo in an urban geopolitical frame. It explores how urban environment both responds to and shapes territorialization processes and how the discussion of urban geopolitics and the relationship between urban space and the state can be enriched by urban comparisons. Beirut and Sarajevo are particularly fit for a comparison. The two cities share an urban history including a long period of Ottoman rule followed by the protectorate of a European power. During the Lebanese Civil war and the Bosnian war, Beirut and Sarajevo became poster images of war and widespread destruction. Beirut was the scene of infighting between Christian and Muslim paramilitaries, Palestinian groups, Israeli and Syrian armies for almost 15 years. The chapter highlights the need for more multi-scalar layering of urban geopolitics and the analysis of urban processes and outcomes in relationship to different dimensions and scales of contestation.