Abstract Summary
The Imperfect Peace of interstitial Spaces in Belfast:- Belfast, Northern Ireland is an imperfect, work-in-progress city that has seen its fair share of conflict over the last few centuries. The most recent conflict, euphemistically dubbed ‘The Troubles’, divided Belfast’s urban landscape along sectarian lines using defensive urban architecture known as peace walls, peacelines and interfaces. 25 years on from the infamous Good Friday / Belfast Agreement, and the beginning of the peace dividend, communities living along interfaces are, arguably, no more affluent than they were in 1998. Interfaces are most often found in the most deprived areas of the city, with one study finding that 86% of those living within 400 metres of any peace-wall in Belfast are in the lowest 20% of the city’s population as measured by the Multiple Deprivation Index. (Morrow et al, 2019). This is despite substantial foreign investment from both local and international governance, such as The European Union and The United States of America. Consequently, this research seeks to understand the ways in which interfaces in Belfast have manifested as interstitial spaces, and the substantial networks that exist to maintain them. In addition, this research seeks to unveil the subsequent relationship between reconciliation and deprivation, particularly in the context of Belfast, and how these processes interact with the built environment/wider planning processes in Northern Ireland. Key Concepts: Territoriality, deprivation, division, reconciliation, peacebuilding, segregation, interface.
