Polarisation and cohesion in divided cities

Battles over identity, ideology and class are increasingly fought in cities. Various disciplines such as sociology, political science and history have engaged in the study and understanding of conflict in urban spaces in all its forms. While most of the literature on divided cities explores violence and the state of the conflict, very little is said about the processes that lead communities to grow apart or processes that instead can bring the city back together. As the focus remains on socio-political and psychological aspects of the conflict, only recently have scholars, especially architects and geographers, recognised the crucial role that the urban environment itself plays in urban conflicts and their peaceful resolution.