Planning for Post Conflict Phase: Case Study of Syria

Ing. Batoul Ibrahim

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

This research focuses on post-conflict reconstruction and development. While security is important after war, this research looks beyond peacekeeping and focuses on medium-to-long-term social, urban, and institutional recovery and stability. This study is primarily concerned with post-war reconstruction, and development approaches and practices and the ways development in the aftermath of conflict can help build and consolidate sustainable recovery and return for displaced people in the future. Therefore, this research aims at investigating the adequate spatial planning approach for the reconstruction era in post-conflict countries. With selecting Syria as a case study, a country that has experienced severe armed conflict for the last decade; the research specific aims are threefold: first, to review the planning culture in Syria before and after the conflict; second, to investigate the physical change of Syrian cities during the conflict and foresee the potential spatial development in post-conflict phase; and third, to investigate the potential return of the displaced Syrians. In addition to the literature review that covered the main topics of the thesis, culturised planning model and institutional analysis are followed to review the planning culture and system in Syria. Also, the research projects four scenarios, each with varying numbers and characteristics of returning refugees and IDPs. Next, it compares the returnees’ potential residential patterns and urban concentration to Zipf’s Law, a normalised distribution of ‘ideal’ city sizes. Using the semi-structured open-ended question, 25 interviews were conducted with Syrian families and individuals who were displaced during the conflict to inspect their opinion on returning home. The results indicate that the planning system in Syria requires substantial change and propose a polycentric development approach as a turning point towards balanced and sustainable development in the post-conflict phase. For the potential return of the displaced Syrians, the findings highlight the differences and similarities of Syrian perspectives on returning home. We conclude with, first, the importance for deep further analysis to be conducted with consideration of intersectional returning dynamics drivers; and second, the importance to develop immediate and long term solutions and ensure capacity building for the post-conflict phase, and third, the importance to have people-centred-cities and enhance public participation in the planning process in order to create inclusive spaces that respond to citizen needs.

Keywords

Post-Conflict Development, Syria, Polycentric Development, Planning, Scenarios, Return

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 11. 3. 2022

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: prof. Ing. arch. Karel Maier, CSc.
• Oponent: Daniel Franke, Ing., Ph.D., Roula Maya, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Doctoral programme / odbor:
Environmental Sciences / Applied and Landscape Ecology