The City as a Divided Landscape

Say Nothing

This flow traces Belfast’s built environment as it shifts from displaced neighborhoods and defensive barriers to a city still organized by sectarian boundaries.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Separate Communities Separate Communities from "Say Nothing". Geography Shapes Belonging Parallel streets Falls Road and Shankill Road anchor Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods.

Separate Communities from "Say Nothing". Geography Shapes Belonging Parallel streets Falls Road and Shankill Road anchor Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods.

Geography Shapes Belonging Parallel streets Falls Road and Shankill Road anchor Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. Narrow cross streets mark boundaries that residents learn to navigate carefully. Discrimination is spatial Housing, employment, schools, and social life are divided along religious lines. The city’s geography reinforces political inequality before the outbreak of widespread violence.

Barricades and Flight Barricades and Flight from "Say Nothing". Streets Become Front Lines Neighborhoods defend themselves Riots and house burnings produce barricades and mass displacement.

Barricades and Flight from "Say Nothing". Streets Become Front Lines Neighborhoods defend themselves Riots and house burnings produce barricades and mass displacement.

Streets Become Front Lines Neighborhoods defend themselves Riots and house burnings produce barricades and mass displacement. Families flee with whatever belongings they can carry, including the McConvilles. Physical lines harden Barricades formalize the boundaries between communities. Later peace walls give those divisions a permanent architectural form.

A City in the Sky A City in the Sky from "Say Nothing". Modern Housing Fails A promised future Divis Flats is built as a modern solution to overcrowding, with indoor amenities and connecting walkways.

A City in the Sky from "Say Nothing". Modern Housing Fails A promised future Divis Flats is built as a modern solution to overcrowding, with indoor amenities and connecting walkways.

Modern Housing Fails A promised future Divis Flats is built as a modern solution to overcrowding, with indoor amenities and connecting walkways. The design imagines a city above the old neighborhood. Dystopian outcomes Poor construction, mould, noise, and a lack of social space make the complex difficult to live in. Its corridors and galleries become part of the conflict’s daily terrain.

Tower as Observation Post Tower as Observation Post from "Say Nothing". Military Vision Over the City Army watches from above The British Army occupies the upper floors of Divis Tower, observing the city with binoculars.

Tower as Observation Post from "Say Nothing". Military Vision Over the City Army watches from above The British Army occupies the upper floors of Divis Tower, observing the city with binoculars.

Military Vision Over the City Army watches from above The British Army occupies the upper floors of Divis Tower, observing the city with binoculars. Residents experience the post as a symbol of surveillance and occupation. The local view differs For the army, the tower offers tactical information; for families below, it overlooks homes already damaged by raids and gunfire. The same structure holds incompatible meanings.

Walls After the War Walls After the War from "Say Nothing". Boundaries Survive Ceasefire The city is rebuilt Low-rise Divis blocks are demolished, but Divis Tower remains.

Walls After the War from "Say Nothing". Boundaries Survive Ceasefire The city is rebuilt Low-rise Divis blocks are demolished, but Divis Tower remains.

Boundaries Survive Ceasefire The city is rebuilt Low-rise Divis blocks are demolished, but Divis Tower remains. Belfast’s commercial center modernizes and becomes a destination for visitors. Separation persists Peace walls, flags, and segregated schools reveal that a calm city is not an integrated one. Built boundaries continue to shape how people move and what they remember.

Before 1969

Summer 1969

1966–1972

1970s

1990s–2015