Territorial Fragilities in Cyprus: Planning and Preservation Strategies (Research for Development)

In this book, the authors present a combination of research-by-design, place-based, and policy-oriented approaches to the territorial fragilities of Nicosia. Nicosia, in Cyprus, is a city divided. Since 1974, a 180 km long Buffer Zone has separated the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Republic of Cyprus (RoC). This "open wound" cuts through the city's historical center, crossing the Venetian walls, a key cultural heritage asset, and impacting the city's spatial and cultural identity. Outcomes of an inter-doctoral research initiative, this edited book documents the local realities of the divided city and tests scenarios and spatial patterns of intervention to cope with the partition through the enhancement of local cultural heritage. The book targets an academic audience, architects, urban planners, heritage preservation professionals and policymakers, providing a transferable research method relevant to those approaching a complex, fragile, and contested "border territory". Contents Introduction: Crossing Borders/Building Bridges. An Interdisciplinary and Research-By-Design Approach to Nicosia’s Territorial Fragilities 1 The Role of Language and Space in Contested Territories 2 Territorial Fragilities in Cyprus and Nicosia 3 How This Book is Structured References Moving on the Borderlines. Legacies and Long-Term Perspectives of Academic Encounters 1 Back into the Future. Experiencing Borderlines Through Academic Workshops 2 Borderlines in Urban Space and Planning 3 Architecture, Urban Planning in the Face of Time and Long-Term Perspectives 4 Only Now...(Time and Trust) 5 Update. Walking Down Through Old Nicosia References The Experience of the Nicosia Masterplan. A Conversation with Ali Güralp and Agni Petridou 1 Defining Territorial Fragility in Cyprus Through Nicosia Masterplan’s Lens 2 Building Common Knowledge on Nicosia and the Green Line 3 Current and Future Challenges for the NMP and Its Planners Fragile Tangible and Intangible Constellations in a Divided City. Urban Planning and Architectural Preservation Perspectives in Nicosia 1 Introduction 2 Bridging Urban Planning and Heritage Preservation Debates on Contested Spaces 3 Divided, Polarized or Contested? Situating Nicosia’s Partition in Time, Space and Imaginaries 3.1 The Green Line in Nicosia: A Thick (Im)permeable Threshold, a Frontier, a Resistant Space and a Place of Resistance 3.2 The Role and Conditions of the Built Environment Along and Within the Buffer Zone 4 Walking in Nicosia: Constellations of (Extra)Ordinary Spaces Along and Across the Buffer Zone 4.1 Playgrounds at the Border 4.2 Transnational Social Spaces 4.3 Wall(paper)s 5 Conclusive Remarks and Open Discussion: Designing with Territorial Fragilities in Nicosia References Shared “Values” in Divided Contexts. Some Reflections on the Role of Urban Heritage in Cyprus 1 The Architectural Heritage in Conflict Areas. From Disallowed to Difficult Heritage 2 From Conflict to Reconciliation. The Peace-Making Role of Cultural Heritage in the International Debate 3 Architectural Heritage in Divided Cyprus 4 Perspectives on Cultural Heritage as a Peacemaker References Engaging Impossibilism in Planning Practice. Reflections from the Case of Nicosia 1 Introduction 2 The Nicosia Masterplan: An Exercise of Impossibilism in Urban Planning 3 Impossibilism: A Tentative Definition 4 Possibilism and Impossibilism 5 Conclusions References From No Man’s Land to Everyone’s Space. The Potential of Radical Design to Transform the Green Line in Cyprus 1 The Green Line: An Open Wound 2 Analogy Between Languages and Places 3 The Invention and Use of Lingua Franca in the Mediterranean 4 From Analogy to Metaphor: Free Space as a Lingua Franca 5 The Green Line as everyone’s Space: The Potential of the Radical Project 6 Conclusions References Stapling Strategies Around the Green Line in Nicosia’s Old Town 1 Introduction 1.1 Conceptual Framework 2 Issues, Topics and Proposed Strategies 2.1 Challenges and Opportunities 2.2 Stapling Strategies 3 Towards a Common Ground References Tackling Residuality through Nicosia’s Market Heritage 1 Introduction 2 Nicosia as a Market City 2.1 Markets as Spaces of Exchange, Interaction, Inclusion, and Heritage 2.2 The Market City over History: From Centrality to Residuality 2.3 Exploring Residual Spaces within Nicosia’s Marketspace 3 Towards De-Residualization: A Project Proposal 3.1 Project Goals 3.2 Activating Residual Buildings 3.3 Activating Residual Spaces 3.4 Reconnecting Nicosia’s Old Marketspaces 4 Concluding Remarks References Civic Water. Bridging Culture, Nature and People 1 Introduction 2 Thematic Background Study of Cyprus 2.1 The Issue of Water Scarcity, and the Option of Stormwater Collection 2.2 Water Management in Cyprus 3 Thematic Background Study: Water Heritage of Nicosia 3.1 History of Riverbed and Water Management in Nicosia 3.2 Current Water Management 3.3 Role of Water Heritage 3.4 Mapping of Water Heritage in Nicosia 3.5 Brief Socio-Cultural Overview 3.6 Community Involvement as a Driving Factor 4 Civic Water: Re-Connecting Nicosia’s Water Heritage and Cycle 4.1 Phase One (Short-Term)—the ‘Land Vessel’ Pilot Project: Treasure Hunting and Water Heritage Discovery 4.2 Phase Two (Mid-Term)—‘Drinking in the Rain’: Water Policies, and Reactivation of Water Heritage 4.3 Phase Three (Long-Term)—‘Forecast Says Refill Included’: Small Water Cycles for a Self-Sustained Water Heritage 5 Concluding Remarks References Venetian Walls of Nicosia. A Palimpsest for a Common Future 1 Introduction 1.1 Approach and Methodology 2 Historical Survey of the Venetian Walls 2.1 The Venetian Walls Over Time 2.2 Meanings and Values Assigned to the Walls Over Time 2.3 The Venetian Walls as a Landscaping Agent 3 The Role and Meaning of the Venetian Walls for Nicosia and Its Urban Structure 3.1 Preservation Initiatives for the Walls 3.2 An On-Site Overview 4 Nicosia and Its Future Through the Venetian Walls 4.1 Defining the Vision for the Walled City 4.2 Problem-Setting: De-Population and Deterioration of the Built Environment in the Old Town 4.3 Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for Urban Regeneration 4.4 Proposed Strategies and Scenarios 5 Conclusive Remarks References