Panel II
De stad als politieke en sociale ruimte
Wie mag naar zee, privatisering en publieke ruimte in Beiroet
In Dubai, the sky is not the limit: De macht en visie achter het hoogste gebouw ter wereld
The 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca
From Arab quarter to Jewish sanctuary
This article examines how the privatisation of Beirut’s coastline since the 1990s has reduced public
access to coastal space. Using qualitative document analysis, it shows how legal exceptions, weak
enforcement, and post-war redevelopment have transformed formally public shores into spaces
governed by market logic and selective accessibility.
In this article, Lefebvre’s spatial triad is applied to the Burj Khalifa. It is not just an engineering
marvel, but also a way for the al-Maktoum family to solidify their power by reshaping the skyline of
Dubai, designed specifically for this purpose.
This article examines the Saudi state memory construction after the seizure of the Great Mosque in
Mecca in 1979, through an analysis of Al-Riyad. It argues that a media blackout and religious framing
suppressed communicative memory while depoliticising violence and thereby erasing cultural memory
all while legitimising Saudi Arabia political and religious authority within modern Saudi history.
This article examines the demolition of the Maghrebi Quarter and the construction of the Western Wall
Plaza after the Six-Day War in 1967. Through literature research and architectural analyses, it
demonstrates that this intervention had a direct impact on the Palestinian presence in the Old City and
that it fits into a broader context within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict