Syria Destruction and Reconstruction

On November 1st Justice for Iran was delighted to host Syrian urban planners Sawsan Abou Zainedin and Hani Fakhani who have made extensive research on the systematic destruction as well as political reconstruction projects during the last 8 years of war in their country. Their research focuses on the way which the urban sphere has been manipulated by the Syrian regime to suppress the uprising, escalate the conflict, and further consolidate its authoritarian power in the post-conflict phase. Through their multidisciplinary research they show how destruction and reconstruction processes across the country have been appropriated as part of a systematic strategy to set the ground for a homogenised post-conflict Syria that awards regime cronies and punishes opponents. Their practice also explores justice based and inclusive reconstruction processes that may be pursued in the current context in areas outside regime control, using housing as an entry point.