A graph-based modelling approach for the representation and analysis of urban conflicts

Abstract

The many human interactions within cities inevitably generate relations between different places, civic and political organisations, authorities, and eventually conflictual events. Among all conflicts occurring in urban environments, if some are isolated events, many are connected by strong dependencies that generate networks in space and time. The research presented in this paper introduces a graph-based approach whose objective is to track the intertwined relations and dependencies that are associated with registered conflicts. The approach is experimented with and implemented using a combination of a graph-based database and visual graphics that together provide a series of data query capabilities and analysis specifically adapted to the context of our study. An experimental application to a series of conflicts reported in local media from 1985 to 2007 in the urban area of Montréal in Canada is presented and discussed.