Conflict and Urban Mobility: Challenges and Responses to Free Movement in Belfast during the Troubles

Abstract

The era of the Troubles in Belfast brought both challenges to free movement and grassroots responses to such challenges. The conflict itself inspired divisions and barriers to mobility within the city, notably including the establishment of British Army checkpoints and the construction of various “peace walls” under the direction of the British Government. While the geospatial significance of the Troubles remains a popular and necessary subject of discourse within scholarship on the conflict, less attention has been given to considering its relative impact on people's daily lives. Interrogating the question of impartiality in conflict-related polices, such as the Falls Road Curfew and internment, helps contextualize disproportionate disruptions to mobility in the city. Additionally, conflict-related violence frequently impacted access to transportation, contributing to community-based initiatives to improve movement throughout the city, notably the introduction of black taxi services in the 1970s. By focusing on Belfast during the Troubles, this article considers the relationships among free movement, conflict, governments, and community-based responses to such challenges.