A multidimensional narrative on how conflict, far from being solely destructive, becomes a fertile ground for spatial reinvention and social reimagining. Through richly curated case studies and critical essays, the issue challenges the tendency to frame urban interventions as neutral or apolitical, arguing instead that urbanism is inherently conflictual, as Eve Blau asserts. The interplay between displacement and design is central: in Ukraine, grassroots initiatives convert war-torn structures into shelters for internally displaced people, embodying a form of architectural improvisation that resists victimhood through action. Ai Weiwei’s reflections complement this theme, insisting that the role of urban designers is not to solve conflict but to illuminate its conditions, turning visibility into resistance. Meanwhile, Greta Samulionyte’s experience in Lithuania highlights how psychological legacies of oppression—traced back to Soviet occupation—still constrain public space innovation, with institutional inertia blocking trauma-informed design efforts despite local engagement. Through these lenses, the magazine dismantles simplistic binaries between crisis and order, instead suggesting that conflict generates new spatial logics, often more adaptive, participatory, and inclusive than those produced in times of stability. It also surfaces the dangers of aestheticizing conflict without accountability, reminding readers that every temporary hut, fenced plaza, or surveillance grid reflects specific power dynamics. It makes clear that in cities shaped by war, migration, and inequality, the most meaningful responses are those that listen before building, adapt instead of imposing, and view conflict not as something to erase but to engage—with care, courage, and criticality.
