ABSTRACT
This chapter1 describes the principles and practices of defensive architecture in post-conflict Belfast and, especially, the effect that reducing the permeability of building facades has had on the pedestrian experience within adjacent public spaces. Inscribed by fear of violence after a series of bombings during the Troubles, the ground-level street-facing facades of buildings for several decades deliberately sought to disengage from the public realm. Recently, some designs have reversed this trend through more engaging facades, but behavioural patterns have yet to escape the inherited sense of fear based on political conflict. Nevertheless, they provide evidence that architects have sought to re-envision Belfast’s public spaces as venues for ordinary pluralist interaction in a busy, well populated, and socially active city. Through a comparative analysis of four public spaces in the city centre, based on socio-spatial surveys and behavioural mapping, we seek here to outline a possible set of principles to re-establish a positive relationship among building facades, pedestrian accessibility, and public space.
