ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the political and policy circumstances that led to the construction of the first ‘peace wall’ in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It outlines the escalation of political tensions in the key timeframe between 1969 and 1971, resulting in the policy response in the form of the (then) secret Taylor Report (1971) which aimed to address problems arising in areas of confrontation in the city. Responding to the thematic section of Security and Borders in this Handbook, I highlight how an overly narrow focus on security issues framing this policy document ultimately led to further separation and polarization of communities in Belfast, concretizing border conditions that had previously been fluid and amorphous. The latter part of the chapter looks at the implications of these policy decisions in relation to the contemporary urban fabric of Belfast, with walls that communicate through their opacity, scale and material condition. Massive in scale, they generate ‘shadow spaces’ and voids marked by dereliction and abandonment. The walls act as magnets for clashes and riots in times of unrest, most recently in 2021, against the Northern Ireland Protocol of the UK Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
