Abstract
The city of Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and it is where the cleavages between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans was the most salient, as most of the troubles happened in this city. This conflict is both about an identity issue, as historical and religious cleavages are crucial to understand it and an economic issue, as the city has been facing decay since the end of the 1960s. Belfast is a particularly great case study for urban studies, as it can show how an ethnic conflict penetrates the building of a city to change its aspect and the way it works, and how a city can influence the outcomes of the conflict. It used to have a very specific government, so it can be interesting to see how the shift of governance has already, or will, change the city.
