Reparative Urbanism and Spatial Justice: Countering Urbicide in Occupied Palestine

In a militarized context, the repercussions of urban warfare extend beyond military strategies, generating complex socio-spatial inequalities. In occupied Palestine, pervasive insecurities affect everyday life, sparking a need for reparative planning shaped by socio-spatial bonds and a deep sense of place. Against the backdrop of Israeli colonial strategies, Palestinians’ attachment to home becomes intertwined with their steadfast resistance, or sumoud. This chapter explores the potential of reparative urbanism to counteract urbicide—the deliberate destruction of urban environments—and advance urban justice. It investigates how military assaults and colonization disrupt homes and urban spaces, undermining social cohesion and community resilience. By analyzing aspects of urbicide, politicide, and displacement, the chapter highlights the coping mechanisms and adaptive practices employed by communities to endure and rebuild amid ongoing assaults. Through an ethnographic approach that integrates urban studies and community-led initiatives, the chapter demonstrates how reparative planning can reconstruct destroyed spaces while honoring the lived experiences of Palestinians. Ultimately, the findings aim to inform policies and interventions that foster solidarity and healing, prioritize local voices and needs in resisting colonization, and lay the foundation for a just and equitable urban future in Palestine.