Displacement and the City: An Interview with Ayham Dalal

14 October 2020 |

Migration has always played a major part in creating a European identity, derived from a thriving pluralistic space. For centuries, the movement of people has shaped our societies and cities, and, consequently, has enriched our cultures and values. Today, Germany’s capital Berlin, which has had an Arab population since 1960, when thousands of Moroccans entered West Berlin as so-called “Gastarbeiter” (guest workers), has become the Arab capital of exile; a source of inspiration for new social movements and experimentations, driven by the Arab intellectual community. It has also become a site of multiple displacements where the older generation of migrants meet the new, triggering bottom-up placemaking and long-term sustainability within diverse neighborhoods. I had the pleasure to speak with Dr. Ayham Dalal, one of the new generation of Arabs and top emerging scholars at the department of international urbanism and design at the Technical University in Berlin, who looks at the construction of space and home in the city and beyond to create a more just and livable future. 

For the full article, please visit https://www.europenowjournal.org/2020/10/11/displacement-and-the-city-an-interview-with-ayham-dalal/