Military Urbanism

Urbanization: Global and Historical Perspectives

Course Overview

  • Course Title: URBS 230

  • Focus Area: Military Urbanism

Definition of Military Urbanism

  • Military Urbanism:

    • Refers to the incorporation of military strategies and concepts—such as tracking, identification, and targeting—into urban life.

    • Affects both cities in Western nations and in (neo)colonial frontiers (Graham, 2011, p. XI).

Key Features of Military Urbanism (Graham, 2011)

1. New Military Doctrine

  • Concept: Shift from state-to-state combat to tackling global insurgencies.

    • Insurgencies operate across various networks: social, technical, political, cultural, and financial.

    • Specifically impacts both global and transnational scales.

  • Examples:

    • ‘War on drugs’

    • ‘War on terror’

    • ‘Cyber-terrorism’ (Graham, 2016, p.138)

2. Synergy between Security Forces

  • Dynamics: Collaboration between foreign military and domestic security forces.

  • Observations:

    • Global South seen as experimental sites for militarization methods to be applied back in the Global North.

    • Creates a return to colonial methods of control.

3. Political Economy of Military Urbanism

  • Overview: Emergence of the security/military-industry complex as a central feature of 21st-century capitalism.

  • Statistics:

    • Expected global security market size: USD 225.21 billion by 2030 (Grandviewresearch.com).

    • Largest security company (G4S, UK): Generated USD 9.76 billion in 2019.

    • CACI Inc. (US-based): Nearly USD 6 billion in revenue, including USD 3 billion in federal contracts.

4. Urban Infrastructure as a Target

  • Vulnerable Areas:

    • Key targets of military-focused attacks include:

    • Electricity lines

    • Shipping routes

    • Mobile communication systems

    • Pipelines

    • Train systems

  • Devices utilized in attacks: mobile phones, airlines, cars, communication grids.

5. Impact on Urban and Popular Culture

  • Cultural Aspects:

    • Visual culture plays a role in legitimizing urban militarization.

    • Examples:

    • CCTV in shopping centers revamping clientele security to anti-terrorism.

    • GPS technology originally developed for military use.

    • Presence of warfare themes in video games.

Biometric Surveillance and the Body as Border

  • Concept: Utilization of biometric data (fingerprints, facial recognition, iris scans, DNA) to identify individuals.

  • Critique: Predominantly trained on white, able-bodied male data sets, leading to bias and misrecognition of women, people of color, and disabled individuals (Gates, 2011; Browne, 2015; Mattern, 2018).

Migrant Detention Centers and Racialization

  • Context: Canada as an example of immigration detention issues with no legal limits on duration.

  • Data Representation: Graphs showcasing the origins and detention duration of immigrant detainees within Canada, highlighting racialization in detention practices (Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International).

Hardening of Borders

  • Examples:

    • Construction of new borders leading to urban isolation (banlieues in France).

    • Establishment of ‘migration detention centers’ and offshore refugee facilities.

  • Definition of a Border:

    • Not merely geographical; entails systems of institutions and legal agreements that differentiate within and outside nation-state boundaries (Graham 2011; Walia, 2021).

The Boomerang Effect (Foucault)

  • Definition:

    • Refers to the strategy of applying colonial modes of militarization in Western contexts (Foucault, 1975-6, p. 103).

  • Example: Domestic implementations that resemble external colonial practices.

Military Urbanism's Impact on Urban Planning in Gaza

Current Context (Post-October 2023)

  • Devastation Levels:

    • 80% of buildings destroyed

    • All hospitals damaged/destroyed

    • 95% of universities/schools impacted; all 12 universities destroyed

    • 99% of the population forcibly displaced (1.9 million remaining displaced).

Historical Implications

  • Militarized Planning:

    • Post-1947: Militants intertwined with construction of settlements (‘new towns’).

    • Post-1967 occupation: Land confiscation, demolitions, and checkpoints became normative.

    • Siege of 2007: Comprehensive blockade (land, air, sea) leading to significant humanitarian crises (food, medicine shortages).

The American Context: Cop City and the GILEE Program

  • GILEE Introduction:

    • Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE): focuses on home security enhancements via international cooperation.

  • Controversial Links: Connections to Israel's Defense Forces; face challenges during protests (e.g., George Floyd's protests).

    • Stop Cop City movement protests against leasing land to police in Atlanta.

Implications of the GILEE Program

  • Criticism: Links between GILEE and heightened racialized policing in urban spaces; perpetuation of violence against marginalized communities.

The Concept of Moral Panic

  • Definition: A public outcry often exaggerated concerning societal behavior and morality (S. Cohen, 1972).

  • Historical Example: The moral panic surrounding mugging in the 1970s in the UK, leading to intensified racism and punitive actions against Black communities due to fiscal crises and unemployment.

Resistance to Military Urbanism

  • Forensic Architecture:

    • Established in 2010 to investigate human rights abuses using advanced analytical and digital tools.

    • Partnerships with activists, NGOs, media, and legal teams.

  • Key Developments: British Columbia became the first province to terminate immigration detention arrangements with the CBSA in response to grassroots activism.

Closing Observations

  • The ongoing relationship between militarization and urban life highlights pressing issues of surveillance, detention, and social justice. Emphasizing the critical need for understanding these dynamics fosters robust discussions on resistance and societal change.