Intraurban development in a city under protracted armed conflict: Patterns and actors in Goma, DR Congo

Abstract

Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the urban heart of a region that has been characterized by protracted violent conflict since the early 1990s. While several studies on Goma focus on sociodemographic and political processes or on areal development, our study unravels the effects of protracted armed conflict and gradual state withdrawal on Goma's urban development at a microlevel. The observation period of our analysis is 2005–2014, the time of several armed rebellions in the Kivu region or the so-called violent peace. Building on a mixed-methods approach, patterns and anomalies of urban development derived from very high resolution satellite images are combined with data gathered on the ground. The study starts from a city-scale analysis of urban expansion and densification trends earth-observation data and then uses earth-observation data-guided site selection for a detailed analysis, followed up by in-depth field research. We identify four major urbanization patterns in Goma's spatial development: forced displacement, humanitarian interventions, militarization, and church-based social action. These patterns are driven by four key urban players, which have been shaping Goma's cityscape throughout more than two decades of violent conflict. The insights generated here facilitate a better understanding of the complex intertwinement of spatial and political dynamics in a city located in a setting of violent conflict.