Conceptual and Practical Approaches of Early Stage Urban Reconstruction in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

The civil war that has interested Syria since 2011 has witnessed numerous different actors, state and non-state parties linked by momentary alliances in a fluid and informal political environment. The Kurds of North and East Syria, with the establishment of the Rojava autonomous region in 2014, have been among the most interesting examples of attempts to construct innovative administrative and territorial authorities. Guided by the principals of libertarian municipalism, the self-proclaimed administration has undertaken early reconstruction efforts in areas such as Kobane heavily damaged by the conflict with ISIS. The policy brief will shortly define the conceptual and practical approaches that have been laid out by the Kurd administration and investigate how the innovative organisation methods might influence urban form in the upcoming reconstruction processes.