- Peace lines
The Peace Lines are a series of
separation barrier s ranging in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles (5 km), separatingCatholic andProtestant neighbourhoods inBelfast ,Derry and elsewhere inNorthern Ireland . The stated purpose of the barriers is to minimize intercommunal sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics.The barriers themselves consist of iron, brick, and steel walls up to convert|25|ft|m high, topped with metal netting, or simply a white line painted on the ground similar to a road marking. Some have gates in them occasionally manned by police, which allow passage by day, and which are closed at night.
The first barriers were constructed in the early 1970s, following the outbreak of "
The Troubles ". Originally few in number, they have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to 40 today; in total they stretch over convert|13|mi|km. Most are located inBelfast .In recent years they have become locations for tourism.
Black Taxi s now take groups of tourists around Belfast's Peace Lines, trouble spots and famous murals.The most prominent barriers in the past few years separates the mainly Catholic
Short Strand and the mainly ProtestantCluan Place areas ofEast Belfast , and also the predominantly nationalist Falls Road and unionistShankill Road areas inWest Belfast .In 2008 a public discussion began about how and when the barriers could be removed. [A Process for Removing Interface Barriers, Tony Macaulay, July 2008]
See also
*
Interface area
*Separation barrier
*Segregation in Northern Ireland External links
* [http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Ethnic%20Diversity/Ethnic_PeaceLines.html Peace Lines]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,627494,00.html Guardian - Peace Lines in Belfast increase segregation]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-05-03-1826820552_x.htm Associated Press - Despite peace, Belfast walls are growing in size and number]
* [http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Assets/Photo_albums/Eleven/pages/Ethnic_Interface.html Ethnic Interface in North Belfast]
* [http://www.mspacenyc.com/belfast.home.html Belfast's Peacelines: An Analysis of Urban Borders, Design and Social Space in a Divided City]
* [http://www.macaulayassociates.co.uk/pdfs/peace_wall.pdf A Process for Removing Interface Barriers]
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