Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
4. International Thales Congress on Life, Engineering, Architecture and Mathematics, Cairo, Mısır, 20 - 22 Temmuz 2025, cilt.4, ss.142-154, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
Following a war, cities and their residents face the complex challenge of reconstruction— not only of buildings, infrastructure, and public spaces, but also of lives, identities, and relationships to place. The destruction and subsequent displacement often sever emotional and social ties to familiar neighborhoods, creating lasting wounds in the collective memory of communities. In Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, the launch of a post-war reconstruction project in the historical center—a district that had been abandoned and left in ruins for several years— has reignited concerns and fears among its original residents. These individuals, who experienced prolonged displacement, maintain deep emotional attachments to their former homes and streets, seeing them as essential anchors of identity and belonging. This paper focuses on the urban memories and place attachments of Libyans from Benghazi, as explored through oral history interviews with residents who lived in the historic center before the conflict. By narrating their stories, memories, and emotions, the study highlights how personal and collective recollections serve as powerful tools for understanding what is at stake in the reconstruction process. These narratives offer critical insights into residents' enduring attachments, the significance of specific sites, and the symbolic meaning embedded in the urban fabric of the historical center. The stories reveal how memories of the district shape not only perceptions of the past but also hopes and aspirations for the future, informing residents' visions of what reconstruction should preserve, restore, or transform. Ultimately, the paper argues that acknowledging and integrating these local narratives into planning and reconstruction processes is essential for fostering social cohesion, cultural continuity,
and sustainable urban recovery. By centering community voices and their
memories, the research contributes to a form of urban resistance against erasure and homogenization, proposing an approach to post-war reconstruction that honors lived experiences and reclaims the right to the city for its original inhabitants.