No Beauty Left Behind
Rethinking Post-conflict Homs
N.J.L. van Diggelen (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
J.A.A. Woertman – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
A.C. Boerstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
Post-conflict reconstruction often prioritises speed, cost efficiency, and large-scale delivery, resulting in generic architecture and urban environments that overlook emotional experience, cultural continuity, and human wellbeing. In Syrian cities affected by conflict, the built environment plays an important role in shaping how people reconnect with their surroundings and rebuild a sense of belonging. The research investigates how architectural and urban design can support affective appraisal and a sense of belonging within post-conflict reconstruction, with a specific focus on the Syrian context.
Drawing on environmental psychology, architectural theory, healthy city principles, and post-conflict reconstruction literature, the study examines how qualities such as human scale, walkability, spatial legibility, visual complexity, materiality, and ornamentation influence emotional responses and long-term attachment to place. Through analysis of historic Syrian architecture and urbanism, the research identifies spatial and architectural characteristics that support positive affective appraisal, social interaction, and cultural continuity.
The findings are translated into a contemporary courtyard housing proposal for Homs, Syria, combining modular and scalable construction methods with climate-responsive design, walkable public space, and culturally grounded architectural expression. The project demonstrates that reconstruction can move beyond the provision of housing alone and contribute to healthier, more meaningful, and emotionally resilient urban environments. By aligning efficiency with social, cultural, and architectural quality, the research proposes a reconstruction strategy in which no beauty is left behind.