A PLACEMAKING IN POST-CONFLICT CONTEXTS: A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO REBUILDING SOCIAL COHISION IN Al-QAWARISHAH, BENGHAZI

Post-conflict urban environments face critical challenges in rebuilding social cohesion, particularly in rapidly growing informal neighborhoods where the lack and poor quality of public spaces undermine everyday social interaction and collective life.Although placemaking has gained attention as a strategy to enhance social cohesion, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of participatory placemaking in post-conflict and informal urban contexts remains limited.This study investigates participatory placemaking as an effective tool for rebuilding social cohesion in a post-conflict urban setting.Employing a qualitative and exploratory research design, the study integrates an extensive literature review with an in-depth neighborhood-scale case study.Data were collected through open-ended surveys, participatory mapping, and on-site observations and analyzed using thematic analysis.The findings demonstrate that participatory placemaking strengthens social cohesion by fostering social interaction, enhancing place attachment, and reinforcing collective identity, while the participatory process itself contributes to rebuilding trust and a sense of ownership among residents.The study offers contextspecific insights and practical recommendations for planners, designers, and policymakers, highlighting participatory placemaking as a socially sustainable approach to improving public space quality and supporting post-conflict urban recovery.