(Digital) Urbicide: Spatializing The Digital Absence of Urbanity

Abstract

The topic of this thesis revolves around the asymmetry of information and data accessibility to mapping programs such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and OpenStreetMap in the context of the Israeli occupation of Nablus in the West Bank, asking questions about the use (or limiting) of the “digital,” to conduct urbicide, easy deployment of restrictions, and the general relationship between power, digital, and urbicide. Researchers have discussed the missing information on OpenStreetMap (Bittner 2017), while other research practitioners have revealed hidden evidence of destruction (Weizman 2017). BTselem and Forensic Architecture have collaborated to address this issue. The goals of this thesis are to shed light on the power differential between the Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank and to examine how a reality, to some, could be distorted on the digital, creating a digital smokescreen that conceals evidence and violence. I utilize four methods to answer my research questions. Starting with spatializing the archive of B’Tselem, I follow how Abujidi (Abujidi 2014) documented the checkpoints by transforming texts and raw data into maps. I follow the work of Bosselmann and Abujidi in mapping Palestinian and Israeli built-up areas in Nablus, West Bank. I follow the work of Weizman in intersecting different layers of restrictions to reveal the hidden evidence of deployment violence. I generate a topography section for the areas of study to disclose more information about hidden evidence of violence. One of the main findings in this thesis is the concept of “Digital Urbicide,” the deliberate erasure and manipulation of digital information to shape a distorted reality, emphasizing its crucial role in contributing to power differentials, spatial injustices, and normalizing occupation. The thesis contributes to understanding the impact of power differentials, information asymmetry, and digital manipulation on vulnerable populations.