Urbanism is inherently conflict-driven, as Eve Blau points out in an interview in this issue of MONU. According to her, because cities are places of power, representation, and contestation, processes of urbanisation involve a certain amount of violence and destruction, which is both positive and negative. Various authors and perspectives go on to explore this notion in depth. Topics range from the Syrian refugee crisis, where people reshape their places and identities while navigating the complex structures of belonging, to sprawl and emptiness as a chief tool of protection in Australian capital cities and how the youth of Kyiv are returning to life as usual the Ukrainian capital.