Crossing the new frontier: peace mediation in the city
In his essay, Dr Achim Wennmann sees rapid urbanisation and the intensity of urban conflicts as signs that cities will be the new frontier for peace mediation. He argues that mayors, community leaders, clergy, and the multitude of perpetrators of violence need an expanded tool-box to deal with conflict and violence. He calls for a shift away from law-and-order responses towards a political approach that integrates expertise from a variety of urban actors. To strengthen this effort, peace mediators and urban actors should form networks, share data, and seek innovative and holistic strategies to deal with urban conflict and violence.