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OIS 3 (2015) - Divercities: Competing Narratives and Urban Practices in Beirut, Cairo and Tehran, edited by Nadia von Maltzahn and Monique BellanRapid urbanization, demographic change, antagonistic political and economic interests and the diversity of cultural patterns have impacted and continue to impact the make-up of local neighbourhoods and the use of public space in urban centres. A wider range of actors lay claim to particular aspects of their cities, whether through preconceived agendas or spontaneous and often subconscious actions. Coming out of our multi-disciplinary three day event held in Beirut in December 2014 and jointly organized with the Goethe-Institut Lebanon, Divercities: Competing Narratives and Urban Practices in Beirut, Cairo and Tehran explores some of the claims, agencies and urban practices that make up the everyday lived spaces in the three cities under study. Urban governance is analyzed through a range of case studies that highlight different narratives of space, including those expressed through urban activism; strolling and mobility; parks and prostitution; music in daily life; museum, heritage and memory; and territory and everyday practices. This third volume of the Orient-Institut Beirut's open access online series Orient-Institut Studies is edited by OIB researchers Nadia von Maltzahn and Monique Bellan.