Overview

Disaster mapping and reconstruction from the 19th century to the present, with European case studies illustrating diverse regional and cultural approaches. Cartographies of Catastrophes is an in-depth exploration of how disasters, caused by war or natural calamity, have been documented and mapped over the past two centuries. This interdisciplinary volume brings together historians, urban planners, and architects to examine the role of maps in understanding, responding to, and rebuilding after catastrophic events. From the Greek War of Independence to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, this book offers a unique perspective on how maps shape our perception of disasters and their aftermath. With case studies spanning Europe, it provides a compelling narrative of resilience, reconstruction, and the enduring impact of catastrophe on cities and landscapes. Essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of history, cartography, and urban planning.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laura Demeter ,  Carmen M. Enss ,  Piotr Kisiel ,  Carol Ludwig
Publisher:   Leuven University Press
Imprint:   Leuven University Press
ISBN:  

9789462705074

ISBN 10:   9462705070
Pages:   300
Publication Date:   25 February 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction. Critical Approaches to Disaster Documentation and Damage Cartography , 19th-21st Century Carmen M. Enss, Piotr Kisiel, Laura Demeter Part I. Maps as Data Sources: Surveys, Strategies and Models Chapter 1. Ruins after the Greek War of Independence : The Work of the French Scientific Mission of Moreas, 1828 Eleni Gkadolou Chapter 2. Standardization of City Damage Maps in Nazi Germany, 1944 : Konstanty Gutschow’s National Mapping Guidelines and the Map Collection of the ‘Working Group for the Reconstruction of War-Damaged Cities’ Carmen M. Enss and Georg-Felix Sedlmeyer Chapter 3. Panciu (1940-1945) : A Model for the Planned Reconstruction of the Earthquake Damaged Romanian Small Towns Laura Demeter Chapter 4. Emotionalization Through Maps and Texts : Semantic Strategies for Post-Catastrophic Territories in Central Europe Elisa-Maria Hiemer PART II. Disaster Mapping and Post-War Reconstruction Planning Chapter 5. Bomb Damage, Opportunity and Rebuilding in Post-War Britain Peter J. Larkham Chapter 6. Mapping the Destruction and Reconstruction of Italian Cities in World War II : The Case of Brescia Carlotta Coccoli Chapter 7. From War Damage Mapping to Urban Design : Heritage Conservation in the Context of Reconstruction Planning in Austria during and after World War II Birgit Knauer Chapter 8. Mapping Terra Incognita: Planning Post-War Szczecin Piotr Kisiel PART III. Digital Technologies and Media: Challenges to Visualizing Catastrophes Chapter 9. The Frontline Around Madrid : Comparison Between Battle Maps and War Remnants Density Maps of the Spanish Civil War in Madrid Nicolas Marine Chapter 10. War Never Changes, But War Maps Do? Critical Examination of How Digital Cartography Represented Russia’s War in Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 Mykola Makhortykh Chapter 11. Catastrophe: What Comes After the End? Mapping in the Exhibition Space: A Cartographic Investigation Stefanie Plappert Concluding Remarks Carmen M. Enss, Laura Demeter, Piotr Kisiel Contributors Index

Reviews

This transdisciplinary collection is an important contribution to the role of cartography in responding to disaster and catastrophe. Spanning a long historical period from the early nineteenth century to the present with examples judiciously assembled from across Europe it graphically illustrates the techniques and underlying politics and polemical purposes brought into play. It is an essential source for understanding the role of maps in, for example, on the one hand nation-building or, on the other, histories of planning and reconstruction. - John Pendlebury, Newcastle University

Author Information

Laura Demeter is a researcher at the Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies at the University of Bamberg. She holds a PhD in cultural heritage management and development (2017). Her research focuses on heritage-making processes in the context of conflict and regime change, discourses of value creation, and war damage documentation. Laura Demeter is a researcher at the Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies at the University of Bamberg. She holds a PhD in cultural heritage management and development (2017). Her research focuses on heritage-making processes in the context of conflict and regime change, discourses of value creation, and war damage documentation. Carmen M. Enss is an architectural historian and specialist in urban conservation at the Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies at the University of Bamberg. She is head of the UrbanMetaMapping research network. Carmen M. Enss is an architectural historian and specialist in urban conservation at the Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies at the University of Bamberg. She is head of the UrbanMetaMapping research network. Piotr Kisiel is a historian affiliated with the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), specialising in urban history, heritage and nationalism studies. After studying law and history in Poland and Scotland, he completed his PhD in Florence. Piotr Kisiel is a historian affiliated with the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), specialising in urban history, heritage and nationalism studies. After studying law and history in Poland and Scotland, he completed his PhD in Florence. Carol Ludwig is a town planner and heritage expert in the Department of European Social Research at Saarland University.

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