Articles

To Put Agriculture Against Tourism:

The Case of the Zahrani Coast

I remember well the weekly trips south that I took with my family when I was younger. I would sit in the back seat on the right and look out, observing the road …

Land belongs to those who cultivate it:

The rights holders of in Shabriha

How does urban planning deal with informal areas? This question is a pressing issue for the future of Tyre and Abbassiyeh areas, where camps and informal gatherings constitute an essential component of the …

The Lebanese Forces’ Draft Law Targeting Refugees and Migrants:

Banning Rental as a New Tool in the Incitement Campaign

Amidst the escalating campaign by the state against Syrian refugees, Deputy Melhem Riachi proposed on May 23, 2024, a draft law to prohibit landlords from renting to any non-Lebanese citizen who illegally entered …

The eviction of 1000+ residents from Al Waha Compound in Deddeh: On the tragedy of the housing of Syrians in Lebanon

Between May 19 and 20, 2024, news spread about the eviction of Al Waha Compound in Deddeh (Koura District, North Lebanon), which had been home to around 2,000 Syrian refugees for years. In …

Interview with Engineer Rabih Taksh

Member of Nabatieh El Tahta Municipality for 28 Years and Director of "Jihad al-Bina" in South Lebanon after the 2006 War

The interview with Engineer Rabih Taksh was conducted by Public Works Studio as part of the project “Planning in Lebanon: Manufacturing Landscapes of Inequality” (2017-2018). It explores the transformation of land use in …

Interview with Engineer Mohammad Fawwaz

Ex-director of the General Directorate of Urban Planning (1973-1993)

The interview with Engineer Mohammad Fawwaz was conducted by Public Works Studio as part of the project “Planning in Lebanon: Manufacturing Landscapes of Inequality” (2017-2018). It explores the history of urban planning practice …

Spatial genocide as an imposition of the “land without a people” narrative

Today, Israel is succeeding in annihilating and displacing Gaza and its people, but small moments and spaces of daily popular resistance are growing and multiplying, starting from children’s play areas, to collective cooking, …

Bourj Hammoud: media incitement, the municipality’s statement, and residents’ testimonies

Around two months ago, a video went viral showing a group of Lebanese men on motorcycles announcing a “warning deadline” to Syrians to vacate Bourj Hammoud via loudspeakers, causing widespread concern on social …

The Government’s Collusion with the Violating Cement Companies:

Towards Further Depletion of Natural Resources

In its latest decision No. 36 issued on May 28, 2024, the government granted cement companies an “exceptional” one-year extension to continue extracting raw materials from their quarries. This decision, which came at …

Informal neighborhoods: This is where the just city begins

Part 2: Local and International approaches

In the first part of this article, we presented an overview of the emergence and growth of informal settlements in Lebanon and countries of the Global South, and we addressed the ongoing debates …

Informal neighborhoods: This is where the just city begins

Part 1: Discussions and Origins

Informal settlements in Lebanon, a complex and long-standing phenomenon, are the result of multiple factors. These include influxes of refugees, rural-to-urban migration, the scars of civil war and ongoing conflicts, and the adoption …

The Construction Sector in Lebanon: How Neoliberal Urbanization Destroys the Environment

Lebanon faces a multitude of environmental threats, primarily driven by a neoliberal approach to urbanization. This approach prioritizes short-term private economic gains in the construction industry and associated businesses, including a dominant cement …