Research-Based Articles

Tripoli, a “Heritage City” At The Expense of Its Residents

In this article, we delve into the battle of restoring and rehabilitating historical buildings in the cities of Tripoli and Mina (North Lebanon), focusing on “Taht Al-Sibat” neighborhood, Al-Fawal building, and other examples. …

Where are the State’s Lands?

In this article, we delve into the texts of laws, decrees, and records from the Ministry of Finance. Our aim is to shed light on the nature of public property, its geographical distribution, and its social significance.

Residents Facing Land Consolidation and Parcellation Projects:

The Example of El-Tanak Neighborhood in Mina

In this article, our focus revolves around the Land Consolidation and Parcellation projects in the cities of Tripoli and Mina in North Lebanon. We examine their influence on the economic and urban identity …

About the Absence of State Housing Policies

Disconnected Laws and Temporary Procedures

In light of the severe housing crisis in Lebanon, in this article we are interested in monitoring the state’s measures in the housing sector and their compatibility with the requirements of society in …

Baalbek: Construction as a Material for Partisan Clientelism

After an introduction to the urban social context of the city, we will focus in this text on construction permits. The latters are read as a tool used to violate social norms in …

Baalbek: A Long History of Exclusion, for the City and its People

In this text, we present an overview of the city of Baalbek and its neighborhoods, and the exclusion that resulted from specific planning tools. We read into the numerous masterplans, in their dwarfing …

Um Hassan’s New House:

The Costs of Staying in the City

Um Hassan moved to Tarik Al Jadidah in 1982, when she was an 18-year-old mother of two. She came from the south and married a relative who was living in Beirut. Em Hassan …

Removing Dwellers From Their Neighborhoods’ Reconstruction Process

The state’s recklessness has opened the way for unreliable relief operations, waste of money, time and efforts, in addition to ambiguity in the path and fate of donation funds. The ruling class is …

Comments about the law for the Protection of affected areas and the support of its reconstruction:

Encouraging Property Monopoly in the Name of Sectarianism

In its legislative session on September 30, 2020, the Parliament ratified the law for the Protection of the areas affected by the explosion in the port of Beirut and for the support of …

Protecting Renters in the Heart of Reclaiming a Liveable City

Since the Beirut port blast that occurred on the 4th of August, 2020, dozens of people have been evicted from their homes in the neighborhoods adjacent to the port. The residents left due …

Um Yumna’s Eviction

"The suburbs: a destination for the city’s most vulnerable"

At age 14, Um Yumna made her way from West Bekaa to settle in Beirut. After over 60 years of living in the city through earthquakes and war, she, along with her family, …

A Real Estate Company Uses Renovation as a Process to Evict

Lamia Al-Sahili wrote for the Housing Monitor about the residents of a building in Ras Beirut who got evicted through a form of gentrification driven by financial investment. Read the article in Arabic.