This text highlights Lebanon’s urgent issue of severe physical degradation in its urban environment, with over 18,000 buildings at risk of collapse, particularly in Beirut and Tripoli. It attributes urban decay to a complex mix of factors: governmental policies favouring demolition in urban planning and profit-driven construction practices, compounded by the impacts of wars, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the port explosion, natural disasters, and climate change. The lack of comprehensive strategies to secure adequate housing and reliance on ad-hoc fixes exacerbate the problem, revealing systemic failures in governance and urban planning. In summary, the collapse of buildings in Lebanon cannot be perceived as a number of isolated incidents but a reflection of long-standing policy failures. This reality underscores the precarious urban living conditions facing Lebanon today.
Public Safety Decree: No Guarantee for People’s Safety, and No End to the Deterioration of the Urban Environment
Decree No. 14293 relating to “Requirements for General Safety in Buildings, Facilities and Elevator Equipment, and Fire and Earthquake Prevention”.
It was amended by Decree No. 7964, which is currently in force and issued on April 7, 2012.