Dossier

Mapping State-Owned Land Against Privatization

Where are the State’s Lands?

Housing-Designated Lands: The State Had Housing Projects

The Reclassification of Public State Property, a Tool to Fulfill the Desires of the Powerful

Research-Based Article

Amiri “Çiftlik” Lands in Tyre:

Social Value Under Threat

The aim of this article is to address recurring questions that arise whenever the topic of Amiri lands is discussed: What is the right known as the “usufruct right”? How is it obtained? How is it transferred? And how can we ensure justice in accessing these lands within the context of Lebanese clientelism/patronage?
Statement

The Governor of Beirut Force Evicts and Displaces Residents During His Show Off Inspection Tour

On May 19, 2023, during an inspection tour of several neighbourhoods in the city of Beirut, the governor, Judge Marwan Abboud, issued a sudden and immediate decision, without prior warning, to forcibly evict a residential building located in the Barbir neighbourhood.

Statement

Public Gardens in Beirut:

A Right the State Deprives People From
Narrative

The Residents of “Hind” Building Face Mass Eviction
Statement

The Eviction of Syrian Refugees: 

A Violation of the Right to the City, Housing, Movement and to choosing the Place of Residence

Investigation

A Month After the Collapse of the Mansourieh Building

Engineering, a Profession Hijacked by the Market

In this article, we investigate the case of the collapsed building in the Yazbek-Hamoush residential complex in Mansourieh (16 October 2023), in an effort to raise necessary questions about the causes of the …

Field Watch

MP Tony Frangieh and Saydat al-Najat Monastery are Partners in an Environmental Massacre

Uprooting 3500 Olive Trees in Bsarma to Establish an Industrial City

Lands owned by the Saydat al-Najat Maronite monastery in Bsarma (North Lebanon) are hosting an environmental massacre. News of the uprooting of 3500 olive trees on an area of 160,000 square meters has …

Field Watch

The Eviction of 300+ Syrian Residents from the Agha Building in Ras El-Nabeh

Last September, 300 Syrian residents, many of whom were children, faced forced eviction from the Agha Building in Ras El-Nabeh in Beirut due to complaints about their involvement in littering and the deterioration …

Policy Watch

Proliferation of Water Wells at the Expense of Groundwater Resources

A joint commentary between Public Works and SEAC - the Agricultural movement in Lebanon

MP Ahmad Al-Kheir proposed a draft law in September 2023 aiming to extend the submission of applications for the regularization of unlicensed private water wells. The proposal is based on the “Water Law” …

Petition

Save Kojak-Jaber Building in Ramlet Al-Bayda, Where the Thinker Hussein Mroueh Resided:

An Open letter to the Ministry of Culture and Beirut Municipality

The Kojak-Jaber building, a symbol of modern architecture in Ramlet Al-Bayda, and home to one of the region’s most prominent philosophers and thinkers, is facing the threat of demolition. Since it is our …

Field Watch

The Decisions of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities:

Controlling the Refugees’ Lives and Housing Situation

The Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, sent a letter to local authorities on May 2, 2023 in order to initiate a national survey campaign aimed at enumerating and registering …

Policy Watch

No to Imposing Fees or Restrictions on Access to Horsh Beirut

In 2019, the Lebanese parliament passed a law submitted by deputy Fouad Makhzoumi establishing “The Protection of Horsh Beirut”. What is this law and what are its reprecussions? This law brings us back …

Field Watch

Ramlet Al-Bayda’s Kojak-Jaber Building Faces Demolition

The Kojak-Jaber building, a symbol of modern architecture in Ramlet El Bayda, and home to one of the region’s most prominent philosophers and thinkers, is facing the threat of demolition. Designed by Victor …

Research-Based Article

The Mar Mikhael square project: who speaks for the neighborhood?

Following the ongoing debate over the Mar Mikhael Square Project, an American University of Beirut- Urban Lab initiative, we propose to open a debate around the issue, having neighborhood committees as an entry …

Policy Watch

Saving AnNaqoura: The last witness of how the Lebanese coast once was

Located in the region liberated from the Israeli occupation, private property lot number 92, had witnessed the illegal bulldozing and destruction of the neighboring marine ecosystem.  The pressure to stop works on Property …

Policy Watch

Aley Stairs: What is Not Allowed Even For the Municipality

After activists have started mobilizing against the demolition of the “Public Heritage Stairs” of Aley, we write this commentary to show how a section of these stairs fall on private property. The stairs’ …

Investigation

Understanding the Right to the City and How Authorities Violate It

This article aims to analyze laws enacted by the Lebanese authorities between 2019 and 2022 in relation to the right to the city, which encompasses the right to housing, work, and other essential …