Construction

Policy Watch

Abolishing the Vacancy Exemption in the 2027 Draft Budget:

A First Step Towards Curbing Speculation

The 2027 Draft Budget proposes abolishing the Built Property Tax exemption for vacant apartments, which could help curb vacancy and speculation. However, given Lebanon’s high vacancy rates, a separate progressive vacancy tax is also needed to further discourage prolonged vacancy, increase the availability of housing, and address the ongoing housing crisis and displacement caused by the Israeli war.

Project

RESEARCH INNOVATION FUND – SECOND EDITION, CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS ON:

Land and Housing in the Arab Region: Dynamics, Transformations and Mobilizations

Public Works Studio, in collaboration with the Arab Land Initiative, UN-Habitat, and the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), invites researchers, practitioners, and activists to apply for the second edition of the Research Innovation Fund. The call supports research on land and housing in the Arab region through the lenses of governance, community movements and initiatives, local responses, and public policy.

Law Commentary

Behind the Scenes of Legitimizing Illegal Quarries: How the Government and Cement Companies Manipulated Urban Planning Frameworks in Koura

This commentary takes a spatial approach to dissecting the Lebanese Government’s controversial Decisions No. 16 and No. 59 (passed in April 2026), exposing them as a continuation of a decades-long trajectory of collusion between the state and the powerful cement cartel, including the two major companies operating in Koura: “Holcim” and “National Cement Company.”

Law Commentary

A Proposal to Address Building Collapses:

Filling the Legal Void Does Not Replace the State 

Building collapses in Lebanon are no longer isolated incidents, but the result of a long accumulation of neglect and the state’s retreat from its responsibilities toward public safety. The latest draft law proposed by deputy Ihab Matar seeks to establish a mechanism for addressing structurally damaged buildings by organizing roles and relying on incentives and private financing rather than developing a comprehensive public policy. Yet when rehabilitation is tied to economic feasibility and investment opportunities, the question remains: what kind of city is being shaped, and for whom is it being rebuilt or renovated?

Policy Watch

Shelter Centers in Tripoli: A Response Deepening class inequalities in the city

Until the morning of 17 April, 20 shelters were opened in Tripoli. Their uneven distribution concentrated pressure in already vulnerable neighbourhoods, particularly those with collapsed or at-risk buildings, while wealthier areas were largely excluded despite available vacant housing stock, reflecting how response practices reproduce existing spatial and class-based inequalities in the city.

Research-Based Article

Tripoli or the city that falls apart piece by piece

Buildings are falling apart in Tripoli, not haphazardly, but as a logical result to the city’s policies vis-a-vis old buildings. This article presents PW’s analysis of the underlying reasons, and proposes steps for a better and fairer management of the situation.

Policy Watch

Green light to destroy Beirut’s theater:

The Ministry of Culture removes protection under pressure from the Shoura Council and the owner's threats

The Ministry of Culture delisted lot number 243 in the Ain Mreisseh district (Beirut) from the general inventory list of historical buildings is a striking decision. This contradiction raises questions about the motives behind the decision, specifically that the lot includes Beirut Theater.
In this article, we review the details of the property and previous attempts to protect it, revealing an alarming threat on the theater and the adjacent buildings.

Study

Tripoli Under Threat: Report on the Degradation of the Built Environment and a review of Mobilizing efforts towards Housing Rights

This report investigates the systemic deterioration of buildings in Tripoli, Lebanon, tracing how historical neglect, failed state policies, and the lived experiences of residents converge to fuel an escalating housing crisis. It offers a grounded overview of the community’s movement, organizational efforts, and resilience in the face of the destruction of their housing rights.

Law Commentary

The Exemptions and Reconstruction Law: Not an Alternative to a Comprehensive National Plan

More than seven months after the ceasefire in Lebanon, on June 30, 2025, the Parliament passed the first law related to reconstruction in response to the Israeli war on Lebanon. Ultimately, the law is a limited step forward, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive national recovery plan for reconstruction.

Law Commentary

Periodic Renewal of New Occupancy Permits: Overlooking the Deterioration of the Existing Urban Fabric

The draft law to set the newly issued occupancy permit duration at ten years—renewable every five years to ensure the structural integrity of buildings and maintain public safety—while seemingly well-intentioned, overlooks the immediate danger posed by thousands of aging and structurally unsound structures and the effects of urban decay, and offers a narrow and insufficient response to Lebanon’s broader urban crisis.

Field Watch

Tripoli’s Municipality Demands Media Publicity in Exchange of Protecting Residents Lives

In Tripoli’s Qobbeh neighborhood, a dangerously deteriorating residential building housing 21 families faces the risk of collapse. Despite urgent warnings, the municipality has failed to intervene, stating that action will only be taken if the case becomes a matter of public concern and. gains public and media attention.

Policy Watch

 The Reconstruction Process Between the Law, Ownership status, and people’s Return 

Four months after the ceasefire, Internal Security Forces halted reconstruction in several border villages due to permit requirements, raising concerns about the future of destroyed homes—whether licensed, unlicensed, or built on public property. Given the political significance of reconstruction in these areas, the state must facilitate and organize the reconstruction process in a way that protects people’s right to housing, meets their needs, and respects the urban identity of the regions, within the framework of resisting occupation.