Infrastructure

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.

Field Watch

The need for policies to protect heritage buildings: Buildings threatened with collapse in Basta

Following the evacuation of the inhabitants, two listed buildings are threatened with demolition, apparently as a result of deliberate negligence by the owners, as well as Israeli raids during the last war. This issue is not merely the destruction of unsafe buildings, but a clear example of the complexities of the issue of neglected heritage buildings and the institutional failures in its management. It also opens the door to fundamental questions about how to reconcile the preservation of public safety with the preservation of historical legacy, and how to protect the most vulnerable groups who inhabit these buildings, in the face of owners’ expectations for material gain.

Dossier

Master-Planning in Lebanon: Manufacturing Landscapes of Inequality

How is urban planning practiced in Lebanon? What is the motive behind issuing master plans? And in what way do these plans violate fundamental rights? We tried during the years 2017 and 2018 …

Article Report

Building Permit Guide: Types of Permits, Processes, and Distribution of Responsibilities in the Case of Building Collapses

The Building Law in its initial articles defines the types of works that require a building permit, specifying that construction works (involving concrete works) need a permit. In this guide, we will examine …

Policy Watch

The fate of Beirut’s port between the World Bank and the French company

After the Port of Beirut explosion, international bodies, including the World Bank, EU, and UN, assessed the damage and proposed the 3RF framework to guide the reconstruction efforts. Since October 2021, the World …

From Dossier Research-Based Article

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 …

From Dossier Report

The Primary Causes Behind the Increasing number of Collapsed Buildings in Lebanon

In 2023, seismic activity raised concerns about building collapses in Lebanon, initially overlooked until a series of incidents occurred across different regions. These events are part of a broader context where Lebanon faces …

Law Commentary

The 2024 budget:

Rewarding property owners and speculators

This article discusses the 2024 budget in Lebanon, emphasizing the lack of substantial changes to rebuild the collapsing economy. The budget focuses on providing legal cover for state expenses without addressing existing policies, …

Field Watch

Another collapse in Mansourieh, and the state deals with it as an individual case

As torrents swept through diverse Lebanese regions, residents of one of the Nada 3 complex buildings are living under the threat of falling rocks. The residents had to evacuate, sometimes sleeping in cars, …

Field Watch

Sawfar – Beirut Line

In this field watch, Lebanese artist and activist Khaled Fayad reflects on his personal experience with the challenges of transportation in the town of Sawfar. Fayad, who has a fear of driving, has …

Law Commentary

Lebanon Roads and Employment Project: Tinkering with the Roads, as a Way to Tinker with the Economy

A draft law related to consent on a loan agreement to be signed with the European Investment Bank worth 151 million Euros to contribute to the financing of the "Roads and Employment Project in Lebanon"

Referred by the Lebanese government and approved by parliament in the parliamentary session held on Thursday, December 14th, 2023.

Law Commentary

Public Transportation: The State Borrows Money without Implementing

Issued in the Official Gazette on 9/7/2019.