Natural Resources

Research-Based Article

Where is the sea in Dbayeh? I can’t see it.

In this article, published for the first time as part of Public Works Studio’s “Planning in Lebanon: Manufacturing Landscapes of Inequality” project (2017-2018), we delve into the history of land reclamation and privatization …

Research-Based Article

To Put Agriculture Against Tourism:

The Case of the Zahrani Coast

I remember well the weekly trips south that I took with my family when I was younger. I would sit in the back seat on the right and look out, observing the road …

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 …

Policy Watch

In KfarAbida: Raghida Dergham takes over public property through the policies of the higher Council of Urban Planning

Last Sunday, June 9, 2024, residents and activists in the town of KfarAbida gathered in front of the villa of journalist Raghida Dergham, to denounce the building violations she is committing, and to …

Article Policy Watch

The Government’s Collusion with the Violating Cement Companies:

Towards Further Depletion of Natural Resources

In its latest decision No. 36 issued on May 28, 2024, the government granted cement companies an “exceptional” one-year extension to continue extracting raw materials from their quarries. This decision, which came at …

From Dossier Research-Based Article

The Construction Sector in Lebanon: How Neoliberal Urbanization Destroys the Environment

Lebanon faces a multitude of environmental threats, primarily driven by a neoliberal approach to urbanization. This approach prioritizes short-term private economic gains in the construction industry and associated businesses, including a dominant cement …

From Dossier Research-Based Article

Climate Change and Housing:

Marginalized Neighborhoods Are The Most Affected

The adverse impacts of climate change have significantly increased the vulnerability of urban poverty, particularly among those residing in informal areas. This susceptibility is worsened by their restricted access to adequate housing, essential …

From Dossier Research-Based Article

What Discussion on Climate Justice Under Occupation?

The Destruction of the Palestinian Environment

For over 75 years, since the occupation of Palestine began, the Israeli apartheid regime has systematically engaged in ethnic cleansing. It has pursued a deliberate policy of settler colonialism and forced displacement of …

Dossier

How Urbanization is an issue of climate Justice

The fight against climate change often centers on shifting to renewable energy sources and reducing carbon pollution—two needed actions which cannot be worthwhile unless we reconsider the whole way in which we are …

Investigation

The Black Cloud over Kfour town:

How Urban Planning Produces an Environmental Disaster.

Twelve years ago, the suffering of the people of Kfour town began. In the town, located within Nabatieh District, factories and plants of all kinds are spread, from quarries, stone mills, asphalt plants, …

Statement

Public Works Studio hosted a seminar titled “Environmental Genocide in Palestine and Southern Lebanon”

Public Works Studio organized a seminar titled “Environmental Genocide in Palestine and Southern Lebanon,” featuring the participation of the Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin, Professor of Sociology at AUB, Sari Hanafi, and researcher …

Statement

Our Position on COP28

This statement marks the launch of the Network for Spatial and Environmental Justice (NSEJ), a newly formed network of individuals and organizations committed to exploring the intersection of urbanization, the environment, and climate …