Natural Resources

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 …

From Dossier Investigation

The Scene from the South:

Abandoned Towns and Bumbling Municipalities

Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on Palestine and Lebanon on October 7, 2023, the southern Lebanese towns have witnessed high levels of displacement due to fear of Israeli shelling that targeted …

Dossier

The 2023 Israeli War:

Fates of Residents and Confrontation Paths in Lebanon

The region is currently experiencing an extended war, from the West Bank, where people are killed, imprisoned, and their homes occupied, to Gaza, facing various forms of destruction—humanitarian, environmental, urban, psychological, etc.  Lebanon, …

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 …

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” …

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 …

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 …

Law Commentary

From Dalieh in 1995 Until Today: A New Extension of the Hotel Exemption Law

Proposing a law aiming at “Extending the application of Law No. 264 (extending the work of the law related to exempting hotels from some provisions of the Building Law).”

The law proposal was submitted on 20/3/2023, and has not yet been referred to parliamentary committees.

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Distribution of Private State Property in Tyre City, Borj Ech-Chemali and Aabbassiye

Amiri public lands constitute 62 per cent of Tyre’s area, while state-owned lands of all types amount to 70–75 per cent of the city. The current uses of these lands are diverse, but …

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Count of Public State Property Reclassification Decrees (per district and timeframe)

The state’s “public” property — legally known as “reserved protected land” includes any property meant to be used in the public interest, such as riverbeds, riverbanks, sea shores, waterfalls, lakes, irrigation canals, roads, …