Natural Resources

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.

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 …

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, …

Geographical Distribution of Amiri State Property (by District)

Amiri lands constitute the majority (52 percent) of all real estate belonging to the Lebanese state, or 31,907 different properties. The district of Baalbek alone includes more than 33% of the total Amiri …

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

ينتشر اليوم خطاب واسع ويطغى، مسوّقاً لخصخَصة الأملاك العامة كوسيلةٍ لإنقاذ الدولة من الإفلاس. هذه الأملاك هي جزء أساسي من محفظة أصول لبنان العامة…

Ground to Dust: Systems of Extraction and the Search for Spatial Justice

This exhibition at Beirut Art Center is Public Works Studio’s first institutional presentation. Rather than approach the format of the exhibition with any kind of finality, PW has created a site as unstable …

Water Occupation:

Water in the Expansionist Zionist Ideology

The hegemony of “Israel” occupies four countries: Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. We cannot look at the occupation, without seeing the obsession with securing water resources, with all the colonizing practices that this securing requires; land is worthless without water.

Urban Struggles in the Arab Region

Exchanging Experiences and Methodologies

Public Works Studio, in collaboration with Professor Heba Bou Akar from Columbia University, organized a series of online seminars focusing on experiences, frameworks, and methodologies for addressing the challenges of urban realities in …

Discussion in Kaferman’s Public Square

Regions Marginalization Under the Rentier Economy

The national vision for economic development in Lebanon has historically been closely tied to the construction and real estate sector. How has this led to the destruction of livelihoods and the impoverishment and …

Beyond Cement:

Towards an Alternative Vision for Chekka and Surrounding Towns

The towns of Chekka and Koura in North Lebanon have become prime examples of what public policies in Lebanon generate. The “Green Koura” in residents’ memories sat atop an abundance of groundwater and …

Beyond Cement

Towards an Alternative Vision for Chekka and Surrounding Towns

Download the book in Arabic Research and production: Monica Basbous, Nadine Bekdache, Tala Alaeddine, Abir SaksoukDesign: Imad KaafaraniEditing: Hashem HashemReport localisation: Sassine Kouzli Due to the presence of cement factories and quarries on …

A Dam Is Built in ‘Paradise’

The article shows how, despite warnings of earthquakes, leaks, and the destruction of an ecosystem, Lebanon is building a 300-foot-high hydroelectric project in one of the Middle East’s most biodiverse regions. Read the …