Beirut Governorate

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.

From Dossier Investigation

The Beirut Central District Reconstruction Experience (Solidere)

Solidere was established after the end of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) to undertake the reconstruction of downtown Beirut, which is now known by its name. This company’s experience represents the neoliberal model of reconstruction, a model that has been subject to much criticism and questioning.
This article reviews Solidere’s experience with the aim of recalling it and rethinking the social and cultural repercussions of the neoliberal model it followed.

Field Watch

Fencing the Playground: Erasing Public Space in Zokak el Blat

The abrupt fencing of a vital informal public space in Beirut’s Zokak el Blat neighborhood: Property 483, has become a potent symbol of social and political exclusion, directly challenging the ‘right to the city’ for Beirut’s residents.

From Dossier Research-Based Article

Investigating the Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Part 2 | The Lost Social Value of the Properties of Three Sects in Greater Beirut

Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis, religious authorities have been excluded from the discussion on sharing the losses, despite being among the largest landowners and benefiting from tax breaks. In this context, it was necessary to conduct an in-depth study of religious endowment lands (waqf), highlighting their social value, placing them at the center of the wider conversation on the economic collapse, as well as shedding light on the needed regulation and taxation, and making the related data accessible as a basis for any future advocacy.

Project

Investigating Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis, religious authorities have been excluded from the discussion on sharing the losses, despite being among the largest landowners and benefiting from tax breaks. In this context, it was necessary to conduct an in-depth study of religious endowment lands (waqf), highlighting their social value, placing them at the center of the wider conversation on the economic collapse, as well as shedding light on the needed regulation and taxation, and making the related data accessible as a basis for any future advocacy.

Investigation

Who’s Beirut?

On the Necessity of a Unified Conception of the City that Goes Beyond its Municipal Borders

Over the course of more than a century, Beirut has witnessed a radical transformation and tremendous urban and population growth intertwined with major historical events. Aerial maps show this expansion, but also they raise a basic question: Who is Beirut today, with its urban complexities and interactions?

From Dossier Research-Based Article

Investigating the Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Part 1 | An Overview of the Law and the Land Registry

Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis, religious authorities have been excluded from the discussion on sharing the losses, despite being among the largest landowners and benefiting from tax breaks. In this context, it was necessary to conduct an in-depth study of religious endowment lands (waqf), highlighting their social value, placing them at the center of the wider conversation on the economic collapse, as well as shedding light on the needed regulation and taxation, and making the related data accessible as a basis for any future advocacy.

Interactive Map

Uncovering the Informal Blueprint of cities in Lebanon

Tripoli | Beirut | Saida | Tyre

The map and article is not yet translated, refer to the Arabic version here.

Dossier

Investigating the Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Amid Lebanon’s economic collapse, along with other successive crises, “ownership” is raised as a fundamental issue in shaping the system of social and economic relations, framed by the state through laws, making it …

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.

Interactive Map

Distribution of Sunni, Orthodox, and Maronite Endowment Lands (Waqf) in Mount Lebanon and Beirut

The map and article is not yet translated, refer to the Arabic version here.

Study

Squatting Vacant Buildings: A Report on the Illegality of Evictions During the War

During the Israeli war on Lebanon, the use of vacant buildings proliferated as a prominent way to access housing due to the lack of alternatives. In an attempt to understand these practices, this report documents the legal and political tools used for evictions and eviction threats in 3 case studies in Beirut, highlighting their illegitimacy. It also calls for challenging the criminalization of squatting, particularly during war, and emphasizes the role of these practices in restoring the social value of vacant buildings.