affected buildings

Research-Based Article

Informal Neighborhoods between State Approach and Israeli Destruction:

The Cases of Hayy al-Sellom and Hayy al-Miqdad 

This article examines the conflict between an official vision of Beirut as an elite city for tourism and investment and the lived city built by displaced and rural communities. It shows how informal neighborhoods in southern Beirut became essential parts of the city and expressions of the right to the city. It also explores how the Israeli destruction and restrictive reconstruction and property policies may deepen displacement and exclusion.

Research-Based Article

Cartographies of Attack: Documenting a Continuing  Israeli War on Lebanon

Mapping, beyond its function as territorial representation, can operate as a form of testimony that renders visible the spatial and temporal patterns of violence often obscured in fragmented accounts. This article uses mapping as a method of testimony based on approximately three years of monitoring Israeli attacks on Lebanon. It reads patterns of bombardment, displacement, environmental destruction, and attacks on civilian infrastructure to understand how violence operates spatially through control, exclusion, and territorial transformation.

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.

Policy Watch

The website of the Directorate General of Urban Planning: An Incomplete Step Toward Transparency

On January 31, the website of the Directorate General of Urban Planning was launched, with the aim of enhancing transparency and facilitating access to information. While this is seen as a long-awaited move toward transparency and accountability, it is considered incomplete and does not absolve the Directorate of its core responsibilities.

Statement

A Call to Protect Cultural Properties following the Israeli Aggressions on Lebanon

Following the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which killed thousands of civilians and targeted a large number of villages and towns in the southern and Bekaa regions, in addition to the southern suburbs of …

Law Commentary

 The Reconstruction Draft Law repeats the Mistakes of the past:

Reviving destroyed villages can’t happen only through buildings

After a ceasefire was implemented in Lebanon on November 27, the Lebanese government held a special session on December 7 in the southern city of Tyre and approved a draft law for rebuilding homes destroyed by Israeli attacks, as they were before. Regardless of its immediate issues in terms of content, it appears that the proposed law does not address the previous or emerging challenges we are facing and risks repeating the mistakes of past failed reconstruction experiences.

Article Interview

The Council for South Lebanon: What role does it play in the midst of the current Israeli War?

After repeated Israeli attacks on Southern Lebanon and the israeli occupation of border towns, the Council for South Lebanon was established in 1970 by a legislative decree, based on the Prime Minister’s proposal. …

Law Commentary

3 War-related Law drafts vs Recovery Needs

Despite the escalation of Israeli attacks since the beginning of 2024, the Lebanese legislative landscape has witnessed a dearth of initiatives aimed at addressing the repercussions of the aggression and supporting the affected …

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 Preventive Plan for Dealing with Any upcoming War:

When Will the State Recognize that we are in a State of War?"

Since the 7th of October 2023, Lebanon, especially its southern regions, has been relentlessly targeted by Israeli attacks. These assaults have caused widespread devastation, claiming lives, destroying homes, infrastructure, and even harming the …

Legal Memo

How Do I Secure my Rights as a Tenant When My Dwelling Is Rehabilitated by a Renovating Company or Association?