private property

Decree Commentary

Beirut, the Confiscated City: 

From Privatizing the Waterfront to Expelling the Displaced

This commentary examines Decree No. 5665/1994, which transferred approximately 291,800 square meters of reclaimed public maritime land in central Beirut to Solidere as part of the post-war reconstruction process. It revisits the decree in light of the ongoing governmental debate over extending the company’s mandate and the eviction of displaced families from the BIEL waterfront, questioning its impacts on public property, Beirut’s waterfront, and the right to the city.

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.

Policy Watch

The Ministry of Culture classifies buildings on the inventory list:

Preserving the urban heritage requires additional steps.

In a surprising step compared to previous years, which did not witness similar activity, the Ministry of Culture classified a number of buildings on the General Inventory of Historic Buildings. We offer an understanding of what is needed in terms of effective practical steps to preserve Lebanon’s urban spatial heritage.

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.

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.

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.

Policy Watch

Evacuation and demolition of shops in Burj al-Barajneh: a struggle between Planning and Social Marginalization

In January 2025, the Burj al-Barajneh municipality, backed by the Lebanese army and security forces, evicted and demolished informal shops, sparking resident protests. While the municipality claimed it was reclaiming public land, its move suggests an attempt to control the area’s informal economy.

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 …

Report

When the Emergency Plan Fails in Practice: A Critical Reading of Crisis Management

This report, produced after the ceasefire was announced, offers an evaluation and critique to the national emergency plan, highlighting its content flaws and execution failures based on field observations and the experiences of those impacted by the Israeli war.

Project

Mapping State-Owned Land Against Privatization

In light of the ongoing financial and economic collapse, mainstream public discourse called for the privatization of public assets, to save the state from bankruptcy, through a fund enabling banks to seize state-owned …

Publication

Mapping State-Owned Land Against Privatization

In light of the ongoing financial and economic collapse, mainstream public discourse called for the privatization of public assets, to save the state from bankruptcy, through a fund enabling banks to seize state-owned …

Dossier

Mapping State-Owned Land Against Privatization

In Lebanon, the state owns a substantial part of the territory, estimated to range between 20 and 25 per cent of the country’s total surface area. These publicly owned properties – the unbuilt ones – constitute our natural and ecological environment. They are a national asset directly linked to our ways of life and diverse livelihoods across Lebanese regions. Yet these public properties are the newest target of privatization through multiple government plans.
In this series of articles, part of an in-depth research project, we try to answer the following questions: What kind of land is owned by the Lebanese state? Where is it located? What social value does it hold? And what do we stand to lose if the state concedes this land?In this series of articles, part of an in-depth research project, we try to answer the following questions: What kind of land is owned by the Lebanese state? Where is it located? What social value does it hold? And what do we stand to lose if the state concedes this land?