Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Beyond the Green Line: Sustainability and Beirut's post-war reconstruction

  • Local/Global Encounters
  • Published:
Development Aims and scope

Abstract

Gruia Bădescu looks at Beirut 20 years after the Civil War. He argues that metropolitan Beirut is once again a successful economic center for the region as a whole, but in order to complete a sustainable Beirut, the city needs to prioritize public transport infrastructure and make its public spaces more inclusive. It needs to improve its economic, environmental and social impacts as a whole. The ability of the state to control urbanization through town-planning regulations has been very limited in Lebanon. He argues that a major step would be future dialogues between policymakers, businessmen and representatives of civil society in order to build co-operation; trust and partnership between these groups are important aspects to sustaining mobility.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Description of the post-war reconstructed Central Beirut District (CBD) on the website of Solidere, the planner, developer and manager of the CBD (www.solidere.com).

  2. Interview, Nabil Rached, Public Relations and Communication Responsible, Solidere, 15 April 2009.

  3. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  4. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  5. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  6. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  7. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  8. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  9. Interview with Professor Mona Harb, Architecture and Urban Design professor at the American University of Beirut and NGO activist, 14 April 2009.

  10. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  11. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  12. Nabil Rached (Solidere), interview.

  13. Professor Mona Harb, interview.

  14. Professor Mona Harb, interview.

References

  • Chari, Sharad and Stuart Corbridge (eds.) (2008) The Development Reader, London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Zein, Abbas, Rola Nasrallah and Iman Nuwayhid (2006) ‘Determinants of the Willingness-to-participate in an Environmental Intervention in a Beirut Neighborhood’, Environmental Management 37 (2): 200–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavin, Angus (1996) Beirut Reborn: The restoration and development of the central district, London: Academy Editions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (2008) Solidere Quarterly October–December 2008. Published by the Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District s.a.l.

  • Martinez-Garrido, Lourdes (2008) ‘Beirut Reconstruction: A missed opportunity for conflict resolution’, Al Nakhlah – The Fletcher School Journal on Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization (Fall), http://fletcher.tufts.edu/al_nakhlah/Fall2008/Beruit.pdf, accessed 27 March 2009.

  • Nasr, Dana, May Massoud, Ricardo Khoury and Vahakn Kabakian (2009) ‘Environmental Impacts of Reconstruction Activities: A case of Lebanon’, International Journal of Environmental Research 3 (2): 301–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, Mark (2000) ‘Car Dependency and Culture in Beirut: Effects of an American transport paradigm’, Third World Planning Review 22 (4): 395–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shwayri, Sofia (2008) ‘From Regional Node to Backwater and Back to Uncertainty: Beirut, 1943–2006’, in Yasser Elsheshtawy (ed.) The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, modernity and urban development, Abindgon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verdeil, Eric, Ghaleb Faour and Sébastien Velut (2007) Atlas du Liban: Territoires et société, Beirut: IFPO-CNRS.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yegenoglu, Hüsnü (2000) ‘The Torn Metropolis – Explorations in Beirut’, Archis 1: 12–23.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Gruia Bădescu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Proposes that the city needs to redesign its public spaces and construct its public transport infrastructure

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bădescu, G. Beyond the Green Line: Sustainability and Beirut's post-war reconstruction. Development 54, 358–367 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2011.53

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2011.53

Keywords

Search

Navigation