Post-War Downtown Regeneration And Its Role In Reconnecting The East And The West by Khaled Mahmoud

Urban Transformative Syntax Architecture and Urban Design Department

Post-War Downtown Regeneration And Its Role In Reconnecting The East And The West * Khaled.AboElMaaty and * Yasmine.ElMasry2 and * Hana.Adel3

I N F O: Course Name: Urban Transformative Syntax Elective ARCH925 Course Instructors: Husam R. Husain Omar T. Bishr Submitted on: December 10th 2019

ABSTRACT The study examines the Reconstruction of Downtown Beirut during the post-war era; it concentrates on how the downtown affected the social conflict in Beirut and its economic position. The study also discusses the vision of the proposal of the downtown and its actual implementation effect. In this study, the new urban fabric implemented in the downtown and its identity will be studied. Additionally, the physical and visual connection from and to the downtown as well as its new functions are studied. This would test for the dependency of the East and the West on downtown, or on the contrary show their self-sufficiency. The study would also show if the downtown has revitalized both sectors and thus contributed to solving the problems that arose in Beirut after the war.

Keywords: War; Downtown; Urban; Green Line; Beirut

Cairo, Fall, 2019

Table of Figures Figure 1: Misery Belt Formation ....................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2: Separation of the Lebanese People ..................................................................................... 5 Figure 3: Visual Connections towards Downtown of Beirut .............................................................. 8 Figure 4: Downtown of Beirut .......................................................................................................... 9 Figure 5: Nodes of Study ................................................................................................................ 10 Figure 6: Western Node in Ras Beirut ............................................................................................. 11 Figure 7: Eastern Node in Achrafieh ............................................................................................... 12 Figure 8: Urban Fabric Analysis ..................................................................................................... 13 Figure 9: Different Urban Fabrics ................................................................................................... 13 Figure 10: Maps Showing Different Grids in Beirut and Paris ......................................................... 14 Figure 11: West Node ..................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 12: West-Downtown Topography Analysis .......................................................................... 15 Figure 13: East Node ...................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 14: East-Downtown Topography Analysis ........................................................................... 16 Figure 15: Green Line to Downtown ............................................................................................... 17 Figure 16: Downtown-Green Line Topography Analysis (Source; Google Earth, edited by Author) 17 Figure 17: Integration Analysis ....................................................................................................... 18 Figure 18: Choices Analysis ........................................................................................................... 18 Figure 19: Connectivity Analysis .................................................................................................... 19 Figure 20: Physical Connection from Western Node to Downtown ................................................. 20

Table of Contents Table of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.

INTRODUCTION: BEIRUT DIVIDED ............................................................................................. 4 1.1

Background: Pre-war Beirut ............................................................................................... 4

1.2

War Time: 1975-1990 ......................................................................................................... 5

1.3

Post War: Reconstruction of Downtown ............................................................................. 6

METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 7 2.1

Visual Connection Method ................................................................................................. 8

2.2

Physical Connection Method .............................................................................................. 9

2.3

Urban Fabric Method ....................................................................................................... 10

3. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 11 3.1

Urban Fabric Analysis ....................................................................................................... 13

3.2 Visual Connection Analysis ..................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Physical Connection Analysis.................................................................................................. 18 4. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 21 5. CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................... 21 LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 22

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1. INTRODUCTION: BEIRUT DIVIDED 1.1 Background: Pre-war Beirut Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, lies on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, with its cape extending over 9 km into the sea. The old city sits between two hills: Achrafieh, the highest at 95 meters above sea level to the north east, and Ras Beirut to the west. Since 1200s, Beirut has struggled from many invasions. After The Roman era (Christians), The Ummayeds (Muslims) controlled Beirut. The city was re-controlled again by The Crusaders (Christians) and then The Memluk and Ottoman Empires (Muslims) took over the city respectively before the French and British Invasions (Christians) that took place in 1920s. (Yassin, City Profile Beirut, 2011) Beirut‟s demographic growth during the 1920 phase Fig ure 1 : Mi ser y B el t F or mat io n

was boosted by the large numbers of political refugees starting from 1922. Thousands of Armenians and Turkish that were mostly Christians migrated to Beirut followed by hundreds of thousands of Syrians, Kurdish and Palestinians after the first IsraeliArab war. Additionally, in the early 1970s, 40% (estimated at half a million people) of Lebanon‟s rural population had moved from their hometowns to settle in Beirut and its suburbs. By 1975, more than 45% of the country‟s population was living in Beirut. They were largely new communities as reflected in a household study conducted in 1970 that showed that 37.4% of population of Beirut and suburbs were actually foreigners. All of these Lebanese and Non-Lebanese migrants lived in settlements on the outskirts of Beirut. These settlements were called the city‟s “Misery Belt” because of the high density, poverty, lack of sanitation and municipal services. The Palestinian camps were the place for recruitment and training of commando fighters – fidayeen - to be part of the battle against Israel. Lebanese Muslims youth joined those Palestinians. Christians saw this as a tangible threat to a state they sought to build and this leads to the start of the civil war that lasted for 15 years. (Fawaz, The Case of Beirut, Lebanon)

Fig ur e 2 : S epa ra ti o n o f t h e L eban ese P eo pl e

1.2 War Time: 1975-1990 Beirut became divided between East and West in the spring of 1975. The day after Phalangists militiaman ambushed a bus killing 27 Palestinians, militias started to control both parts of the city and restricted crossings between the East and the West of Beirut. The Old Damascus Road demarcated the limits between Beirut‟s two cities. It became known as the „green line‟ or the „demarcation line‟. The zone was essentially a no-man‟s land during the cold periods of the civil war and a confrontation line during heated episodes. Almost all the country has been affected by the combats, at least during one round, and at least indirectly. The demarcation lines in Beirut remained over the war‟s course remarkably stable. The city center also was one of the main places of confrontation, almost all the buildings were hit, and along the demarcation line, serious damage has been evaluated at 80%. (Leclair-Paquet, June 2013 )

1.3 Post War: Reconstruction of Downtown Beirut came out of the war period in 1990 naked; a total disaster; total desolation. The reconstruction of the downtown was about to start, the first proposal was to restore the image of a Mediterranean city. It included the restoration of the souks, the opening of the city to the harbor, and the design of a promenade along the sea. But the second side of the project was the modernization of the city: it foresaw new public buildings symbolizing the unity of the state. The proposal also included new arteries through the ancient urban fabric, as well as the realization of a modern business center on an old dock site. The main vision was to help Beirut to gain its economic position. (Joe Nasr, 2008) In the post war era Beirut began to recover, as demolitions, repairs, re-buildings, all took off. This was clearly the result largely of individual initiatives in those early years, on a case-by-case basis. The government at the time was establishing the SOLIDERE company and it began to implement some of the major components of the transformation of Beirutâ&#x20AC;&#x;s center; completion of the ring road, laying the roadways and its underlying infrastructure, renovation or recreation of much of the built fabric in the historic sectors within it. The brutal destructions and transformations of the city, particularly in places that had high symbolic and economic value like the city center, made physical reconstruction an imperative, especially for the city center which is the heart of Beirut. Conceived as a tool for the recovery, the reconstruction of the downtown area was expected to recreate the conditions of the economic development of the pre-war time, modernizing a historic core that was increasingly seen as decrepit, obsolescent, in need of transformation. In addition, the CDB is expected to provide a concrete way out of the social crisis. (Al-Hagla, 2008) Accordingly, that the new downtown project would contribute to solving the social crisis as well as rise the economic position of the city. Based on that, our study raises one research question, what is the social and economic effect of the reconstruction of the downtown in Beirut during the postwar period? In order to answer this question, the study is planned to analyze the identity of the new design of downtown and its relation to the existing context of the city, the contribution of the development to the economic problems resulting from the war and the contribution of the development in solving the social crisis in Beirut which is the reason behind the 1975 war. Therefore, with the case of Beirut and its division that resulted into a war that lasted 15 years, and with the reconstruction projects that immediately started postwar, the study of the effect of the urban design of the reconstructions would be of high importance to analyze the solutions it has provided and to understand the effects it had on the city that just came out of a long civil war to help in future researches and solutions that could solve similar problems that cities face.

2. METHODOLOGY As this study tests for the social and economic effects of the reconstruction of the downtown, it is crucial to define certain methods that would provide an understanding of the situation in postwar period. With the central position of the new downtown, its history of being the core of the city and its immediate reconstruction after the war, it is expected to contribute to solving the social crisis in Beirut through its connectivity to the two sides of the city. One way to test for connectivity is by checking the visual and physical connections between the different points as both of the analysis are key factors to providing connections between different spaces as well as creating mental and physical barriers between the selected nodes (Leclair-Paquet, June 2013 ). Moreover, the new urban design of the downtown could show if the development is relatable to the rest of the city, or if it is a new proposed fabric and an enforced identity on the city. Thus, a comparison between the old and the new fabrics is essential. As for the economic effects of the development, its necessary to study the economic development of the city postwar as well as compare the economic developments of the west and east.

2.1 Visual Connection Method Visual connection plays an important role in connecting different points of space to each other. It provides mental accessibility of individuals to the space (Leclair-Paquet, June 2013 ). While the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;barrierâ&#x20AC;? seems to define something physical, the lack of visual connectivity between two points acts as a barrier, a mental one. The lack of visual connection on the other hand closes one site on itself and therefore solidifies the mental barriers the users and the site. Thus, when testing for the connectivity of the downtown to west and east of Beirut, its crucial to look for visual connections. The visual connection test is applied by a criteria-based selection of two nodes in each side of the city in addition to a third node in downtown in order to check their area of visual connection. The nodes are selected with consideration of their proximity to downtown, the surrounding land uses and the prominent urban. The downtown node is to be selected in the downtown area to check the range area of visual connection from this node towards the rest of the city. Using syntax 2D tool, which provides area of visual connection of specified nodes, the test could be applied for the three selected nodes in Beirut.

Fig ur e 3 : Vi su a l C on n e ct i on s t o wa r d s D o wnt o wn o f B ei ru t

2.2 Physical Connection Method Physical connections control the accessibility of users to the site which is a key factor when looking at the case of Beirut, as the accessibility of the downtown to the rest of the city would show if its aim is to connect the divided groups, and thus act as one solution to the social problem, or to just develop a new and strong economic faรงade to the city after the war, this faรงade would be disconnected from the city and therefore would be blinding an eye on the core problem that contributed to the war itself. Physical barriers come in many forms. They could be fences, walls, wide highways that disable pedestrian accessibility, or an undeveloped infrastructure system that could provide easy transportation. The study uses depthmapx tool which shows the choice, intensity, connectivity and integration of the selected area of input. The selected area applied at this test includes downtown and spreads out to cover the eastern and western limits of Beirut and widens enough to cover a significant distance of the green line. The results of this analysis would show the level of integration or segregation of the streets in the selected area with the overall network system, how much certain streets are selected within the system, the direct connections of the nodes within the system and the level of force from the system on the network of streets. Furthermore, the variables would provide an analysis on the connectivity of downtown with the whole area. Another method is map analysis and observation of the number of orders between criteria-based chosen nodes in the east and the west and a significant node in downtown. The criteria of selection is proximity to downtown, surrounding land uses and prominent urban. This could show the physical barriers between the areas of the study, thus test the connectivity between the two sides of Beirut and downtown which also shows if the new urban fabric is well and easily connected to the existing one.

F ig ure 4 : D o wn to wn o f Be iru t

2.3 Urban Fabric Method Urban design can encourage stronger relations between points in space as much as it can discourage (Leclair-Paquet, June 2013 ). There are always development and renovation projects all over the cities of the world. It is important to always think of the context and question whether the developments add to it or try to change it, by developing an unidentified new system that meets the new needs of the ear without trying to fit into the context. Thus, this analysis aims to study the design of the new downtown with the Beirut context. Is it relatable to the city or proposing and enforcing a new identity on it? The identification of the new design plays an important role in the interaction of the Beirut-ies with the development and therefore, the test would be a good analysis to the contribution of this design to connection the two divided communities in Beirut. The analysis is conducted by map analysis and observation to study chosen segments of the urban fabrics of the east, west and downtown area. The segments are chosen with criteria to ensure valid results of the test. The three segments are chosen in consideration to their land uses and importance within context. Comparison of the three fabrics from size of the plots, system of the street and typologies of the buildings would show how much they are relatable or how much they are not. Another method is map analysis of the land uses and urban growth patterns of specific areas in the east and the west of Beirut to determine the type of development in each area which might give insights about the economic effect of the downtown on both areas.

3.1 Criteria of nodes choice

Fig ur e 5 : N o d e s o f S tu d y

3. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Fig ur e 6 : W e st er n N o d e in Ra s B ei ru t

Religious Residential

Nodes Governmental

Green Areas Banks

Commercial Educational

Fig ur e 7 : Ea st er n N o d e in Ac hra fi e h

Religious Residential Green Areas Banks

Nodes Governmental Commercial Educational

3.1 Urban Fabric Analysis

Fig ur e 8 : Urba n Fa br ic Ana l y si s

F ig ur e 9 : D i ffer e nt Ur ba n Fa b ri c s Fig ur e 9 : D i ffer e nt Ur ba n Fa bri c s

Comparing the three segments, itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s firstly observed how the fabric of the east and west look alike in comparison to the downtown segment. The size of plots in the downtown segment is much bigger than the two other segments. Also, it is obvious how the downtown is designed with a new systematic angled grid that forms a node in the center. Looking on the east and west segments the buildings are of random typologies and scattered in a random order. The results of this test show how the design of the new downtown is of a different fabric in comparison to the existing contextual fabric of the city. It is easily observed that the new design adds a new identity and urban grid to the city. 13

Fig ur e 1 0 : Ma p s Sh o win g Di ffe r e nt Gri d s i n Be iru t an d Par i s

On the one hand, Figure (10) shows the downtown node in Beirut where a new monocentric diagonal grid is found with a square in the middle and a street network branching out of it. Although this new grid was aimed to re-connect the east and the west, it did not totally succeed as it stops and changes suddenly. The new street network, which is branched mainly to the west side, shows a poor visual connection it gets irritated by some blocks. On the other hand, the other picture shows an important square in Paris where Arc de Triomphe stands. This square shows good urban qualities as it has a pack of 11 linear streets branching out of it. This offers an extended visual connection and a flexible physical connection from and to everywhere around this area. Another point worth mentioning is the urban fabric in this scope which has almost the same grid and typology.

3.2 Visual Connection Analysis

Fig ur e 1 1 : W est N o d e

Fig ure 1 2 : W est -D o wn to wn T o p og rap h y Ana ly si s

F ig ur e 1 3 : Ea st N o d e

Fig ur e 1 4 : Ea st -D o wnt o wn T o p og ra p h y Ana ly si s

In the above figures, the edges of the area of visual connection of the chosen nodes are shown. It does not spread to the downtown. It is blocked due to the density of the buildings around the two nodes.

Fig ur e 1 5 : Gr een Li n e t o D o wnt o wn

However, looking at the results of syntax 2d in Figure (15) for the chosen downtown node, the visual connection spreads through the green line. This result shows how the green line still powerfully exists visually and physically in Beirut.

Green Line Node

Fig ur e 1 6 : D o wnt o wn -Gr e en L i ne T o p o gra p h y Ana l y si s (S ou r ce; G oo g l e Ea rt h, ed it ed b y Au t ho r)

3.3 Physical Connection Analysis

Fig ur e 1 7 : I nt e gra ti o n Ana l y si s

Fig ur e 1 8 : C h oi c e s Ana l y si s

Fig ur e 1 9 : C o n n e cti v it y Ana l y si s

Figure (17) for integration shows the level of integration or segregation of the streets of Beirut in the selected area with the overall network system. It appears that the ring road highlighted in red is of high integration in comparison to the rest of the network. The ring road surrounds the downtown area and is the main highway that provides accessibility to the new development. As we go away from the ring road the integration level of the streets decreases. Therefore, could be seen as a connectivity element that connects the downtown to the rest of the city, however, it could also be perceived as a physical barrier due to its width that prevent easy access of pedestrians. Figure (19) shows the result of connectivity from depthmapx tool empowers the idea of the ring road being a connectivity element as it appears in the figure with yellow color. More spines of streets spreading to the north and south along the ring road could be observed in the connectivity Figure (19) which shows the ring roadâ&#x20AC;&#x;s role in creating deep connection in the east and the west.

Fig ure 1 9 : Ph y si cal C on n ect i on fr o m Ea st ern N o de t o D o wnt o wn

The above figure shows the number of orders between the east node and downtown which is two. There are two orders shown.

Fig ur e 2 0 : Ph y si ca l C on n e ct i on fr o m W e st e rn N o d e t o D o wnt o wn

The above figure shows the number of orders between the west node and downtown which is three. The western node has one more order than the eastern.

4. DISCUSSION In order to understand regeneration of the new downtown of Beirut and know if it actually met the expectations of enhancing the social and economic aspects, a thorough study was conducted to analyze and evaluate the reconstruction of the downtown. According to the syntactic results the reconstruction of Beirutâ&#x20AC;&#x;s downtown might show some positive results regarding the economic growth of the country. For the social aspect, some of the results were positive. This becomes clear when we look at the level of integration and connectivity of the ring road around the downtown area which highlights the role of the ring road from Solidereâ&#x20AC;&#x;s plan in connecting his new development to the rest of the city. On the other hand, the results of urban fabric analysis were negative as they show the foreignism of the urban fabric of downtown which shows a deficiency in connection between downtown and the rest of the city. In addition, the results of the visual connection analysis to the downtown node which showed how the green line is still dominant in the city and how the reconstructions and developments did not touch this separation line on the ground. This could be a sign for separation and disconnection. However, this result could also be perceived differently as the green line could still be dominantly existing as a memory due to its historic importance which makes it an element that the city is willing to preserve. The same case was also seen in the city of Berlin where the famous Berlin wall stood for years separating two parts of the city, but now some parts of it are preserved as a historic symbol for the separation and conflict that took place for years. 5. CONCLUSION In conclusion of this study, it is clear now how Beirut was strongly affected after the war and how the reconstructions done had some positive aspects; yet, it did not entirely meet the expectations. The positive side of these reconstructions is that the green line is not a barrier anymore although it still physically exists. Another thing worth mentioning is that the new downtown is now more integrated with both sides despite the fact that it was expected to have better results. For the negative side of the reconstructions, it is clearly shown how they did not tackle the social segregation as there is still some places for Muslims-Shiâ&#x20AC;&#x;a only, MuslimSunni only and Christians only. This study analyzed and illustrated both positive and negative sides, and as a result, one might ask a question; did these positive aspects outcome the negative ones?

LIST OF REFERENCES

(n.d.). Al-Hagla, K. S. (2008). New Urbanism: Revitalizing historic city centers, Beirut Case. CSAAR. el-Achkar, H. (July 2012). The Lebanese State as Initiator of Gentrification in Achrafieh . Faour, G. (2014). Mapping Urban Transitions in the Greater Beirut Area Using. MDPI, 16. Fawaz, M. (2003). The Case of Beirut, Lebanon. Beirut: UN-Habitat. Joe Nasr, Ă&#x2030;. V. (2008). The reconstructions of Beirut. HAL. Leclair-Paquet, B. J. (June 2013 ). Beirut Divided. The Bartlett , 34. Mhawej, G. F. (2014). Mapping Urban Transitions in the Greater Beirut Area Using Different Space Platforms . 16. Randall, E. (2014). Reconstruction and Fragmentation in Beirut. Conflict in Cities and The Contested State. Yassin, N. (2011). City Profile Beirut. Elsevier, 64-73.