Beyond the green line: Sustainability and Beirut's post-war reconstruction

Abstract

Gruia Bǎdescu 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. © 2011 Society for International Development.