Beirut Divided: the Potential of Urban Design in Reuniting a Culturally Divided City
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The Bartlett Development Planning Unit DPU WORKING PAPER NO. 153 Beirut Divided: The potential of urban design in reuniting a culturally divided city Benjamin J Leclair-Paquet DPU Working Papers are downloadable at: www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/latest/ publications/dpu-papers If a hard copy is required, please contact the De- velopment Planning Unit (DPU) at the address at the bottom of the page. Institutions, organisations and booksellers should supply a Purchase Order when ordering Working Papers. Where multiple copies are or- dered, and the cost of postage and package is significant, the DPU may make a charge to cov- er costs. DPU Working Papers provide an outlet for researchers and professionals working in the fields of development, environment, urban and regional development, and planning. They report on work in progress, with the aim to dissemi- nate ideas and initiate discussion. Comments and correspondence are welcomed by authors and should be sent to them, c/o The Editor, DPU Working Papers. Copyright of a DPU Working Paper lies with the author and there are no restrictions on it being published elsewhere in any version or form. DPU Working Papers are refereed by DPU academic staff and/or DPU Associates before selection for publication. Texts should be submitted to the DPU Working Papers' Editors, Dr Camillo Boano and Dr Barbara Lipietz. Graphics and layout: Giorgio Talocci, Camila Cociña and Luz Navarro The Bartlett Development Planning Unit | The Bartlett | University College London 34 Tavistock Square - London - WC1H 9EZ Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 1111 - Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 1112 - www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu DPU WORKING PAPER NO. 153 Beirut Divided: The potential of urban design in reuniting a culturally divided city Benjamin J Leclair-Paquet [email protected] June 2013 ISSN 1474-3280 Abstract. Cities can be critical agents in the development of relation to the engagement of polarised groups in conversation. a multiethnic tolerance. They are crucibles of difference, con- Looking at Beirut as a metropolis divided across cultural stituting a necessary and stringent test of whether, and how, boundaries, this study analyses the non- efficacy of Solidere’s group identity conflicts can be effectively managed. (Bollens reconstruction project for the Lebanese capital’s CBD. The sys- 2007: 248). tematic criticism of this case exemplifies by default how the This citation by Scott A Bollens outlined the potential role of practice of urban design can create new divisions in cities in- cities in their capacity to reunite divorced societies. Whilst Bol- stead of effectively participating in cultural conflict resolution. lens’ broader discourse has given credence to the constructive To support the capacity of the field of urban design in playing a role of urban planning for reuniting divided cities, the capacity positive role in conflicted cities, it shows through examples and for urban design to do the same remains unclear. theoretical assessments how this practice could have in fact Based in notions outlined in the ‘contact hypothesis’ (Allport contributed in creating spaces of inclusion where cross-cultural 1954) and ‘culture-distance hypothesis’ (Babiker et al. 1980), interactions would have been most likely to occur. In turn, as this paper aims to evaluate ways by which urban design can with the two aforementioned hypothesises, this typology of in- stimulate cross-cultural, pluri-social and pluri-ethnical interac- teraction between antagonists could have facilitated the evolu- tions by increasing physical and mental access to public plac- tion of pluri-cultural cities along the continuum towards the es. It expands on the role of planning and design processes in cosmopolitan city. Content Chapter I. Insights to the Problematic and List of figures. Research 7 1.1 Destroyed Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War 1.1. A prelude to intra-state wars and the implication 1.2 Reconstruction of Nassin’s (2008) “Matrix of Civil for urban design 7 Conflict in Lebanon” 1.2. Fundamentals 8 1.3 “Today it’s East and West” 1.3. Working definition 8 2.1 Continuum towards the cosmopolitan city 1.4. A meta-tactical approach to peace-building in 2.2 Relation between typo-morphology and city Beirut 9 users 1.5. Beirut as a pluri-cultural city 10 2.3 The Tam Tams of Mont-Royal 1.6. Socio-spatial organization in Beirut 10 3.1 Alternative planning model 3.2 The ring road: a physical, visual and mental Chapter II. Theoretical Notions and Analytical barrier Framework 12 3.3 Morphological analysis 3.4 Visual (dis)connection of Solidere 2.1. Multiculturalism and interculturalism: towards the 3.5 Pastiche street in the Solidere site utopian cosmopolite 12 3.6 Allotment on the Solidere site 2.2. Role of the design and planning process 14 3.7 War-torn buildings in central Beirut 2.3. (Re)creating public spaces: designing for greater access 16 List of boxes. 2.4. Analytical framework 18 Box 3.1 The Red and Green Line Chapter III. Critical Analysis: The Privatist Urbanism of Solidere 19 3.1. Introducing Solidere and the context of All picture were taken by the author unless stated reconstruction 19 otherwise. 3.2. The process 20 All diagrams were created by the author . 3.3. The accessibility 22 All base maps were created by the author except 3.4. Creating an accessible, open-ended and figure 3.7, which was adapted from ‘geo project’. supportive design 27 Chapter IV. Conclusion 29 References 30 1. Insights to the Problematic and Research A city is composed by different kinds of man; similar people cannot bring a city into existence. (Aristotle) 1.1. A prelude to intra-state wars and the the intimate dimension of this typology of war. As with the implications for urban design disposition of ancient cities to form within walls for reasons of security, the transformative processes that characterises Fifty-nine of the sixty-four wars occurring between divided cities leads to the formation of homogeneous ter- 1945 until 1988 were intra-state or civil wars and ritorialities during episodes of armed conflicts. during these conflicts about 80 per cent of the war dead were killed by people of their own nationality. Academics (Yassin 2008; Yahya 1994; Bou Akar 2005; (Strand et al. 2003: 8) Khalaf 1994; Sarkis 2002; Hockel 2007) have argued that the spatial organisation of Beirut before, during and after Civil wars are radical manifestations of divorced societies. the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) has reinforced the evo- As opposed to international conflicts, members of the lution of dichotomous ideologies. Whilst the causations of same political territory – region or even city – engage in the conflict are embedded in intricate political and cultural fierce battles over internal discords as opposed to broader events, its territorialisation added a new dimension as it re- geopolitical dissidences. Disputes in civil war are thus more inforced the polarity between antagonists. In turn, this politi- personal as the interests defended are distinctive to sub- cisation of spatial territories has accelerated the evolution of groups instead of being generalised at the level of the State. the conflict and of its violent upturn (Yassin 2008). Looking The implication of civilians in acts of warfare also partici- at urban design and its role for regulators and producers of pates in oiling the wheel of appropriation of the causes and urban spaces (Madanipour 2006), it has become evident of the conflict itself. Civil war thereby further divide already that political inclinations are reflected through spatial disci- divided civil groups; they yield a framework in which individ- plines. The theoretical contribution of Eyal Weizman’s Hol- uals inflict trauma on practical neighbours, which reinforces low Land (2006) made this point painfully difficult to deny. Figure 1.1. Destroyed Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. This image of Beirut taken towards the end of the Leba- nese Civil War clearly shows the extent at which some areas of the city were ravaged. Source: country-data.org 8 DPU Working Paper no.153 Space has historically been defined through political pro- of urban space and processes of shaping cities. ... cesses reflective of existing power relations. Although a Design has, therefore, been redefined, from merely range of expert has discussed the role of space in parti- aesthetic issues that should be left to developers tioning Beiruties at length – in terms of its appropriation, and designers alone, to a much broader definition, transformation and adaptation – little has been said on which requires proper public attention. (Mada- the potential of space to reunite Beirut’s multitudinous’ nipour 2006: 178) communities. Urban design is a transformative tool as it holds the pow- er to (re)define spaces in themselves, but also the inter- relation between external elements of the built environ- 1.2. Fundamentals ment. Urban design can encourage stronger relations between points in space in as much as it can dis- Looking at public spaces as the natural ground for so- courage these dialogues as exemplified by exclusive cial exchanges and cross-cultural pollination, this paper developments such as gated-communities or Dubai’s aims to evaluate the level at which city-forms can par- offshore urbanism. It uses form to influence individuals; ticipate to peace-building in divided cities. Whilst this it tempers with sensory faculties to stimulate exposure to paper does not contend that urban design alone can spatial elements while reducing the relations with other reunite divided cities, it does maintain that urban de- physical and social components. Adjusting the lighting of sign can add a valuable dimension to peace-building. a street is a banal example of how an urban design inter- Processes and products of urban design can play a vention can trigger new sensations for the user of space.