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Reenvisioning Beirut: a Critique of Populism and Neo-Liberalism in Modern City Planning

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Reenvisioning Beirut: a Critique of Populism and Neo-Liberalism in Modern City Planning ABSTRACT REENVISIONING BEIRUT: A CRITIQUE OF POPULISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM IN MODERN CITY PLANNING This thesis analyzes two models of government in Lebanon, populist and neo-liberal, and how their policies are translated into urban planning. I examine the urban planning polices of Beirut since 1977, and analyze their evolution from a populist model to neo-liberal model of planning. In addition to an extensive literature review, on these two models I compared other cities that utilize a populist or neo-liberal form of urban planning. The urban plans for downtown Beirut, APUR (1977) and Soilidere (1992), are examined and used to question downtown Beirut’s urban planning. The intent of this study is to propose alternative ideas to the current urban plans for the city. This analysis highlights discussion on Beirut’s urban design. Is it well structured or should further planning have been done? In addition, it underscores the importance of basing urban design on traditional foundations for a city known as the “Paris of the Middle East.” Nicole Kamal Tannous December 2015 REENVISIONING BEIRUT: A CRITIQUE OF POPULISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM IN MODERN CITY PLANNING by Nicole Kamal Tannous A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art in the College of Arts and Humanities California State University, Fresno December 2015 © 2015 Nicole Kamal Tannous APPROVED For the Department of Art and Design: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Nicole Kamal Tannous Thesis Author Andrew Anker (Chair) Department of Design California State University, Sacramento Laura Meyer Art and Design For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. X Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee members Dr. Andrew Anker, my committee chair, and Dr. Laura Meyer for their guidance through my graduate work. I would also like to thank other faculty members and professionals, Dr. A. Sameh El Kharbawy, Silvan Polgar, Richard McQuone for their advice and support. Furthermore, I would like to thank Nayla Abu Aziz, Nabil Rached, Zoujeir Samir Berjawi, Raja Alameddine from Solidere; Khaldoun Nasreddine and Carine Lteif, Professors at American University of Beirut, Sami Feghali from the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR); Maud Charasson from Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme (APUR); Rafic Bizri, President of the Hariri Foundation; and Fatima El Baba, urban planner in Beirut; for providing me with urban plans, documents for downtown Beirut or who to contact. Finally, I would like to thank my family here and in Lebanon for their continued support, patience, love, picking up documents and taking me from one meeting to another; without you this could have not been possible. A special thanks to my grandfather Youseff, whose words of wisdom played a big role in pursuing my graduate degree. Shoukran ya jhede ala kilche. Also to a dear friend who stuck with me the last eight years through my undergraduate and graduate degrees and whose patience, words of wisdom and encouragement meant more to me more than they know. Without you this dream and thesis wouldn’t have come true. Thank you. Lastly to my friends for their moral support and understanding while I completed my study. No words can express my appreciation for everyone who helped me in completing this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: WHAT ARE POPULISM AND NEO-LIBERALISM? A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................... 5 What is Populism? ............................................................................................. 5 Populism’s Historical Background ................................................................... 7 The Rise of Populism in Lebanon ................................................................... 12 What is Neo-Liberalism? ................................................................................ 15 Neo-Liberalism Historical Background .......................................................... 18 The Rise of Neo-Liberalism in Lebanon ......................................................... 24 CHAPTER 3: POPULIST AND NEO-LIBERAL MODELS OF GOVERNMENTS IN LEBANON: FU’AD CHEHAB, ELIAS SARKIS AND RAFIC HARIRI ................................................................. 27 Fu’ad Chehab’s Government and Its Policies ................................................. 27 Fu’ad Chehab and Urban Planning ................................................................. 31 Elias Sarkis’s Government and Policy ............................................................ 34 Sarkis and Urban Planning .............................................................................. 39 Rafic Hariri’s Government and His Polices .................................................... 41 How Planning Polices Translated Into Policy................................................. 47 CHAPTER 4: LEBANON AND URBAN PLANNING ....................................... 52 Urban History of Beirut .................................................................................. 52 Fu’ad Chehab and IRFED ............................................................................... 57 Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme .......................................................................... 60 Société libanaise pour le développement et la reconstruction de Beyrouth (Solidere) Urban Planning Schéma ...................................................... 71 vii vii Page CHAPTER 5: POPULIST AND NEO-LIBERAL URBAN PLANNING: A CITY ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 92 Defining Populist Urban Planning .................................................................. 92 Other Cities That Are Designed Similar to APUR ......................................... 93 Defining Neo-Liberal Urban Planning ............................................................ 98 Other Cities That Are Designed Similarly to Solidere’s Plan ........................ 99 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 108 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... 122 APPENDIX A: THE CASE STUDY OF DOWNTOWN BEIRUT .................... 123 APPENDIX B: LEGISLATIVE DECREE NO. 5 ............................................... 132 APPENDIX C: DECREE NO. 1163 .................................................................... 143 APPENDIX D: APUR RELEASE FORMS ........................................................ 151 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Ministry of Planning Organization Chart, 1926 ..................................... 32 Figure 2: Programming of 1964 ............................................................................. 34 Figure 3: Map of Beirut, 1841. ............................................................................... 53 Figure 4: Place de l’Etoile plan. ............................................................................. 56 Figure 5: Downtown Beirut Urban Footprint, 1960 ............................................... 58 Figure 6: Estimation des destructions (Estimation of Destruction). ...................... 62 Figure 7: Synthèse de l’état du bâti (Synthesis of the State of the Buildings) ....... 63 Figure 8: Schéma d’aménagement (General Plan) ................................................. 66 Figure 9: Downtown Beirut Following the Civil War, 1993 ................................. 71 Figure 10: BCD Plan of Divided Sectors. .............................................................. 78 Figure 11: Sector Plan A ........................................................................................ 79 Figure 12: Sector Plan B ........................................................................................ 81 Figure 13: Sector Plan C ........................................................................................ 82 Figure 14: Sector Plan D ........................................................................................ 83 Figure 15: Sector Plan E. ........................................................................................ 84 Figure 16: Sector Plan F ......................................................................................... 85 Figure 17: Sector Plan G ........................................................................................ 87 Figure 18: Sector Plan H ........................................................................................ 88 Figure 19: Sector Plan I .........................................................................................
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