Lebanon is facing a crisis due to rapid and uncontrolled, unplanned urban growth. This over-urbanisation is generating political, social and architectural polemic among citizens. Moreover, the craze of real estate speculation has hit Beirut city major districts and the mushrooming of buildings has reshaped the character of the city. Beirut has followed a common phenomenon of modernization that numerous big cities witness nowadays. An urban development trend characterising a decade of property market booming, gentrification of districts, skyscrapers’ landscape, and Archi star buildings. The uniqueness, however, of Beirut is the historical background it carries and the responsibility it induces for its citizens. Having to deal with reconstruction process and heritage awareness, Beirut is newly born with an Identity and Memory to preserve. Beirut Downtown is a major historical and symbolic space that underwent a tabula rasa strategy after 15 years of civil war. A war that destroyed the soul and the renowned aesthetic charm of the city, splitting Beirut into the east Christian side and the west Muslim side. The famous militia demarcation line was passing right through Beirut Downtown, which made the Downtown a strong Identity point for its residents. Indeed, Beirut Central District is not only a historical centre for Lebanese citizens, but also embody the cultural heritage, city nightlife and political symbolic site of the city. On the other hand, tourists often refer to Beirut by its downtown, as it is a famous promenade area full of restaurants, shops and bars. Among the traditional public actors in charge of modelling the urban morphology of the city, one strong private real estate company get in charge of the reconstruction and development of Beirut Central District. Solidere s.r.l (Societe Libanaise pour le development et la reconstruction de Beyrouth) held a vision of grandeur in a strategic central location of Beirut by launching an international design competition in 1994 . The competition brief and its project achievement have been managed following neo-liberal strategies of urban planning. Solidere, drained much of the country available resources in the attempt to revive Memory and Space of Beirut whereby memory become a highly controversial issue and space a major speculative tool. Buildings ownership and Public space were turned into a monopolistic private landscape of limited mobility means and garnished of open spaces that the citizens are not invited to appropriate or change. Unexpected events made Beirut Downtown regain its role as a symbolic political sit-in forum in the heart of profound instable regional and national platform. Clearly, the different political phases and real estate crisis that Lebanon went trough, amid forces of real estate speculations and market planning, challenged the vision of architectural grandeur along a modern lifestyle that Solidere seek to reproduce for Beirut and its residents. The urban planning and architectural approach shaping the typology of Beirut Central District created also distinct views among citizens, some praising the successful large-scale renovation of the ottoman architecture, and others criticising its Disney Wonderland image serving mainly to attract tourists. Others, such as artists and professionals in the urban fields, regret the fast process of transformation of Beirut Downtown where the project seemed to serve stakeholders to satisfy a materialistic reconstruction based on fast and fruitful real estate speculations. This approach faced resistance from local associations claiming flexibility and more participation to add their own national contributions while protecting the authenticity of the Past Memory of Beirut and its conservation.
Il Libano, si trova ad affrontare una crisi a causa della rapida e incontrollata,crescita non pianificata urbana. Questo eccesso di urbanizzazione sta generando polemica politica, sociale e architettonica. Inoltre, la speculazione immobiliare ha colpito tutti i principali quartieri di Beirut e il proliferare di edifici ha rimodellato il carattere della città. Beirut ha avuto un fenomeno di modernizzazione non dissimile da numerose altre grandi città al giorno d'oggi. Una tendenza che caratterizza lo sviluppo urbano di un decennio di mercato immobiliare in forte espansione, gentrificazione dei quartieri, con modifiche al paesaggio con grattacieli ed edifici ideati da Archi-star. L'unicità, però, di Beirut è che il cuore della città è ancora il centro storico, con le responsabilità che ciò comporta per i suoi cittadini. Bisogna avere a che fare con il processo di ricostruzione con la consapevolezza del patrimonio storico: Beirut è appena rinata, ma con una identità e una memoria da conservare. Il centro di Beirut è uno spazio importante storico e simbolico che ha subito una strategia di tabula rasa, dopo 15 anni di guerra civile. Una guerra che ha distrutto l'anima e il fascino estetico della rinomata città con la, scissione della stessa Beirut nel lato orientale, cristiano, e il lato ovest, mussulmano. La famosa linea di demarcazione della milizia passava proprio attraverso il centro di Beirut, cosa che ha reso il centro un punto di identità forte per i suoi residenti. Infatti, Beirut Central District non è solo un centro storico per i cittadini libanesi, ma incarna anche il patrimonio culturale, la vita notturna della città e luogo simbolico politico della città. D'altra parte, i turisti spesso fanno riferimento a Beirut partendo dal suo centro, in quanto è una zona famosa per la passeggiata ricca di ristoranti, negozi e bar. Tra gli attori pubblici tradizionali incaricati di rimodellare la morfologia urbana della città, una forte società privata immobiliare ha ottenuto la ricostruzione e lo sviluppo del distretto centrale di Beirut: Solidere srl (Société Libanaise pour le development et la reconstruction de Beyrouth). Questa società ha tenuto una visione di alto profilo, considerando Beirut in una posizione centrale e strategica e ha lanciato un concorso internazionale di progettazione nel 1994. Il bando di concorso e la realizzazione del progetto sono stati gestiti secondo strategie neo-liberali di pianificazione urbana. Solidere, prosciugato gran parte delle risorse nazionali disponibili nel tentativo di far rivivere la memoria e lo spazio di Beirut in un paese in cui la memoria diventa una questione molto controversa e lo spazio un importante strumento speculativo. Gli edifici di proprietà privata e lo spazio pubblico sono stati trasformati in un contesto privato e sguarnito di spazi aperti per i cittadini. Eventi imprevisti hanno impedito al centro di Beirut di riconquistare il suo ruolo di politico simbolico, nel cuore della profonda instabilità regionale e della piattaforma nazionale. Chiaramente, le diverse fasi politiche e crisi immobiliare che il Libano ha attraversato, tra le forze di speculazioni immobiliari e di pianificazione di mercato, ha impedito la realizzazione del grandioso e moderno progetto iniziale che Solidere ha cercato di riprodurre per Beirut ei suoi abitanti. La pianificazione urbanistica e impostazione architettonica che hanno plasmato il Central District di Beiurt ha creato anche una reazione opposta tra i cittadini: alcuni lodano il successo su larga scala e il rinnovamento dell'architettura ottomana; altri criticano la sua immagine Disney che serve principalmente per attirare i turisti. Altri, come artisti e professionisti nei settori urbani, rimpiangono il rapido processo di trasformazione del centro di Beirut, là dove il progetto sembrava servire alle parti interessate per soddisfare una ricostruzione basata su materiali veloci e fruttuose speculazioni immobiliari. Questo approccio, di fronte alla resistenza da parte delle associazioni locali che chiedono flessibilità e una maggiore partecipazione di contributi nazionali, per proteggere l'autenticità della memoria del passato di Beirut e la sua conservazione.
The reconstruction of Beirut central district : a betrayed memory
JOUKHADAR, HANANE
2012/2013
Abstract
Lebanon is facing a crisis due to rapid and uncontrolled, unplanned urban growth. This over-urbanisation is generating political, social and architectural polemic among citizens. Moreover, the craze of real estate speculation has hit Beirut city major districts and the mushrooming of buildings has reshaped the character of the city. Beirut has followed a common phenomenon of modernization that numerous big cities witness nowadays. An urban development trend characterising a decade of property market booming, gentrification of districts, skyscrapers’ landscape, and Archi star buildings. The uniqueness, however, of Beirut is the historical background it carries and the responsibility it induces for its citizens. Having to deal with reconstruction process and heritage awareness, Beirut is newly born with an Identity and Memory to preserve. Beirut Downtown is a major historical and symbolic space that underwent a tabula rasa strategy after 15 years of civil war. A war that destroyed the soul and the renowned aesthetic charm of the city, splitting Beirut into the east Christian side and the west Muslim side. The famous militia demarcation line was passing right through Beirut Downtown, which made the Downtown a strong Identity point for its residents. Indeed, Beirut Central District is not only a historical centre for Lebanese citizens, but also embody the cultural heritage, city nightlife and political symbolic site of the city. On the other hand, tourists often refer to Beirut by its downtown, as it is a famous promenade area full of restaurants, shops and bars. Among the traditional public actors in charge of modelling the urban morphology of the city, one strong private real estate company get in charge of the reconstruction and development of Beirut Central District. Solidere s.r.l (Societe Libanaise pour le development et la reconstruction de Beyrouth) held a vision of grandeur in a strategic central location of Beirut by launching an international design competition in 1994 . The competition brief and its project achievement have been managed following neo-liberal strategies of urban planning. Solidere, drained much of the country available resources in the attempt to revive Memory and Space of Beirut whereby memory become a highly controversial issue and space a major speculative tool. Buildings ownership and Public space were turned into a monopolistic private landscape of limited mobility means and garnished of open spaces that the citizens are not invited to appropriate or change. Unexpected events made Beirut Downtown regain its role as a symbolic political sit-in forum in the heart of profound instable regional and national platform. Clearly, the different political phases and real estate crisis that Lebanon went trough, amid forces of real estate speculations and market planning, challenged the vision of architectural grandeur along a modern lifestyle that Solidere seek to reproduce for Beirut and its residents. The urban planning and architectural approach shaping the typology of Beirut Central District created also distinct views among citizens, some praising the successful large-scale renovation of the ottoman architecture, and others criticising its Disney Wonderland image serving mainly to attract tourists. Others, such as artists and professionals in the urban fields, regret the fast process of transformation of Beirut Downtown where the project seemed to serve stakeholders to satisfy a materialistic reconstruction based on fast and fruitful real estate speculations. This approach faced resistance from local associations claiming flexibility and more participation to add their own national contributions while protecting the authenticity of the Past Memory of Beirut and its conservation.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/80378