The shifting divide :towards an urban design strategy for a Green Line in motion- the case of Beirut -

Abstract

Since the end of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the “Green Line” in Beirut (as the dividing line between the two warring sections of the city has been known) has evolved spatially and physically. To begin with, although the 1975 Green Line has gradually weakened, it endures in the collective memory of city dwellers. The line is furthermore impacted by numerous policies and reconstruction processes that seek to transform and-or erase it in more or less concerted efforts. Moreover, the Green Line coincides today closely with emerging new lines that for almost a decade usher a new separation in the city. This thesis seeks to address the Green Line as an integral part of the city’s process of reconstruction through a socially responsive approach which responds to the will of people to interact or separate. This thesis explores how urban design could be a tool for intervention in relation to the current dynamics of change that the Green Line is undergoing. It therefore explores how urban design could address the disappearing 1975-Green Line while acknowledging the emergence of a new line of separation since 2007, as part of an overall strategy of accommodation and commemoration. More generally, the thesis seeks to contribute to a growing literature on divided cities. It attempts to research how divided cities could preserve the historical and political significance of demarcation lines while highlighting their socio-spatial dynamics and emphasizing their role as an essential feature in post-war urbanism. The thesis builds on fieldwork in the area, through interviews, mental mapping, and participatory observations as a research tool. This thesis affirms that divisions are not static. They are in constant motion and move not only from one level to another but also from one spatial edge to another. Thus, the intervention consists of a dual strategy. The latter serves the objectives of this thesis in two different ways; the first is one of commemoration of the former Green Line of 1975, while