Informal streetscapes : weaving the patches and patterns of contested public spaces in Nabaa (Bourj Hammoud-Beirut) -

Abstract

Informal settlements have long been the center of debates in urban studies. Despite a sizable experience in so-called slum upgrading projects , the focus of planning and design interventions in these neighborhoods has remained on the legalization of building and property illegalities, improving housing conditions, and fostering economic development. Perhaps owing to the reluctance of architects to intervene in these areas, only few projects have attempted to implement the most common urban design interventions, namely the improvement of shared spaces such as streets or parks. Taking the case study of Nabaa in Bourj Hammoud, one of the densest and poorest neighborhoods of Beirut (Lebanon), this thesis aims to improve livability in the area by upgrading the quality of its shared spaces, including streets and left-over spaces. The main research question is: How can we implement a neighborhood upgrading strategy in an informal settlement through interventions on the shared-public realm? A thorough analysis of the area unraveled three main challenges for the proper functioning of shared-public spaces in the neighborhood. These are: (i) marginalization –or rather physical marginalization imposed through road networks and public transportation lines that avoid any connection to the area, (ii) the transience of many neighborhood dwellers, a reality exacerbated by the dominance of migrant workers, and more recently refugees, and (iii) high building density, where commercial, domestic, and recreational activities overflow on narrow and overcrowded streets. In order to respond to this reality, I propose an integrated three tiered planning and design strategy: 1) A connectivity strategy that seeks to place the neighborhood on the map of public transportation in the city by proposing two bus lines that enable the access of Nabaa dwellers to the city as well as to its other peripheries; 2) A placemaking strategy that tackles transience and the absence of place at the neighborhood scale. The adaptation of placemak