INTRODUCING PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING IN CONTEXT OF RAPID URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS, THE CASE OF MAR MIKHAEL, BEIRUT (LEBANON)

Abstract

My thesis explores the adaptation and implementation of Performance-Based Planning in Lebanon. It does so through the entry point of a case study in the neighborhood of Mar Mikhael (Beirut) where I adopt the findings of the Planning & Design Workshop studio conducted in Fall 2017 in the MUPP/MUD program at the American University of Beirut. The studio had found that drastic urban transformations were taking place in Mar Mikhael, imposed by market-led initiatives that strived for profit maximization at the expense of social and spatial considerations. The analysis of the regulatory framework had further found that existing urban planning regulations are unsuitable for addressing concerns for a more equitable and livable urbanization. My research chose to investigate alternative regulatory approaches that could foster a planning path towards the desired neighborhood. More specifically, the thesis proposed to explore the Performance-Based Planning approach as a means to respond to the vision derived from the workshop and develop flexible and innovative planning solutions. In studying the applicability of performance-based planning in Lebanon, the intent is not to simply ‘import’ a western regulatory tool into a new context. Instead, the challenge is to articulate flexible processes that rely on qualitative parameters and expectations to replace the rigid, quantitatively defined rules. The solution-oriented approach proposed in the thesis develops a policy-based intervention proposal articulated at the national and local levels. At the national level, I identified the challenges to be addressed before performance based planning can be introduced. This required me to map existing planning institutions and regulations and outline the structural revisions to be introduced in the Lebanese planning processes as a prerequisite to the adaption of performance-based planning. At the local level, the thesis studied closely the context before proposing the introduction of Neighborhood Planning in Mar Mikhael, the adaptation of performance code to local conditions, and the articulation of neighborhood commissions that can follow on these processes. My thesis is significant in its three-fold contribution to Urban Planning in Lebanon. First, it adds to the body of knowledge created on the specific topic of urban transformation in the neighborhood of Mar Mikhael. Second, it contributes to the development of an innovative planning and regulatory framework for Lebanon, whereby experimenting with performance-based planning can help urban planners to stimulate the development of innovative regulatory arrangements, work towards specific goals and facilitates the possibility of having internal discussions at local levels. Third, my thesis experiments with the possibility of adapting planning in a way that can foster inclusive urban governance in Beirut’s context.