Mitigating the Gentrification Impacts of Innovation Districts: The Case of Beirut Digital District (BDD) and Bachoura, Beirut

Abstract

Over the past decade, Innovation Districts have gained importance among urban economic revitalization strategies across the world. To many, these districts are a source of serious concern because they accelerate ongoing processes of gentrification, rendering cities more exclusive (Mirabal, 2009). Others have however highlighted the potential of such urban interventions, provided proper measures are taken to foster inclusive and integrated environments within the cities where they are introduced. The 'Beirut Digital District' (BDD) is an enterprise-led block-scale development located at the north-eastern edge of the Bachoura district in Beirut. Launched in 2012 by Zain real-estate company (ZRE), the BDD is the first innovation district to be developed in Lebanon. The project was presented as a pillar initiative to brand Beirut an entrepreneurial city with knowledge economy as its foundation. Consequently, numerous public facilities were extended by public agencies, particularly the Central Bank and the Ministry of Telecom at the time. Despite the good intention of project developers who have created work opportunities for young people in Lebanon, including a few of the nearby Bachoura district, the BDD was not required to mitigate any of the gentrification implications on the nearby areas. A reconverted real-estate project, the project's detailed master plan proposes a high-end modern urban renewal intervention extending over half the area of Khandak Al-Ghamik, the main neighborhood of Bachoura. As expected, the project triggered rapid gentrification in surrounding districts, particularly given its strategic location on the southern edge of Beirut Central District. Building on the concepts of ‘Spatial Ethics’ and ‘Inclusive Innovation’, the thesis investigates the relationship of innovation districts with their immediate urban environments, taking the BDD-Bachoura as its case study. Through a case-study analysis of Innovation Districts that successfully mitigated negative externalities on their contexts, the thesis articulates a set of criteria against which BDD is assessed. The analysis is informed by a thorough and multi layered understanding of space, including the BDD space and the nearby neighborhoods. It also looks at the processes through which the company was established. Based on this multi-layered analysis, the thesis devises an urban design framework that helps orient the BDD towards becoming an inclusive digital district, considering the need for intervention in both processes and physical forms. This requires reviewing the master plan radically by expanding the boundaries and injecting functions to ensure a better integrated and inclusive urban development. The thesis also argues that the processes associated with Placemaking and Temporary Urbanism can constitute a proactive strategy deployed to help the district adapt to the shifting dynamics and manage change resulting from gentrification.