Landlordism in Hamra: Studying Urban Dynamics Through the Lens of Beirut’s Housing Rental Market

Abstract

This thesis explores how the changing pattern of property ownership among landlords in the neighborhood of Hamra (Beirut, Lebanon) influences conditions of urban inhabitance and, in turn, urban transformation. Hamra is known for its large number of tenants as well as being home to a diverse group of residents, including students, university professors, elderly individuals, refugees, and migrant workers.To investigate Hamra's transformation, this research adopted the framework of landlordism, a relational approach to studying housing rental markets as the product of landlord-tenant relation (Hochstenbach 2023; Shiffer-Sebba 2020). Those relations are understood in the context of a wider interplay of economic, legal, and social determinants that impact who has access to the neighborhood and under what conditions. The research further located these patterns in relation to neighborhood life cycles, particularly the changing patterns of landlords’ profiles. The findings revealed that landlords have significant effects on the neighborhood, which, in the absence of a concerted neighborhood strategy or public policy, effectively explains the unfolding transformations of Hamra, which appear to be pulled in several directions—all while likely explaining, at least partially, what has been described as the “neighborhood decline” evidenced in the dilapidation of its building conditions and public infrastructure. Methodologically, the thesis developed a case-study approach that explored landlord-tenants' relations by investigating the profiles of landlords and tenants, the types of relations set in place through landlordism, and their impacts on changing the neighborhood profile and living conditions. The study mostly relied on quantitative methods based on data collection conducted in the summer and spring of 2023. Fieldwork included a survey of all 687 buildings in Hamra, followed by a statistically representative sample of interviews with tenants (244 surveys using the "City of Tenants" platform (a Beirut Urban Lab map-based knowledge platform) and the analysis of all available property records for the area (530). In addition, the analysis relied on several existing datasets at the Beirut Urban Lab, previously published research, archives, and online resources. By studying "landlordism" in Hamra, the thesis findings provide valuable insights about the influence of urban rental markets on conditions of urban inhabitance and, more generally, urban transformations which, in turn, contribute to efforts aimed at achieving housing justice. Indeed, the thesis findings can inform activists and decision-makers about the realities faced by tenants and landlords, helping them develop more effective responses to housing issues. This research also informs policymakers about the impacts of existing policies and modes of interventions that can promote fair and sustainable housing practices, benefiting both tenants and landlords in urban contexts. The thesis is part of a larger project exploring housing justice in Beirut (Lebanon) at the Beirut Urban Lab.