Border zones in post-conflict cities: Re-conceptualizing Beirut’s former Green Line from a sectarian divide to a resilient interface

Abstract

Border zones in post-conflict cities are the locus of collective imaginaries inducing memories of sectarian divides, and instigating attempts at urban integration with narratives of peace and reconciliation. Post-war reconstruction plans have favored the neutralization of border zones through urban renewal projects, unresponsive to the evolving identity of their adjoining districts. This thesis intends to re-conceptualize border zones as both segregators and integrators, to be reinforced, negotiated, or ‘fluidified’ with reference to the realities of their district’s context as well as to the overall city dynamics. The case study focuses on the Southern entrance of Beirut’s Central District along Damascus Road (a segment of the former Green Line) and examines its transformation from a combat zone into a transitional and unresolved interface polarized between two district identities; to the East, a campus district typified by Saint Joseph University (USJ), and to the West a corporate development precinct epitomized by Beirut Digital District (BDD). The thesis proposes a set of context-sensitive urban design strategies for enhancing streetscape identity, improving vehicular and pedestrian connectivity, and providing a framework for private development aimed at strengthening the responsive capacity of Beirut’s former Green Line as a resilient interface.