Strategizing for informal settlements: the case of Beirut

In Lebanon, rapid urbanization, poor management, and unequal development of urban areas have contributed to the growth of informality and the creation of underserviced urban neighbourhoods around big cities, where 53% of the urban population lives (World Bank, 2005). The construction of most informal settlements in Beirut dates from the late 1940s until 1975, when rural migrants arrived in the city and constructed their own houses, first on public properties, until they became able to buy their own private terrains. In addition, starting from 2011 on, many Syrian refugees have found Lebanon, and especially the informal settlements in Beirut, a safe shelter. The Millennium Development Goals pay a lot of attention to low-income society development, security, and upgrading slums. This paper aims to study the evolution of the informal housing in Rouweissat, East of Beirut, and to analyse its architectural development, in order to give a new approach for the improvement, while insisting on integrating the residents in the city’s urban tissue. The paper discusses the construction of the neighbourhood, starting from land acquisition and squatting and informal subdivision of terrains. Then, it analyses the construction, the architecture design, the imitation in the design of the rural house, the structural systems that were used to build up to 5 floors in some cases, the incremental additions during the last 3 decades, and the appropriation of space design to serve recent activities and lifestyles. Finally, a strategy for the requalification of the buildings of the neighbourhood is elaborated, while giving general recommendations for the improvement of the living conditions of the dwellers.