Zokak El Blat Urban Observation: Beirut, Lebanon

URBAN OBSERVATION
ZOKAK EL BLAT
BEIRUT - LEBANON
Academic Urban Observatory
Institute of Urban Planning
October 2012

Rita E. Chedid
Marieke Krijnen
Bruno Marot
Hala Moussawi
Jean-Marc Adjizian
Vicken Ashkarian
Serge Yazigi
Jennifer Casagrande PHD Student
Architecture Students (ALBA) for their contribution
to Architectural and Economic Activities Surveys
Jamayla Cahaccour
Claudia Sadaka
Eliane Daccache
Lena Osseiran
Racha Hajj Chahine
Christelle Khalil
Mohammad Ajam
Wael Hajj
Written by
Collaborators
Cartography
Directed by
Acknowledgement

INTRODUCTION 5
1. THE CHOICE OF THE STUDY AREA 6
2. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH 7
CHAPTER I: CASE STUDY 8
1. ZOKAK EL BLAT URBAN DEVELOPMENT 9
2. THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ZOKAK EL BLAT 10
3. INSTITUTIONAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 16
3.1. Land Use And Exploitation 16
3.2. Laws Pertaining To Built Heritage 17
3.2.1. The Ottoman Period 17
3.2.2. The French Mandate: The Antiquities Regulation 17
3.2.3. The Urban Planning Law 17
3.2.4. The Building Law 17
3.3. Studies On The Protection Of Historical Buildings In Beirut Pericentral Areas 18
3.3.1. “Association De Protection Et De Sauvegarde Des Anciennes Demeures” (Apsad) Study 18
3.3.2. The Directorate General Of Urban Planning (Dgup) Study 19
3.3.3. The Khatib & Alami Study 20
4. DRAFT LAW FOR THE PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARD OF OLD BUILDINGS AND PATRIMONIAL SITES 21
CHAPTER 2: DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY 22
1. STUDY OBJECTIVES 22
2. STUDY FRAMEWORK 22
3. DATA COLLECTION SOURCES AND FORMS 25
4. DATA SUCCESSFULLY OBTAINED 25
5. DATA PARTIALLY OBTAINED, ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES 25
6. DROPPED INDICATORS 26
7. CONCLUSION: MAIN ISSUES AT STAKE IN DATA COLLECTING PROCESSES IN LEBANON 26
7.1. Lack Of (Reliable) Statistical Data 26
7.2. Unwillingness Of Public Officials And Institutions To Collaborate 26
7.3. Unwillingness Of Private Officials In Institutions To Collaborate 26
7.4. Time Loss In Taking Appointments 26
7.5. Informal Contacts And Snowball-Effect 26
CHAPTER 3: SURVEY RESULTS 27
1. THE URBAN DIMENSION 27
1.1. Road Network 29
1.1.1. The Roads 29
1.2. Blocks And Parcels 29
1.2.1. The Disappearance Of Empty Lots 31
1.2.2 Residual Lots 32
1.3. Buildings 34
1.3.1. Occupation/Built-Up Area 34
1.3.2. Age 37
1.3.3. Typology 38
1.3.4. Use 39
1.3.5. State 40
1.3.6. Heights 41
1.3.7. Façade Materials 43
TABLE OF CONTENT

1.4. Demolition Of Listed Building 44
1.5. State Of Heritage And Classified Buildings 45
1.6 Skyline 46
1.7. Infrastructure And Services 47
1.7.1. Public Equipments 47
1.7.2. Upgrading of Public Services 48
1.7.3. Parking Facilities 49
1.8. Real Estate And Land Market 50
1.8.1. Real-Estate Transactions Between 2005 - 2011 50
1.8.2. Construction Permits 53
1.9. Real Estate And Land Market 57
1.9.1. New Projects Survey 57
1.9.2. Real Estate Land Prices 61
1.9.3. Speculation Process In Zokak El Blat 62
2. THE SOCIAL DIMENSION 63
2.1. Zokak El Blat Social Fabric Evolution 63
2.2. Confessional Distribution 63
2.3. The Shiite And Sunnite Competitiveness On Territorial Appropriation 66
2.4. Worship Places 66
2.5. Cultural Function 67
2.5.1. Academic Institutions 67
3. THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION 68
3.1. Economic Units Occupation 69
3.1.1 Occupation Status 69
3.1.2. Legal Status 70
3.1.3. Property Type 71
3.1.4. Rent Type 72
3.2. Economic Units Categories Of Activities 73
3.2.1. Economic Units Functions 73
3.2.2. Categories Of Economic Activities 75
3.3. Characteristics Of Economic Activities 76
3.3.1. Economic Units Surface 76
3.3.2. Economic Units State 77
3.4. Labor Market 78
3.4.1. Employment Rate 78
3.4.2. Size Of Businesses 78
3.4.3. Labor Force Gender And Age Distribution 79
3.4.5. Labor Force Confessional Distribution 80
3.4.6. Labor Force Education Level 80
3.4.7. Labor Force Place Of Residence 80
3.4.8. Labor Force Place Of Birth 81
3.5. Zokak El Blat’s Market Customers 82
3.5.1. Customers’ Origin 82
3.5.2. Price Categories 83
CHAPTER 4: SYNTHESIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 85
1. GENTRIFICATION 85
1.1. Gentrification In Beirut 85
1.1.1. Gentrification In Zokak El Blat 86
2. URBAN HERITAGE CONSERVATION 86
2.1. Property Co-Ownership 86
2.2. Obsolescence Of The Old Rent Law 86

2.3. Change In The Heritage Building Function 86
3. FRAGMENTATION 86
3.1. Significance 87
3.2. Explanation And Causes In Zokak El Blat 87
3.2.1. Zokak El Blat’s Spatial Division 87
3.2.2. Zokak El Blat’s Political Division 87
3.2.3. Zokak El Blat’s Social Division 87
4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 88
4.1. Social Development Strategy 88
4.2. Economic Level 88
4.3. Urban Planning Level 89
4.3.1. Heritage Conservation 89
4.3.2. Spatial Planning 89
4.4. Governance Level 90
FIGURE 1: PLOTS’ AREAS IN PATRIARCHATE SECTOR 33
FIGURE 2: PLOTS’ AREAS IN SOLIDERE SECTOR 33
FIGURE 3: SALES TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 50
FIGURE 4: SALES TO FOREIGNERS’ TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 51
FIGURE 5: SUBDIVISION TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 21
FIGURE 6: MERGING TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 51
FIGURE 7: PROPERTY TRANSFER TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 52
FIGURE 8: DEMOLITION TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN 2005 - 2011 52
FIGURE 9 CONSTRUCTION PERMITS IN BEIRUT 2002-2010 53
FIGURE 10 : CONSTRUCTION PERMITS IN LEBANON 2002-2010 53
FIGURE 11: EVOLUTION OF CONSTRUCTION PERMITS 1997 - 2012 54
FIGURE 12: NEW DEVELOPMENTS APARTMENT SIZES IN M2 60
FIGURE 13: REAL ESTATE PRICES/M2 SOURCE: RAMCO REAL ESTATE 61
FIGURE 14: VOTERS MOUHAFAZAT BEIRUT IN 2009, BY SECT 64
FIGURE 15: VOTERS IN ZOKAK EL BLAT 65
FIGURE 16: VOTERS IN ZOKAK EL BLAT IN 2000, BY SECT 65
FIGURE 17: ECONOMIC UNITS OCCUPATION STATUS 69
FIGURE 18: ECONOMIC UNITS LEGAL STATUS 70
FIGURE 19: ECONOMIC UNITS PROPERTY TYPE 71
FIGURE 20: ECONOMIC UNITS RENT TYPE 72
FIGURE 21: ECONOMIC UNITS FUNCTIONS 73
FIGURE 22 : DISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE PATRIARCHATE AREA 76
FIGURE 23 : DISTRIBUTION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN SOLIDERE AREA 76
FIGURE 24: ECONOMIC UNITS SURFACE 76
FIGURE 25: ECONOMIC UNITS STATE 77
FIGURE 26: EMPLOYMENT RATE 78
FIGURE 27: SIZE OF BUSINESSES 78
FIGURE 28: LABOR FORCE GENDER AND AGE DISTRIBUTION 79
FIGURE 29: LABOR FORCE CONFESSIONAL DISTRIBUTION 80
FIGURE 30: LABOR FORCE EDUCATION LEVEL 80
FIGURE 31: LABOR FORCE PLACE OF RESIDENCE 81
FIGURE 32: LABOR FORCE PLACE OF BIRTH 82
FIGURE 33: CUSTOMERS’ ORIGIN 82
FIGURE 34: PRICE CATEGORIES 83
TABLE OF FIGURES