Habib Battah is a journalist who fights against the destruction of his city. He gives Mikael the lowdown about the urban challenges the city faces – and they are massive challenges. Beirut and Lebanon are often in the news – but usually for all the wrong reasons. Since the end of the Civil War, real estate developers and politicians (who are often the same people in this city) have effectively continued the bombing of the city – through building malls and condos for the wealthy with companies like Solidaire. All at the expense of the citizens and the rich archaeological legacy of one of the world’s oldest cities. This may be less of “how to fix Beirut” and more of a cautionary tale for other cities at the mercy of developers. But times are changing in Beirut. Citizens are fed up and they are fighting back. Habib’s Beirut Report: http://www.beirutreport.com/ This is an excerpt from the Season 3 episode in Beirut from Mikael Colville-Andersen’s urbanism series The Life-Sized City.
