Green and open public spaces are considered a public service, they are open, accessible and cater for 100% of the urban population

Refurbish Lebanon’s urban environment in cities, towns and villages to make it livable, resilient and focused on residents’ wellbeing

1.A public space is a place publicly owned or of public use which is accessible to all for free; urban open spaces may be privately owned.  There are different types of public spaces: multi-use public spaces such as avenues, streets, squares, sidewalks; public open spaces such as parks, gardens, and public beaches; and public urban facilities such as libraries, markets and sport facilities

2.The landscape of urban open spaces can range from playing fields to highly maintained environments and relatively natural landscapes

3.Public spaces are designed to improve the overall visual character of the city, to increase economic activities, and to enhance the functionality of the city and the well-being of citizens

4.Public spaces promote social connectivity and intermingling, making neighborhoods more cohesive and thus more attractive to residents and investors

5.Urban green spaces have a positive impact on mental health and social cohesion

1.Square meters of green space per capita in major Lebanese cities

2.Population living less than a kilometer away from a green public space

3.Square meters of green space per capita

1.Since the civil war ended, consideration of public spaces has been absent from planning policies

2.The Municipality of Beirut has not focused enough on providing the city with public spaces. Presently, very few spaces in the capital Beirut are designated as public. According to the Beirut Green Project, there are 24 public gardens to visit in Beirut

3.In 2015, the percentage of green spaces in Lebanon had decreased to less than 13%. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 9m2 of green space per capita, and Beirut only has 0.8m2

4.Heat islands in cities are increasing in both surface and temperature

1.The shortage of public spaces in Lebanon results from a lack of planning, regulations and awareness around the importance of public spaces

2.Lebanese cities are dense and land is scarce

3.Demand for constructible land is extremely high in Lebanese cities

4.The current zoning system is geared towards maximizing land use coefficients

5.Policies have been driven by the high property prices toward intensifying property development, ignoring the need for public spaces and communal centers in any urban plan

6.A major impediment to proper municipal action is the tight control exerted by the Qa’immaqam, the Muhafez, and the Minister of Interior and Municipalities on the expenditures and public works ordered by the municipality

1.In 1977, the Lebanese Municipal Act (Law. 118) was passed. Article 47 of this law stipulates that “each work of public character or interest in the municipal area falls within the authority of the Municipal Council (MC)…

2.… Furthermore, the MC is entitled to express its recommendations, observations, and suggestions in all domains related to public needs within its area”

3.Article 49 of the Municipal Act stipulates that the MC may establish the following within the framework of the Master Plan or without the existence of a Master Plan:

• Public gardens and public places
• Shops, parks, racing places, playgrounds, toilets, museums, hospitals, dispensaries, shelters, libraries, popular residences, wash houses, sewers, waste drainage, and others

4.Article 48 of the Municipal Act stipulates that the rules promulgated by the MC are compulsory within the municipal area. As a result, municipalities enjoy a large degree of freedom and authority regarding the construction or obstruction of public spaces

5.2010-2012 Beirut Municipality launched a program to rehabilitate and improve its public gardens in partnership with the private sector to fund, design, implement, and operate some of the gardens (e.g. Sanayeh Garden refurbished in 2014 by Azadea Foundation)

Policy Action

1.Develop a green plan for each of Lebanon’s major cities

2.Preserve, protect, expand, and improve existing public spaces, and create new ones

3.Plant street trees, develop pocket parks, consider “seatability”

4.Encourage the growth of local flora species and encourage smart irrigation

5.Develop incentives to encourage private spaces to be opened and accessible

6.Establish public platforms for advocacy by building partnerships with municipalities

7.Prioritize pedestrian movement by ensuring the implementation of Law 243 (2012) that promotes protection of pedestrians and cyclists and fines anybody that blocks the sidewalks