Heritage and Sustainable Development in Beirut: A New Ecology for the City

Abstract

The objective of this reflection is to consider heritage as a model for sustainable development, whereby its appreciation contributes to the well-being of the city's citizens that we call Ecocity. The development challenges of Beirut, a city that is being reconstructed at an astounding speed after a civil war that modified a number of social values, highlights the objective: to create a link between heritage conservation, which considers the built environment and its functions, and sustainable development. In fragile urban environments such as Beirut, heritage must be considered as an inheritance to be at once preserved and encouraged to thrive. The city is at once a material and immaterial space which benefits from a global vision. The Ecocity is then the result of a balance, ever unstable, between the built environment and human requirements that alter over time. However this socio-economic evolution should not be considered in a negative light, as a healthy city is dependent on diversity and a respect for the balance between the built environment and its inhabitants. In fact, built heritage has always been diverse, however it has always found resolution by weaving together the lifestyles of its inhabitants with the local culture. These reflections have the capacity to pave the way for a reinterpretation of heritage conservation as a dynamic activity and viewing sustainable development as a contribution to growth of Ecocities.