History, space and social conflict in Beirut . The quarter of Zokak el-Blat. Beiruter Texte und Studien (BTS) 97.

Zokak el-Blat occupies a unique position within Beirut's urban fabric. It was one of the city's first sites of urban expansion before 1840, and as such it has been distinguished by its direct access to the city centre. During the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, being near the country's financial and political centre meant proximity to the "Green Line" the demarcation zone between east and west Beirut. The post-war reconstruction of the downtown area that began in the 1990s has embraced the northern parts of Zokak el-Blat and deeply affected the architectural and functional aspects of the whole quarter. The aim of this research project has been to conduct a comprehensive survey of the architectural, social and economic structures of this quarter -past and present - and to analyse the factors and processes that have conditioned its transformation. We consider Zokak el-Blat a geographically bounded space in which high levels of migration and social, ethnic and confessional heterogeneity have structured the process of urban development. The quarter acts as a microcosm of the history of modern Beirut and of the trials and tribulations of an urban society in the throes of post-war reconstruction. Good copy. ISBN 3899134516