Beirut is a fascinating example of modern city building, and the authors' insights into its urban redevelopment apply to other places as well.  Pressing contemporary issues, such as the resolution and celebration of social pluralism and multiculturalism, as well as historic preservation, conservation, and the integration of historic archaeological sites into contemporary urban life are also brought into focus.  In Beirut and elsewhere, it is a matter of building upon what is already there, of acknowledging and preserving the past while progressing into the future, and of deciding what consititutes an appropriate urban-architectural heritage. 

This informative book is divided into six parts which deal with Beirut's urban history and archaeology, modern architecture, and planning, together with the socio-economic framework for reconstruction and the social and political backdrop to which urban projects must respond.  A final section summarizes the important issues to be confronted in the present reconstruction of Beirut and its future as a flourishing Mediterranean city.  The volume is illustrated throughout with original archival material, including photographs and drawings. 

Contents

 Acknowledgments 

Introduction: Projecting Beirut
     by Peter G. Rowe and Hashim Sarkis

Section One 
The Urban History and Archaeology of Beirut
The Interplay of History and Archaeology in Beirut 
     by Nasser Rabbat
"Your Beirut is on My Desk," Ottomanizing Beirut under Sultan Abdülhamid II (1876-1909) 
     by Jens Hanssen
On Solidere's Motto: "Beirut: Ancient city of the Future," 
     by Farès el-Dahdah

Section Two 
The Modern Archtecture of Beirut
Modern Beirut 
     by K. Michael Hays
From Colonial Style to Regional Revitalism: 
Modern Architecture in Lebanon and the Problem of Cultural Identity 
     by Jad Tabet
The Work and Influence of Michael Ecochard in Lebanon 
     by Marlène Ghorayeb
The Role of Government in Shaping the Built Environment 
     by Assem Salam

Section Three 
The Socio-Economic Framework for the Reconstruction of Beirut
Spatial Aspects and Socio-Economic Processes 
     by Peter G. Rowe
Contested Space and the Forging of New Cultural Identities 
     by Samir Khalaf
The Macroeconomic Basis of Reconstruction 
     by Freddie C. Baz
Transforming the Site of Dereliction into the Urban Culture of Modernity: Beirut's Southern Suburb and Elisar Project 
     by Mona Harb el-Kak

Section Four 
The Postwar Planning of Beirut
The Postwar Project 
     by Rodolphe el-Khoury
Dances with Margaret Mead: Planning Beirut since 1958 
     by Hashim Sarkis
The Northern Sector: Projects and Plans at Sea 
     by Joumana Ghandour Atallah
Heart of Beirut: Making the Master Plan for the renewal of the Central District 
    by Angus Gavin

Section Five 
Recent Projects in Beirut
Beirut and the Facts of Myth 
     by Jorge Silvetti
Public Space as Infrastructure: 
The Case of the Postwar Reconstruction of Beirut 
     by Oussama R. Kabbani
Beirut Sublime 
     by Rodolphe el-Khoury
The Souks of Beirut 
     by Rafael Moneo

Section Six 
Prospects and a Vision for Urban Beirut
The Age of Physical Reconstruction 
     by Hashim Sarkis and Peter G. Rowe
From the Geography of Fear to a Geography of Hope 
     by H. E. Ghassan Tuéni

Biographical Notes on the Authors