ArchDaily recently published an article in which it discussed the impact of public spaces in a country. The author highlighted these spaces as places of expression, providing a venue for protests. The Lebanese revolution was the cover star of the article.
Pictures from the revolution in Lebanon’s Beirut, captured by photographer Rami Rizk, were proudly featured on the Chile-based website that has offices around the world.
After delving briefly into how the Arab Spring took back public spaces, the author brings Beirut’s protests to light.
According to UN-Habitat, the author explained, public spaces make up only 0.5% of the capital city.
With the October 17 revolution, the Lebanese people have been able to take back “the remaining few public areas and reclaimed their streets”.
“People invaded highways, Beirut’s Martyrs’ and Riad Solh squares, as well as adjacent parking lots, to create their own space of resilience, bringing people back to a once privatized city,” the author pointed out.
As of now, people are back in the streets taking control of these public spaces once again.
They are demonstrating, specifically, because the Lebanese lira has plummeted, making daily life a living nightmare.
Protesters are closing roads and gathering in their city squares in hopes that the government feels somehow forced to finally find a solution to the developing disaster.
Following the heated night that also saw the burning down of the Central Bank in Tripoli, an emergency cabinet meeting resulted in the decision to inject dollars into the market in an attempt to save the Lebanese pounds.
With the many crises sinking the country, it is expected that the Lebanese people continue claiming the public spaces as their “places of expression” until effective solutions are implemented and positive outcomes materialize.
