Beirut: After the Dust Settles with Christele Harrouk + Salim Rouhana

Design and the City

"It only took a couple of seconds to destroy 40% of the city of Beirut on August 4th, 2020. A couple of trivial seconds were enough to determine the fate of the urban and social fabric of the Lebanese capital and its architectural heritage. Years and years of accumulated cultural assets fell instantly in distress, causing more harm than the infamous 15-year civil war. These seconds have erased the past, present, and destroyed future aspirations." Words taken from Christele Harrouk’s article published in ArchDaily just one month after Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, sustained two catastrophic blasts that left the north side of the city in ruins, just 6 months ago.

We spoke to managing ArchDaily editor, Christele Harrouk and World Bank's Salim Rouhana on their experiences of the Beirut explosions and their perspectives on what rebuilding the Lebanese capital could look like after such an unbelievable event. If there’s one thing we’ve taken away from both their powerful testimonies, it’s this bright, bold hope that seems to be rising from the dust, by way of the Lebanese people—a hope that feels very much alive.

Referenced works from Christele Harrouk, ArchDaily:

+ Beirut: Between a Threatened Architectural Heritage and a Traumatized Collective Memory
+ The Contemporary Approach to Rebuilding Cities Post-Disaster: The Case of Beirut

Referenced works from Salim Rouhana, World Bank Group:

+ Beirut Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA)
+ Lebanon Reform, Recovery & Reconstruction Framework (3RF)

Design and the City, is a podcast produced by reSITE about the ways we can use design to make cities more livable and lovable. reSITE is a global non-profit and platform connecting people and ideas to improve the urban environment. We work at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, politics, culture, and economics, acting as a catalyst for social action and innovative leadership. We encourage the exchange of ideas about making cities more livable, competitive, resilient, inclusive, mobile, and designed with humans in mind to protect and public space, architecture, and sustainable development in cities.

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This podcast was produced by Alexandra Siebenthal, with support from Martin Barry, Radka Ondrackova, Elizabeth Mills, and Elizabeth Novacek. It was recorded at WeWork Prague, with the support of the Czech Ministry of Culture and Nano Energies, and edited by LittleBig Studio. Album art photo by Rami Rizk.