Rabih Borji

East Wastani Proposal

Sidon, Lebanon | 2014

Overview:

The Municipality of Saida is embarking on a critical urban development project focused on one of the city’s last remaining green spaces. This initiative aims to balance the preservation of valuable cultural landscapes and green assets with the necessity for equitable, sustainable growth. By implementing a comprehensive Master Plan and Land Pooling and Subdivision Project, we aspire to meet the needs of lower-income communities while maintaining environmental and cultural integrity.

Key Challenges:

  1. Environmental Preservation: The project addresses the risk posed by indiscriminate urbanization to the Wastani district’s vital green spaces and cultural landscapes.
  2. Social Equity: A critical issue is to ensure that the economic responsibility for the public good is equitably distributed among landowners and stakeholders.
  3. Community Involvement: Successful implementation necessitates active participation from local stakeholders and academic institutions.
  4. Balanced Zoning: The demand for diverse land-use typologies, particularly for lower-income groups, requires thoughtful planning and zoning strategies.

Recommended Strategies:

  1. Mitigating Solutions: Introduction of stringent developmental guidelines to protect the existing natural and cultural assets.
  2. Equitable Zoning: Implementation of a diversified zoning plan that caters to the demands of lower-income communities, while preserving critical green spaces.
  3. Redistribution of Development Rights: To prevent undue burden on specific landowners, the larger scheme proposes redistributing developmental rights to less sensitive zones within the city.
  4. Community Engagement: The project employs a participatory approach, involving key stakeholders and leading universities in Lebanon, ensuring that the community’s interests are represented.
  5. Fiscal Responsibility: Strategies for transferring some economic responsibilities to less critical areas of the city, thereby achieving a win-win situation for all parties involved.

By employing these strategies, this urban development project aims to create a harmonious blend of sustainable growth and preservation for Saida’s Wastani district, leveraging its status as the last significant land opportunity within the city’s municipal territory.