Mending the Broken City: Grafting the Village Towards Regenerating Damaged Urban Environments

Abstract

Pre-war Beirut was characteristic of a typical Mediterranean urban fabric with its densely packed low-rise buildings and a cultural scene that saw public program mixed homogeneously with dwelling and other civic functions, influential of the social stability that existed within the environment. These issues question the development of modern ways of living focused on the rigid organization of program. This thesis analyzes how housing models can be used as a method of healing in regions affected by social instability resulting from conflict or trauma. It considers how the contemporary integration of program within an urban environment - based on historical ideas of the village typology - can develop a path towards reconciliation and regenerate damaged urban environments, solidifying the role of combining dwelling and public program to facilitate the regeneration of Beirut, and other landscapes that have seen similar changes in recent history.