Competition for Housing Alternatives in Beirut

“Competition for Housing Alternatives in Beirut”: Following the new rent law of 2014 that put the housing security of over a quarter of Beirut's residents at risk, Public Works and other organizations started to research the impact of market-driven developments and policies on residential rights and the creation of social and spatial injustice, that often resulted in the displacement of low and middle-income families. Building on its extensive research conducted in 2015-2016 about housing, Public Works is working towards a housing competition that would act as a platform to advocate for affordable housing and the right of long-time residents to remain in the city. The competition seeks innovative and alternative ideas that challenge the dominating model of urban development and address the displacement of low and middle income residents. It is an open call for architects, urbanists, and planners to articulate a framework of intervention that would respond to the challenge of affordable housing and alternative building practices that preserve the city's social fabric and cater for low and middle income inhabitants.