In the aftermath of the succession of abortive planning schemes and the indiscriminate destruction of war (1975-1991), it is the self-inflicted pattern of destruction that has caused the most damage to the urban fabric of Beirut, Lebanon: the reconstruction process itself. Through the examination of pre- and postwar plans and strategies, this study establishes destruction as a framework in the urban history of Beirut. The eradication of cultural heritage and urban memory is evident in the demolition of half the city fabric and the privatization of reconstruction, and continues through the implementation of the proposed market-led rebuilding strategy. / This thesis frames the reconstruction of Beirut within comparative methodologies of urban rebuilding in the twentieth century, namely those of post-W.W.II Europe (as manifested in Warsaw and Rotterdam) and those of contemporary market-led urban regeneration (as exemplified by London Docklands). As a critique of the proposed rebuilding of Beirut, it contributes to the re-negotiation of the process and policy of urban reconstruction at the national and international levels.

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