Linord, Beirut, LB
Anastassia Nikolaou 

Linord is a project in Beirut suburbs that was never completed. It was part of a scheme to clean up the coastal area of the north side of Beirut between the rivers Nahr Beirut and Nahr Antelias. Despite being a positive point in converting a big area of waste dumps into a District Park, the project was abandoned. The location is in Dbayeh, a small town of 24.5000 inhabitants outside of Beirut with commercial character. La Marina, a local resort with facilities for boating and shopping, attracted many tourists to  Dbayeh, bringing economical growth to the area. Waterfront City is located around the Joseph Khoury Marina and is trying to upgrade the area by accomodating multiple residential and office buildings, as well as playgrounds for kids, shopping mall areas, bar and restaurants. Main goal is to create a seaside promenade designed to reinforce Lebanon’s position as an economical hub and regional beacon of progress. Although Waterfront Cityaimed at the area’s prosperity and development, it has been generally criticized for the luxurious and expensive lifestyle it promotes which contradicts to the everyday life in Beirut and everywhere throughout Lebanon.

Littoral Oddities 

Once, Linord was a promising area outside Beirut. However, after many failed attempts to make it a better place, it remained a secluded area, a ghost town that was more of a border between the mountain and the sea. Thus, the land of Linord was taken over by the sea, leaving only a part of it. It was about time that people took over the situation and decided to create a new ground that rises many meters above the old ground. An air bridge connects the new ground with the rest of the town, that reaches the foothills of the mountain, where the residential area begins. Freedom becomes a priority in that new area is and strakly contrasts to previous projects that only aimed at the profitable growth of the area. Now, people are brought together and an urban area is turned into an agricultural space.