Thesis (M.U.P.P.)--American University of Beirut, Dept. of Architecture and Design,, 2011
The Palestinians refugees of Lebanon are faced by a sequence of marginalizing laws which ban thei... more The Palestinians refugees of Lebanon are faced by a sequence of marginalizing laws which ban their basic civil and human rights. In the shadow of these laws, the Palestinians are pushed to find their own means to overcome the hard economic, social and political situations. In this thesis I am focusing on the repercussions of the exclusionary law which have restricted Palestinian entitlements to property in Lebanon. To bypass this law, the Palestinians are pushed to find alternative ways for forging their space in the Lebanese territories. They usually rely on a mix of formal and informal tools to acquire lands and houses. However, this thesis reveals that the security of tenure of the refugees remains threatened by the discriminative strategies and policies adopted by the Lebanese state.
The thesis shows how a Palestinian informal settlement, Nahr el Bared Camp Extension, was able to develop in a rural context, where the presence of central government’s institutions is limited. The development of this settlement followed similar trends of informal settlement development in third world countries; a self sustained system had developed over the years to regulate and structure the development of this settlement. This system followed a set of locally established rules and regulations, and was shaped by local actors and institutions. The thesis argues that the informal land tenure system of NBCE was generally functioning efficiently in the pre-war era, and providing a high de-facto security of tenure for the dwellers. This security relied on a hybrid mix of formal and informal practices, and on the social network sustaining these practices. However, this system was majorly destabilized by two events, both resulting from a conflict with the Lebanese state: the first is the issuing of the 2001 law which denied ownership to all Palestinians, and hence, equalized, in theory, the informal and the formal tenures. This Law did not interrupt the functioning of the system, but rather pushed it towards more informality. The second event, which had a much greater effect on this informal system, was the 2007 conflict that was followed by a major shift of public policy towards the settlement. My findings indicate that the central state’s policies in the post-conflict era interrupted the functioning of this informal system, destabilized it, and exposed its vulnerability vis-à-vis the state. But as the thesis has also established, the 2007 conflict revealed as well some strengths of this system.
Uploads
Papers by Rana Hassan
For the purpose of extracting all possible lessons from the experience of Nahr el Bared, there seems to be a need to look at each of the experiences of the old and new camp independently. The two settlements have suffered different circumstances of the war, and their process of reconstruction differs according to their different legal, political and spatial characteristics.
This study focuses on the section that is known today as the “New Camp” or the “Adjacent Area”. The experience of the New Camp reveals the high level of vulnerability of Palestinian gatherings, especially the ones resulting from the repercussions of the 2001 ownership law that denies the Palestinians from acquiring real estate property on Lebanese territories. By looking at this area this paper attempts to understand how a Palestinian gathering could develop in the shadow of the exclusionary laws.
The thesis shows how a Palestinian informal settlement, Nahr el Bared Camp Extension, was able to develop in a rural context, where the presence of central government’s institutions is limited. The development of this settlement followed similar trends of informal settlement development in third world countries; a self sustained system had developed over the years to regulate and structure the development of this settlement. This system followed a set of locally established rules and regulations, and was shaped by local actors and institutions. The thesis argues that the informal land tenure system of NBCE was generally functioning efficiently in the pre-war era, and providing a high de-facto security of tenure for the dwellers. This security relied on a hybrid mix of formal and informal practices, and on the social network sustaining these practices. However, this system was majorly destabilized by two events, both resulting from a conflict with the Lebanese state: the first is the issuing of the 2001 law which denied ownership to all Palestinians, and hence, equalized, in theory, the informal and the formal tenures. This Law did not interrupt the functioning of the system, but rather pushed it towards more informality. The second event, which had a much greater effect on this informal system, was the 2007 conflict that was followed by a major shift of public policy towards the settlement. My findings indicate that the central state’s policies in the post-conflict era interrupted the functioning of this informal system, destabilized it, and exposed its vulnerability vis-à-vis the state. But as the thesis has also established, the 2007 conflict revealed as well some strengths of this system.
For the purpose of extracting all possible lessons from the experience of Nahr el Bared, there seems to be a need to look at each of the experiences of the old and new camp independently. The two settlements have suffered different circumstances of the war, and their process of reconstruction differs according to their different legal, political and spatial characteristics.
This study focuses on the section that is known today as the “New Camp” or the “Adjacent Area”. The experience of the New Camp reveals the high level of vulnerability of Palestinian gatherings, especially the ones resulting from the repercussions of the 2001 ownership law that denies the Palestinians from acquiring real estate property on Lebanese territories. By looking at this area this paper attempts to understand how a Palestinian gathering could develop in the shadow of the exclusionary laws.
The thesis shows how a Palestinian informal settlement, Nahr el Bared Camp Extension, was able to develop in a rural context, where the presence of central government’s institutions is limited. The development of this settlement followed similar trends of informal settlement development in third world countries; a self sustained system had developed over the years to regulate and structure the development of this settlement. This system followed a set of locally established rules and regulations, and was shaped by local actors and institutions. The thesis argues that the informal land tenure system of NBCE was generally functioning efficiently in the pre-war era, and providing a high de-facto security of tenure for the dwellers. This security relied on a hybrid mix of formal and informal practices, and on the social network sustaining these practices. However, this system was majorly destabilized by two events, both resulting from a conflict with the Lebanese state: the first is the issuing of the 2001 law which denied ownership to all Palestinians, and hence, equalized, in theory, the informal and the formal tenures. This Law did not interrupt the functioning of the system, but rather pushed it towards more informality. The second event, which had a much greater effect on this informal system, was the 2007 conflict that was followed by a major shift of public policy towards the settlement. My findings indicate that the central state’s policies in the post-conflict era interrupted the functioning of this informal system, destabilized it, and exposed its vulnerability vis-à-vis the state. But as the thesis has also established, the 2007 conflict revealed as well some strengths of this system.