Borderless City. Port of Beirut

On the 4th of August 2020, a devastating explosion rocked a city to the core that was already frail to begin with. Beirut has witnessed great efforts to restore it, residents have been outspoken and strong beyond belief. And still, the port, where a great crater now lies, is hard to bare. For that reason, any intervention seeking to profit off of said circumstances seemed reductive and exhibitionist. Borderless City aims to instead rejuvenate the port and its neighbouring district, Karantina, in their existing functions, in an effort to rid them of their status as ‘outskirts to the city center’ and link them to an already existing, rich urban fabric.

Under the Institute for Urban Planning at the Technical University of Vienna (Professors Jan Ackenhausen and Ute Schneider), and in light of the international design competition held by Inspireli, we developed a proposal centred around the reclaiming of public space, and the transformation of borders (in a city that has so many) into spaces of community and acceptance.