Walking, it has been said, is the ultimate form of sustainable public transportation. Beirut, however, is one of the most pedestrian unfriendly cities in the world. Many streets do not even have sidewalks, and where they exist, they are often broken, or obstructed, or hazardous when wet. In 2010, two units at AUB, the Neighborhood Initiative and the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, joined forces to design Beirut’s first barrier-free walkway on Jeanne d’Arc Street, a major thoroughfare in the university’s neighborhood.
For more information check out IFI's Sustainable...
The current congestion levels in the Beirut Central District (BCD) are not acceptable. These levels are expected to get worse with further development proposed in the BCD and New Waterfront District. Beirut will not be able to economically compete with other cities as it is lacking a comprehensive multi-modal transport system. One way to improve this situation is by introducing a more sustainable transportation system. In addition to reducing congestion levels a sustainable transport system will generate benefits related to: travel time, fewer accidents, a decrease in operational costs of...
Potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and social welfare gains can be achieved from upgrading the bus service in the Greater Beirut Area through a bundle of realistic bus service improvements in the short term. Such improvements will need to be comprehensive in scope and include both improvements in bus level of service attributes (access/egress time, headway, in-vehicle travel time, and number of transfers) and the provision of amenities, including air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. Moreover, such a service needs to be cheaply priced to achieve reasonably high levels of switching...
The world’s transport sector still suffers from unsustainable trends that lead to increased levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There have been efforts, in the Arab world, the United States and Europe, as well as the rest of the world, to tackle the issue. Much work remains to reach a sustainable transport system in the Arab world, but the recommendations presented offer basic guidelines on how to proceed with any sustainable transportation initiative.
For more information check out IFI's Sustainable Transportation Series
Working Paper Series # 24 | October 2014
Operation Protective Edge & Legal RemediesNoura Erakat, Bianca Isaias, and Salmah Rizvi
On 26 August 2014, Israel and Palestinian resistance groups entered into a long-term ceasefire agreement. The terms of the agreement look almost identical to those established in November 2012, including a lack of implementation mechanisms. Indeed, if the parties fail to make these terms more precise and binding, it will be no more than a holding position before Israel’s next assault on the Gaza Strip
Its most significant omission is a commitment to lift Israel’s...
Working Paper Series # 24 | October 2014
Operation Protective Edge & Legal RemediesNoura Erakat, Bianca Isaias, and Salmah Rizvi
On 26 August 2014, Israel and Palestinian resistance groups entered into a long-term ceasefire agreement. The terms of the agreement look almost identical to those established in November 2012, including a lack of implementation mechanisms. Indeed, if the parties fail to make these terms more precise and binding, it will be no more than a holding position before Israel’s next assault on the Gaza Strip
Its most significant omission is a commitment to lift Israel’s...
The growing influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has strained its socio-economic fabric, piling pressure on employment opportunities, housing, trade, and infrastructure capacities (basic services). Tensions between Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities have led to intercommunity clashes, and it thus becomes imperative to identify the indicators of social instability and ways to reduce them.
A research project initiated by Save the Children (SC) and in association with faculty at AUB assessed the social psychological dimensions of Syrians and Lebanese relations in the Bekaa, Sahel...
