Beyond Cement – Towards an Altenative Vision for Chekka and Surrounding Towns , Chekka / Libanon

Beyond Cement – Towards an Altenative Vision for Chekka and Surrounding Towns

Organizers
The competition is organized by Public Works Studio in collaboration with the Order of Engineers & Architects in Beirut and Tripoli and under the auspices of the Union of Koura Municipalities.

The competition
The towns of Chekka and Koura today, particularly what is known as the Collar Towns, have become a striking example of the lethal outcome of public policies and poor planning in Lebanon.

The residents of the area remember it as “Green Koura”, as it’s surrounded to the North by the Qadisha Valley and to the South by Nahr al-Jaouz river, which separates its natural coast from the Caza of Batroun, and the al-Asfour and al-Jarada rivers, which are adjacent to green highlands and groves of olives, grapes, figs and the like. The towns of Koura lie atop groundwater originating in Tannourine and which is considered one of the richest water reservoirs in Lebanon. These towns extend all the way to the seashore, where fishing, salt extraction and other maritime activities thrived. These environmental features led to the development of site-specific economic activities, long before Koura’s coast and hinterlands were transformed into an industrial zone haphazardly and erratically littered with factories, companies and quarries.

In 1931, the first cement factory in Lebanon – the Lebanese Cement Company – was built on the coast of the towns of Chekka and el-Heri. Roughly two decades after it began its operations, another cement factory, owned by the Cimenterie Nationale, was built on the coast of Chekka. At the time, there was no such thing as the Ministry of Planning, the Urban Planning Law, or any regulations for land use in Chekka or its surrounding towns, let alone on the national level.

The operations of the cement companies expanded without any form of control, ignoring health and environmental standards, through a number of practices that were authorized by the Lebanese government. All this happened under national policies that greatly contributed to their success and development: in 1993, the Lebanese government banned foreign cement imports, which led to the repeated increase of the price of the ton, under continuous political cover and support. The opening of the cement factories in Chekka coincided with the beginning of operations to extract raw materials from neighboring towns. Unlicensed quarries spread in Koura towns, which led to a rapid deterioration of the environment, and people’s health and livelihoods. Land purchases were a primary factor in the spread of companies and their control over the fate and resources of the area, as they benefited from the economic deprivation and marginalization of the small towns.

The least that can be said about the transformation of the area is that it was overarching and destructive socially, economically and environmentally. Industries failed to become a sustainable alternative to agriculture and maritime activities as primary sources of income. Consequently, and with time, the options available to the area and its residents became very limited, especially in towns surrounding the factories. This pushed residents to call them “Collar Towns” – a term used in arabic (baldat al tawq) when a place is besieged by a hostile entity, and separated from its surroundings from every side.

To counter these transformations and the damage they caused, civil groups and environmental organizations have been leading a prominent movement since the 1990s in Chekka and Koura. During those years, many organizations raised the issue of the pollution caused by factories. Some even published studies underlining the direct environmental harm caused by the emissions of the cement companies and their quarries, including air, ground water, sea water and soil pollution, which also affects people’s health and the flora. Recently, actions intensified and grew to include petitions, sit-ins, filing complaints and lawsuits, seminars and protests. The movement included different social groups, in addition to some municipal councils and the Union of Koura Municipalities, which took up the fight to shut down the illegal quarries owned by the companies.

In this context, and in support of the efforts of the residents and the ongoing movement, Public Works Studio, in collaboration with the Order of Engineers & Architects in Beirut, and Tripoli, and under the auspices of the Union of Koura Municipalities, is pleased to launch an open competition for inclusive alternative solutions that simultaneously address the environment, the local economy and urbanization in Chekka and the Collar Towns. This competition is open to professionals and academic institutions specializing in urban, environmental and agricultural planning, in addition to those with experience in design, social sciences, economics, and public policies. This call invites these professionals to collaborate and put their diverse experiences and backgrounds together to develop proposals and visions that take into account the principles of local development, environmental issues, and residents’ concerns in Chekka, el-Heri, Kefraya, Badbhoun, Kfarhazir, Amioun, Bechmezzine, Fih, and Btorram. We hope that these proposals become a starting point for discussions that can form broad coalitions to advocate for an inclusive and livable environment, and a development vision governed by the principles of social justice, instead of limited economic interests.

Competition type
Open competition

Admission area
International

Participants
This competition is open to professionals and academic institutions specializing in urban, environmental and agricultural planning, in addition to those with experience in design, social sciences, economics, and public policies.

Schedule
Registration deadline: 15 October 2019
Q&A deadline: 15 November 2019
Submission deadline: 14 January 2020
Jury deliberations: 17 January 2020
Results announcement: 21 January 2020
Publication, Exhibition, Conference: February/March 2020

Jury
Raghed Assi Social and local program development manager [UNDP]
Karim Bou Karim – Mechanical Engineer - Head of the Union of Koura Municipalities
Rania Ghosn Associate Professor of Architecture and Urbanism [MIT]
Kanj Hamadeh Assistant professor of agricultural economics and rural development [Lebanese University]
Adib Kfoury Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences [Balamand University] Environment Committee member and advisor [chekka/koura]
Carla Khater, PhD - Associate researcher in National Council for Scientific Research-Lebanon (CNRS-L)
Jala Makhzoumi Professor of landscape architecture/Lebanese Landscape Association LELA, President [Independent Consultant]
Bassam Ziadeh Electrical Engineer - Head OEA North
Nizar Sagiyeh Lawyer , co-founder and executive director [Legal Agenda]
Jad Tabet Architect - Head of OEA Beirut

More information and documents at
www.beyondcement.org