Ricerc@Sapienza

In Lebanon, rapid urbanization, poor management, and unequal development of urban areas have contributed to the growth of informality and the creation of underserviced urban neighbourhoods around big cities, where 53% of the urban population lives (World Bank, 2005). The construction of most informal settlements in Beirut dates from the late 1940s until 1975, when rural migrants arrived in the city and constructed their own houses, first on public properties, until they became able to buy their own private terrains.