“We need a new spatial contract. In the context of widening political divides and growing economic inequalities, we call on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together”. In his curatorial statement Hashim Sarkis, goes on by calling on the need for more inclusive social housing and equipment or for more connective urban and territorial tissue remains as pressing in emerging economies as in advanced ones.
As cities struggle to adapt to the changes in society, culture, technology and the economy, new types of urbanism intriguingly manifest themselves as necessary tools for its re-naturalization. Today’s understanding of dense cities has shifted to a broader concept that recognizes the value of less formal leftover spaces and the daily interactions that occur in them.
It is through this manifestation and the emergence of a more dynamic, flexible or adaptive urbanism, that the city could become more responsive to new needs, demands and the preferences of its users.
Within the context of a growing urbanization on a territory that can no longer accommodate such growth, Municipal Beirut finds within its realm an urban resource that can no longer be ignored. This year’s theme will be focused on an inquiry into the role of leftover or residual space, regarding their values and potentialities for the consolidation of the city, based on their contribution to the public realm. Municipal Beirut holds within its urban fabric a high number of residual or leftover spaces , an unexploited urban land and a potentially fertile resources.