Downtown Beirut must get itself some character

BEIRUT - What does the word "Central" stand for in the naming of the "Beirut Central District (BCD)?"

Without going into any urban planning argumentation, an average Beirut resident or a visiting tourist would immediately notice the schism between Beirut and its "Central District."

You would jump into the argument that the area is entirely renovated, that it should be a model for the rest of the city, and that we have great hopes of passing on this experience to the rest of the towns and villages destroyed by the 15-year civil war.

But this is not what the author of these lines has in mind.

Geographically speaking, the BCD is not central in Beirut. The central area, in terms of location, should be somewhere in the northern area between the Riviera Hotel and the Beirut River. Looking at a Beirut map, the central Beirut spot would be somewhere in Msaytbeh.

Historically speaking, what is today known as BCD, or the downtown Beirut area, is known for being the origin of the Lebanese capital. That is the earliest settlement from which other Beirut areas later spread in all directions in order to take its present form. Therefore, BCD might be as well called the Beirut Original District.

Politically speaking, and due to the concentration of the legislative and executive branches of the political establishment in BCD, one would consider BCD to be the center of gravity.

Financially speaking, it is also the place where the most prestigious Lebanese and foreign companies maintain offices in the city.

On the spiritual level, one could say that the fierce competition between mosques and churches invading the BCD landscape would make this area a central one too.

But central should not exclusively mean the center of the country's political, financial, and religious establishments.

In other capitals, downtown is not only the old quarter but also forms the link between all the quarters.

By "link" we mean a link connecting all classes and a link bringing the segregated geographic communities together in a divided country like this one.

A central district has to welcome all the city's residents especially those who do not have much space to spend their pastime other than public areas. Those are the underprivileged or the deprived citizens.

Not every citizen, whatever this notion mean in a third country, can have lunch or a drink in say the Maarad Street in BCD where the average price for lunch is some $15 and for a drink is $10.

Not every citizen who owns a business or a young entrepreneur can afford to have a 30-meter-squared office in the Foch or the Uruguay Streets.

We are living in a city, which unlike what most would want to believe, does not have an actual downtown area.

Reconstruction transformed the former downtown Beirut into a brand new Quartier des Affaires such as Wall Street in New York or the Le Quartier de Defense in Paris.

Inflated real estate prices and unaffordable rent rates made only top of the line business companies, prestigious cafes and restaurants be able to afford to be there.

Most shops here sell souvenirs and are tourist-oriented places where prices of goods are beyond the reach of average taxpayers. Where are the cheap hotels for young bag packers and tourists. Where are the small offices for young entrepreneurs?

Maybe all of these "underprivileged" people should find themselves affordable areas and this would definitely be in areas such as Msaytbeh.

Kamal Sanjakdar is the Editor-in-Chief of Alternative