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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that make Beirut a fashion hub by studying the characteristics of creativity and the role of the different stakeholders in setting an environment that encourages creativity in Beirut.

The methodology of this research is based on a literature review and information collected through semi-structured interviews with the different stakeholders of the sector.

The research reveals three results. First, this dynamic fashion design in Beirut is explained by the international success of some Lebanese fashion designers. Second, as there is an absence of any form of governmental intervention, the development of the sector is totally based on private business initiatives. Third, the research demonstrates the importance of the local culture, knowledge exchanges and lifestyle in shaping creativity and designers’ careers in Beirut.

These findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of fashion design in Beirut, which would have several policy implications.

Ambulance response time is an important factor in saving lives and is highly linked with the ambulance location problem. The Maximum Expected Covering Location Problem (MEXCLP), introduced by Daskin (1983), is one of the most used ambulance location models that maximize the probability of stratifying demands for emergency medical service (EMS) centers. Due to huge increase in the operational costs of EMS centers, ambulance location models must consider the cost of coverage and the opportunity to use other companies’ private ambulances to answer emergency calls. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In this paper, the authors propose to extend the MEXCLP to a bi-objective optimization problem where the cost of satisfying emergency calls is minimized.

The proposed model is tested using data retrieved from the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) in Beirut capital of Lebanon. The reported findings show significant enhancements in the results where the LRC can fully satisfy the perceived demands from all areas in Beirut within 9 min with an affordable cost.

The model is a first attempt to reduce operational costs of EMS centers while constraining the response time to satisfy emergency calls at an acceptable rate.

This paper aims to present a novel approach for assessing the resilience of transportation road infrastructure against different failure scenarios based on the topological properties of the network. The approach is implemented in the context of developing countries where data scarcity is the norm, taking the capital city of Beirut as a case study.

The approach is based on the graph theory concepts and uses spatial data and urban network analysis toolbox to estimate the resilience under random and rank-ordering failure scenarios. The quantitative approach is applied to statistically model the topological graph properties, centralities and appropriate resilience metrics.

The research approach is able to provide a unique insight into the network configuration in terms of resilience against failures. The road network of Beirut, with an average nodal degree of three, turns to act more similarly to a random graph when exposed to failures. Topological parameters, connectivity and density indices of the network decline through disruptions while revealing an entire dependence on the state of nodes. The Beirut random network responds similarly to random and targeted removals. Critical network components are highlighted following the approach.

The approach is limited to an undirected and weighted specific graph of Beirut where the capacity to collect and process the necessary data in such context is limited.

Decision-makers are better able to direct and optimize resources by prioritizing the critical network components, therefore reducing the failure-induced downtime in the functionality.

The resilience of Beirut transportation network is quantified uniquely through graph theory under various node removal modes.

Urban tropospheric ozone (O₃) concentrations can reach 40 folds its background level due to traffic‐induced emissions and extensive industrial activities. As such, O₃ has become a pervasive air pollution problem in urban areas despite major efforts to control its precursors. In this paper, O₃ formation mechanisms are briefly described, countrywide emissions with emphasis on O₃ precursors are summarized, and field measurements of O₃ background levels and its precursors in an urban area are presented. Simulation results using a photochemical air quality model including a sensitivity analysis with respect to design ratios and mixing heights are then presented. Mitigation alternatives and policies to control O₃ formation are examined in the context of country‐specific characteristics.

Amidst the debates on the death or resurgence of public spaces emerges a significant question: how could public spaces that function at different urban scales and cater for diverse collective needs be provided? This article explores the roles and potentials of temporary public spaces in meeting diverse challenges related to the supply and use of urban open spaces. Positioning temporary public spaces within the literature on non-conventional public spaces is conducted with the purpose of identifying those spaces' characteristics. The proposed definition of temporary public spaces is based on their dynamic status of use-rights. Moreover, a conceptual framework based on urban land economics and bid rent theory is used to explain how such spaces transform under the exchange of temporary use-rights to activate vacant urban lots for public activities. This conceptual framework is applied in the case of a grass root approach to the supply of temporary public spaces. The context is Beirut, a city that has lost its public spaces due to wars and is trying to reintroduce them through different supply mechanisms. The examples illustrate how homogeneous urban spaces are identified over time and converted into heterogeneous and lively temporary public spaces. These contribute towards conviviality in a highly fragmented and multi-cultural society and animate everyday urban life.

Water‐related diseases are a human tragedy, resulting in millions of deaths each year, preventing millions more from leading healthy lives, and undermining development efforts by burdening the society with substantial socio‐economic costs. This problem is of great significance in developing countries, where polluted water, water shortages, and unsanitary living conditions prevail. This paper presents a case study on a health‐based socio‐economic assessment of drinking water quality in Lebanon, based on relevant valuation approaches and available country‐specific data. The assessment revealed that the potential health and economic benefits due to water and sanitation improvements can be significant (0.15‐3.35 percent of GDP).

Robotic industrial applications are very well established in the manufacturing industry, while they are relatively in their infancy phase in the construction sector. The need for automation in construction is clear especially in repetitive tasks. The excavation process, which is generally critical in most construction projects, is a prime example of such tasks. This paper addresses automation assistance in excavation. The work utilized the robotics approach towards the automation of a typical excavator model, whose structure closely resembled that of an industrial manipulator. A simulation package using Matlab was developed using several embedded design and analysis tools. Emulation was also carried out on the RHINO educational robot to confirm the simulation results. The constructed simulation package offered an integrated environment for trajectory design and analysis for an excavator while addressing the constraints related to the excavator structure, safety and stability, and mode of application.

By looking at a selection of iconic modern projects designed by or commissioned to the prominent but not well-examined architect Sami Abdul Baki both in Lebanon and Kuwait during his most productive years in the 50s, this paper attempts to identify first main trends, influences and ideologies that shaped these works at the peak of modern architectural development in the region. Through these examples, the paper then aims at retracing predominant trajectories of intellectual capital exchange and transfer of knowledge between Lebanon and Kuwait. These can go far beyond their territorial boundaries, without claiming a single grand-narrative that describes the modern architectural development in any of the two countries.

The data collected from discourse analysis, interviews and biographical notes were mapped into a schematic diagram illustrating a complex network of connections and multidisciplinary involvement in projects.

However, the outcome did not generate a dominant theme for the projects or expertise of the architect.

It is very likely that Sami Abdul Baki's strong political dimension and quality as a mediator or facilitator in addition to his strong network of contacts played a significant role in the project commissions that he has won as an architect/engineer in Kuwait, Lebanon, Germany and other countries.

The construction industry is dynamic and often unregulated due to its complex, project-based nature. This makes the task of implementing human resource management (HRM) functions more difficult than in other economic sectors. This is particularly the case for developing countries which rely on a migrant, casual, and transient workforce. Despite offering flexibility, a transient workforce can lead to unpredictable rates of absenteeism and unsatisfactory productivity. This paper links HRM practices in the construction industry of the developing world to rates of absenteeism across three segments of the construction workforce – foremen, skilled workers, and unskilled workers. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A survey targeting 60 construction sites in Beirut, Lebanon form the basis of the analysis. Within each site, measures of absenteeism for foremen, skilled, and unskilled workers were solicited along with other data on HRM onsite.

The results suggest a regression model for worker absenteeism based on tenure of work as well as the absenteeism of workers at the next hierarchical level onsite.

This study is among the first to show a link between the mechanisms by which construction workers are employed (contract-based foremen vs daily/weekly labourers – both skilled and unskilled) and the rate of absenteeism seen onsite. Given the role of absenteeism in construction productivity, having a good understanding of the underlying causes of absenteeism is critical to the design of mitigating policies.

Health-care simulation has evolved rapidly in the past few decades; it has become an integral component of education and training to improve the efficacy of both individuals and teams. Designing an optimal simulation-based learning space is a multitiered and multidisciplinary process involving architects, engineers and simulation educators. The purpose of this paper is to present the experience of designing a simulation center for a tertiary academic hospital.

The study is based on an in-depth analysis of the final structural blueprint of the center and qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with persons involved in the design process

Thematic analysis led to three thematic categories, namely, organization of space, equipment and administrative and staff requirements.

The paper describes the experience of designing one center within an academic tertiary setting. This experience may lack external validity and generalizability. Moreover, the operationality and functionality of the center have not been studied yet. Finally, the interviewees were interviewed post-design, which may pose as recall bias.

For future simulationists or educators attempting to undertake a simulation center design, this paper will help guide them to anticipate the needed human and technical resources and potential challenges.

The study offers recommendations meant to guide others attempting to design a simulation center within an academic institution.