Post-war reconstruction. Participatory approaches to rebuilding the damaged villages of Lebanon: a case study of al-Burjain

This paper focuses on the reconstruction of war-damaged villages in Lebanon destroyed during the civil war (1975–1991). It presents a holistic approach that considers the complexity of socio-economic, cultural and organisational issues involved in shaping the built environment, in contrast to conventional top–down approaches, which concentrate largely on physical aspects. Therefore, the paper attempts to gain an insight into the socio-cultural conditions of the communities prior to disaster and into the specific situations, which emerged after the destruction of the villages. This will be illustrated by means of a detailed case study of one Lebanese village—namely al Burjain. It develops an understanding of the conditions of the people, their needs and perceptions about rebuilding the village and derives the specific and general principles that should guide the reconstruction process. The paper is based on fieldwork, which employs a qualitative approach that offers flexibility and suits the practical conditions in the field. This allows dynamic discussions with the community under study and permits better understanding of the local conditions. The developmental approach proposed for reconstruction presents principles and good practices appropriate for rebuilding the villages in Lebanon in particular and in similar reconstruction contexts in general.