Why Beirut's seafront is its most honest civic space
The Corniche has done more for Beirut's mental health than any policy ever drafted. On any given evening it carries fishermen, joggers, lovers, narghileh-smokers, the city's entire emotional spectrum, free of charge. Almost everywhere else along the coast, access has been quietly fenced in by resorts, marinas, and military zones. The Corniche is Beirut's last continuous public seam.
Which is why the new 'beautification' tender, with its proposed paid pop-up cafés and 'controlled access nodes,' deserves more scrutiny than it has received. The Corniche works precisely because nobody owns it. The minute it has a turnstile, it has lost.
