Sustainable rehabilitation of the built environment in Lebanon

This paper reviews the results from a field survey of the impact of the built environment on the physical environment in the coastal area of Zouk Mosbeh (ZM), Lebanon. This area suffered extensive infrastructure damage and displacement of people during the civil war, followed by unprecedented unplanned urban growth. The survey was undertaken in 2005 and 2006 using a triangulation method which combined semi-structured interviews, designed questionnaires and objective surveys. The survey was not only to analyze the nature and extent of environmental degradation but also was to produce guidance for use by built-environment professionals, practitioners and policy makers for achieving sustainable rehabilitation of the built environment sector in Lebanon. The results suggest that a bottom-up approach to urban management involving all stakeholders in the policy and implementation process is needed to allow them take ownership of the sustainable development process. The outcomes of the field survey also show that only 61% of occupants are generally satisfied with their environment of 77 buildings surveyed in this study, and the measurements of predicted mean vote (PMV) provide general satisfactory comfort conditions according to ISO 7730 and the occupants agree by indicating a satisfactory actual mean vote (AMV). Additionally, the results show environmental sustainability in the Lebanese coastal area is severely undermined by unplanned and unregulated physical development resulting in huge impact on the biophysical environment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.