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 approac h that considers the complexity of socio-economic, cultural and organisatio nal issues involved in shaping the built environment, in contrast to conven tional top-down approaches, which concentrate largely on physical aspects. Therefore, the paper attempts to gain an insight into the socio-cultural co nditions of the communities prior to disaster and into the specific situati ons, which emerged after the destruction of the villages. This will be illu strated by means of a detailed case study of one Lebanese village-namely al Burjain. It develops an understanding of the conditions of the people, the ir needs and perceptions about rebuilding the village and derives the speci fic and general principles that should guide the reconstruction process. Th e paper is based on fieldwork, which employs a qualitative approach that of fers flexibility and suits the practical conditions in the field. This allo ws dynamic discussions with the community under study and permits better un derstanding of the local conditions. The developmental approach proposed fo r reconstruction presents principles and good practices appropriate for reb uilding the villages in Lebanon in particular and in similar reconstruction contexts in general. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.