Urbanism studio Beirut-NYC

[2011]

City as Lab was a collaborative design research seminar based simultaneously in Beirut and New York City focused on mapping, diagramming and improving the quality of life and civic engagement surrounding the production and consumption of local agriculture and food products. By mapping the food networks that sustain global cities like Beirut and NYC, students analyzed existing resilience and new opportunities for increased sustainability. The case studies were the locally produced food networks in both cities, in particular the social, built, and ecological networks connected to the Union Square farmers’ market in New York and the Souk El Tayeb market in Beirut. The final exploration for this studio gathered all students in Beirut to envision a downtown site as an opportunity for affordable housing in close proximity to food production, consumption, and distribution.