Charaani Public Stairs / Emergent Vernacular Architecture (EVA Studio)

The Chaarani stairs are a UN-Habitat-funded public space project located in Qobbe, a low-income neighbourhood in Tripoli, Lebanon. Designed by EVA Studio and implemented by Solidarites International, the project consists of the rehabilitation of public stairs that run through the neighbourhood. These stairs are structurally vulnerable to flooding and other challenges, but are a key access as they connect this neighbourhood to Tripoli’s historic centre and the souks. The project takes on different challenges: from urban displacement and social integration between the host Lebanese community and Syrian refugees (who in this neighbourhood make up approximately 15% of the population) to post-conflict recovery. Located in close proximity to recent clashes between residents of two neigbouring areas, Jabal Mohsen and Tabanneh, inter-communal tensions and sectarian lines are layered, sometimes spilling over across invisible lines.