Sidon is the third city of Lebanon, located to the south of Beirut. This
coastal town backed by a mountain range occupies the position of capital of the
southern region of Lebanon. The planning work that Michel Écochard puts to work in his proposals for
the city of Sidon is characteristic of the approach and the solutions applied
to post-war planning. Before putting into effect a development plan for the
city of Sidon, the team put together by Écochard tackled the overall problem of
the extent of the city’s territorial influence in relation to the surrounding
countryside. The layout of Sidon is coordinated with a broader regional
development, taking into account mountain villages. The proposals are part of
what he describes as major capital projects involving the whole territory, such
as the electrical power project or that of irrigation.
Three big elements encapsulate the plan: planning and highways on a
regional scale; the “remodelling” of the old town; and new extensions, notably
the creation of a “new city”. The new layout of the old town is summed up by the clearing and
improvement of historic monuments, notably through attributing new administrative
or commercial functions to them, in order to confirm the cultural,
administrative and economic role of the old town. The destruction of particular
neighborhoods on the seafront allowed for a lowering of population densities
and a cleaning-up of the area. The development of the port and its boundaries,
which are extended to the north by the demolition of the warehouse area, which
represented a difficult to organize mess, in favour of a warehouse and
commercial district “logically organised” around Khan el-Rouz.
A large highway for heavy north-south traffic is included as part of a
regional study. Another route connects the city to the mountains. Écochard, who
put forward the hypothesis of a coastal highway project for Lebanon – for which
a study would be entrusted to him three years later – also proposed the idea of
an international highway through the Bekaa. Large routes of communication to
the docks, which “will be given a new life”, connecting them to the road from
Beirut-Tyre, via a new road for 17 miles along the north part of the French
Khan. Secondly, through the creation of a new road by the sea, extending from
Aïn-Heloué and leading to the southern part of the docks, after skirting, in
the west, the walls of the great mosque, the objective is to establish a
closure of the large roads coming from Beirut and the mountains.at the central
square in front of the docks.
The new extensions accommodated the displaced residents of the old town
and represented future growth areas. The location was chosen so as not to
affect fruit crops, making the case for the “the old tradition” of a maritime
town and a town above: the new town of Aïn Héloué, with its green areas, public
buildings, and its placement of apartment blocks, villas and organised
habitations.
A zoning plan foresaw an industrial area located at the edge fo the sea
to the south of the city, particularly for the processing of agricultural
products. A zone is also reserved for the clearance of areas around
archaeological sites, one for exhibitions and fairs, and finally one for sports
and leisure. Planted zones are conserved and protected. These developments were
meant to allow the city to play a leading role in planning for southern Lebanon
and to support rural areas as well.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
