This thesis describes, conceptualizes and explains the division in post-war Beirut, Lebanon based on religious distribution. Its main objectives are to contribute to the literature of segregated cities by (1) conceptualizing division practiced by individuals of different religious backgrounds in the post-war city of Beirut, (2) explaining the logic behind this phenomenon of division and revealing the harmony or paradox between perceived, conceived and lived spaces of the city and (3) proposing a spatial intervention that responds to the discussed division, by that introducing a new vision for a sustainable urban strategy in Beirut.
A discussion is raised about the relationship between perceived, conceived and lived spaces as per Lefebvre’s analysis of the social construction of space. These classifications conceptualize the condition of the urban fabric and explain the process of transformation the spatial fabric underwent after the Lebanese civil war (after 1990). It goes on to confirm that Beirut is a divided city in the eyes of its own dwellers, later to reveal a hidden reality that affirms the existence of commonalities.