Beirut Arab University

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

University and Community Alignment Report | Lebanon

Evidence review updated 19 October 2026

Understanding the goal

SDG 11 seeks inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable settlements. It addresses mobility, public space, cultural and natural heritage, urban planning and resilience. Universities contribute through the way campuses connect with their surroundings and through research, cultural resources and partnerships that help communities understand and improve the places where they live.

Evidence: United Nations SDG 11 targets

BAU’s contribution

BAU’s relevant work includes transport services, public cultural and library access, open-space rules, research on urban recovery and mobility, and cooperation on heritage. Students participate through design, research and cultural activities; academic staff contribute specialist knowledge; and administrative, library and facilities teams manage the services and places through which public benefit is delivered.

Students staff and community

Students contribute design research, cultural activity and feedback about mobility. Academic staff connect planning and heritage knowledge with local questions. Library, facilities and transport employees manage resources used by the university and visitors. Municipalities, schools and cultural partners help shape the wider community contribution.

Evidence approach: dated activities and research from 2021–2026 are prioritised. Standing services are identified as such; policies and agreements have no date cutoff. Original links accompany the evidence. The final page proposes improvements and does not claim they are already implemented.

Campus mobility and shared spaces

Transport alternatives and bicycle access

BAU publishes transport services to Debbieh, including bus features, accessible seating arrangements and payment methods. This supports an alternative to individual car travel. The published service should not be described as universally free, since the page specifies semester, prepaid-card and cash payment options.

Evidence: BAU parking and transportation services

The Debbieh gym page describes a bicycle-borrowing service that students can use free of charge during stated daytime hours. It is a practical campus resource that can support active movement and recreation. It does not, by itself, establish a protected cycling network between the university and surrounding communities.

Evidence: BAU gym and bicycle borrowing arrangements

Research to understand travel choices

A 2024 study of BAU travel behaviour used 400 responses collected in the 2023–2024 academic year across Beirut and Debbieh. The research examines commuting choices and their implications. It provides an evidence base for planning, rather than proof that a particular mode-share target has already been achieved.

Evidence: Original BAU travel behaviour study published 2024

Green space requires stewardship

BAU’s Open Space Policy protects campus planting, restricts motor vehicles on lawns and assigns maintenance responsibilities. It also allows use to be restricted for maintenance or other conditions. This supports stewardship of shared space but is not a promise of unrestricted public park access at every campus at all times.

Evidence: BAU Open Space Policy and Procedures

Facilities employees make these arrangements work through maintenance, coordination and communication. Students and staff contribute by using space responsibly and reporting barriers. Sustainable mobility and public space are connected: a useful campus plan should consider safe routes, shade, access to destinations and the needs of people with different mobility requirements.

Libraries culture and the public value of university resources

A route to library use

BAU’s onsite book-checking page sets out conditions for external library users. It provides evidence of a route for public access to books and publications under university arrangements. Physical access and onsite consultation should be distinguished from borrowing rights and remote use of licensed electronic resources.

Evidence: BAU onsite book checking arrangements

Library employees contribute more than access to a collection. Guidance in finding and assessing information can help community learners use material effectively. A clear public guide to eligibility, opening hours and any charges would make the service easier to navigate and reduce the risk of a visitor arriving with incorrect expectations.

Free public cultural performances

The BAU Music Club and Drama Club publish free public performance arrangements. These activities allow students to develop creative skills while sharing cultural experiences with audiences beyond their classes. They are a direct connection between student life and community cultural participation.

Evidence: BAU free public Music Club performances | BAU free public Drama Club performances

Recording knowledge about cultural identity

A 2022 BAU architecture journal study by a BAU master’s student examines public spaces and the recovery of cultural identity, including the role of craftsmanship. It treats living practices and livelihoods as part of the character of urban places. The paper develops research and proposals, rather than documenting a completed citywide preservation programme.

Evidence: Original BAU journal craftsmanship preservation study

Cultural heritage includes buildings and objects, but also the knowledge and practices people use. University projects can help record that knowledge with appropriate consent and credit. Students learn to connect spatial design with social meaning, while community contributors retain an important role in interpreting their own heritage.

The public value of these resources depends on practical access and participation. Cultural programmes are stronger when audiences and community contributors can find information, give feedback and help shape future activity. Research on heritage should avoid treating a community as merely a source of material.

Urban recovery and heritage partnerships

Comparative approaches to urban recovery

A 2024 BAU-affiliated urban recovery study compares approaches from Amsterdam and Cairo and develops proposals relevant to Beirut’s Rmeil area. It illustrates international comparison informing a local planning question. The proposals should be presented as research outputs, not as evidence that all interventions were constructed.

Evidence: Original BAU comparative urban recovery study published 2024

BAU also participates in the University of Kassel’s 2023–2025 Urban Acupuncture project. The multinational collaboration examines small interventions and their potential to support wider urban change. It provides a framework for exchanging methods across different settings.

Evidence: University of Kassel multinational Urban Acupuncture project

Public dialogue on the Rashid Karami International Fair

On 13 November 2023, BAU Tripoli hosted a public lecture on the Rashid Karami International Fair as modern World Heritage in danger. The event involved municipal and French planning partners within a wider urban-management cooperation project. It connected academic expertise, local government and heritage discussion.

Evidence: BAU Rashid Karami World Heritage public lecture

Education through damaged architecture

UNESCO’s account of BAU’s 2021 recovery education work describes children learning through architectural models and a programme involving teacher training. It connects damaged urban heritage with education and community recovery after the Beirut blast.

Evidence: UNESCO BAU children and teacher recovery education project

These examples show several routes for a university to contribute to a city: comparative research, project cooperation, public discussion and educational interpretation. Each has a different immediate outcome. A lecture may build understanding, a study may identify options and a community project may create a shared resource. Recording subsequent decisions helps show how the contribution develops.

For students and academic staff, local urban work offers an opportunity to test assumptions against lived experience. For community partners, the university can offer analysis and a setting for discussion. Administrative coordination and continuity are needed so that relationships survive beyond a single course or event.

Urban cooperation with Saida in 2026

On 25 September 2026, BAU signed a three-year agreement with Saida Municipality on urban planning, design and heritage conservation. It covers technical studies, public-space proposals and selected student projects, with municipal data and field support. The agreement is a concrete framework for future cooperation; it does not establish that its proposed urban projects are already completed.

Evidence: BAU and Saida municipal urban cooperation September 2026

Priorities for strengthening the contribution to SDG 11

BAU’s evidence connects campus services with cultural life and urban knowledge. The following recommendations would strengthen the accessibility of shared resources and help follow research and dialogue into practical community outcomes.

Make mobility improvement measurable

A recurring travel survey could use a consistent method and distinguish campuses, students and employees. The university could assess barriers to bus use, walking and cycling, then document actions and changes over time. Safe access should be evaluated alongside cost and emissions so that a transport measure does not disadvantage people who have fewer alternatives.

Connect university resources with community priorities

A public access guide could bring together library, cultural event and open-space arrangements. It should state conditions accurately rather than imply that all facilities are available without restriction. Staff responsible for access need a clear route for answering questions and accommodating practical needs.

Urban and heritage partnerships could publish concise records of the question addressed, participants, outputs and next steps. Research proposals should remain clearly identified until built or adopted. Where community knowledge is recorded, contributors should know how the material will be stored, credited and used.

BAU’s contribution to Sustainable Cities and Communities is strongest when campus resources and academic expertise meet a defined local need. Consistent evidence of access, participation and follow-up would help show how the university supports more inclusive, resilient and culturally rich places.