How do companies sway over cities? An example from Beirut, in which a single company – owned by the Prime Minister’s family – has rebuilt the entire downtown area after the war. My newest in the daily taz.

Beirut’s anomaly lies between a long concrete bridge and the Mediterranean. The city’s core stretches out between them. Paved paths with concrete blocks as tripping hazards become large walkways, house facades riddled with holes from the war disappear, giving way to concrete high-rises with glass facades.

Neo-capitalist economy, cultural diversity, religious diversity and Lebanese history determine the urban design in Beirut. But not the city center, which is made of one piece. Because it is firmly in the hands of just one company: Solidere.