Urban Nightscapes and Nocturnal Imaginaries in Beirut

The night, often competing to assert its significance alongside the day, matters. This almost forgotten temporal dimension exists as a natural condition of our existence, consisting half of it. Human behavior is powerfully shaped by this time alteration, where day is accorded productivity and night is reduced to fear and pleasure. However, the night holds much greater depths, thus affecting accordingly the dynamics of our nocturnal urban realm. This thesis delves deeper into the urban nightscapes, framing the city at night through a complex multilayered understanding. A dual literature review puts in evidence the contrast of the nocturnal layers in both western countries and in the city of Beirut. The thesis moves on to further investigate the nighttime dimension in Beirut, and explores its social, cultural, political and economic dimensions. This empirical research grounded in the experiences of women, night shift field workers and my own, leads as well to deciphering the challenges and opportunities held by Beirut at night. As a result, it envisions the nocturnal territory in Beirut differently and imagines it as a space for innovation, creativity and playfulness.