Reading the Dynamics of Contemporary Urban Spaces in a Turbulent Era: A Case from Beirut

This article investigates the role of individual initiatives in reinstating urban spaces for encounter within urban contexts undergoing instability marked by weak states, and the predominance of real estate development. Particular to such contexts are inequalities in the use of urban spaces, and the homogenization of the users within specific urban locations thus hindering encounter and exchange. This research is based on a study of one farmers' market in Beirut, Lebanon, and emphasizes exchange over use value of urban spaces. It is framed within the social economy arising as a result of contextual circumstances, which affect and reflect the political, social, economic and cultural situation in Lebanon. This frame is applied to explore the extent to which such initiatives enable at least the symbolic inclusion of people within central urban spaces, encounter and interaction, and provide equal opportunities. This study covers two milestones: 2007 and 2016 in the market's history. It investigates how the relational approach to setting up such an activity defines it both temporally and spatially as a tool for potential social integration within Beirut. The study reveals how this market acts as a tool to sustain social networks within an unstable urban context.