City Debates is a yearly event organized by the Masters in Urban Planning and Policy and Masters in Urban Design in the Department of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut.
City Debates seeks to initiate a multi-disciplinary debate between scholars, practioners, and artists on timely issues affecting cities in the local and regional context. Previous themes include The Lebanese Master Plan, Whose Beirut?, Urban Heritage and the Politics of the Present, Cities for the Rich, Post-war Reconstructions, Spaces of Faith and Fun, Towards Politically Conscious and Socially Responsible Planning Practices, Security [of/in] the City and Contemporary Urbanism in the Arab World.