American University of Beirut

Greening the Neighborhood


​​Greening the Neighborhood is an interdisciplinary and multi-pronged project that aims at developing prototype rainwater catchment systems, and green walls and roofs for institutional and residential buildings in Ras Beirut. With its four components (Water, Soil, Plants, and Structures) the project involves a series of research and outreach activities undertaken by the Neighborhood Initiative, the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service CCECS, and the Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management  (LDEM).

The horticulture team has explored innovative ways of designing and managing planted spaces in Ras Beirut, conducting research on indigenous, drought resistant plants that can be used on extensive roof gardens. Recommendations to improve the visual and environmental quality of AUB's neighborhood through landscape approaches
In 2011 engineering students explored the feasibility of creating rainwater catchment systems for different types of buildings in Ras Beirut. Student report on the feasibility of creating rainwater catchment systems​.

The AUB Neighborhood Initiative has also collaborated with LDEM to give vertical agriculture workshops (Green Walls​) to students in different schools in Ras Beirut, namely Saint Mary’s Orthodox College (SMOC), Jaber Ahmad Sabbah public school (JASS). ​The project’s objective is to raise awareness among the students on the concept of urban agriculture.
The Vertical Agriculture workshop is an ongoing project.

​The AUB Neighborhood Initiative collaborated in ​April 2019, with The Other Dada and ​the Department of Landscape Design at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences in organizing a talk on Afforestation by Shubhendu Sharma.​


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