As Israel’s assault on Lebanon intensifies, The Beirut Urban Lab at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA) has launched a series of critical and timely projects to map the scale and impact of the attack. These maps, which use data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project and local reports, do more than track military activity—they document the human cost of war, challenge misleading media narratives, and provide critical resources for those displaced by the violence. More than just data, these maps tell the story of resilience, solidarity, and an unwavering quest for justice.
Mapping the Assault: Documenting the Human Cost of Violence
One of the Lab’s most recent online publications titled Israel’s Assault on Lebanon, Sept. 2024 features a powerful map that tracks the scale of Israel's attacks across Lebanon. Each point on the map tells a story beyond its location—it marks lives lost, families displaced, and communities torn apart. At the time of the publication, over 1,600 people had been killed, and more than 8,400 wounded, with the numbers continuing to rise daily. The numbers now stand at more than 3,300 martyred and over 14,000 injured. This publicly available data paints a more comprehensive and transparent picture of the violence engulfing Lebanon, pushing back against Western media narratives that often downplay or misrepresent the scale of the violence against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine. Monitoring Escalation Along the Southern Border
The above map-chart is based on one of the Lab’s key projects that was launched in October 2023. Escalation along Lebanon’s Southern Border since October 7 was set up to track military activity with a focus on the South of Lebanon and has since expanded to cover the entire country. The interactive platform updates weekly and focuses on two indicators to reflect the conflict’s intensity: the number of daily strikes and the average distance of those strikes from the border. Data on the frequency and distribution of the strikes reveal a troubling asymmetry, with Israeli attacks significantly outnumbering responses from the Lebanese side. This real-time data of the geographic spread and intensity of the violence aims to inform the global community of the dynamics unfolding on the ground. Connecting Aid: Mapping Shelters for Displaced Families
Amidst the destruction, the Beirut Urban Lab is also playing a critical role by providing a resource that seeks to aid coordination efforts of solidarity with the internally displaced due to Israel’s continually escalating assault. The Lab has created an interactive dashboard that identifies government-designated shelters in Lebanon—mainly public schools and technical institutes—repurposed to provide safe spaces for those displaced by the violence.
This interactive tool provides vital and updated information for humanitarian efforts, facilitating the delivery of essential supplies. Wiaam Haddad, a researcher at the Lab, explains, “We felt it was our responsibility to provide clear, accessible information that could directly support those affected by the violence.” The map updates regularly, making it easier for humanitarian organizations and individuals to offer their support where it’s needed most. Roots and Legacy: Producing Knowledge, Advocating for Justice
The Beirut Urban Lab's current work is the product of years of experience in documenting the effects of war and urban violence. Founded in 2018, the Lab emerged out of a long-standing effort to understand the impact of conflicts on Lebanon’s urban landscape—an initiative that began in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon.
MSFEA faculty members Ahmad Gharbieh, Howayda Al-Harithy, Mona Fawaz, and Mona Harb began mapping the destruction of Beirut and other cities after the 2006 war, laying the groundwork for the Lab's interdisciplinary approach to urban research. Today, the Lab continues that legacy, using advanced mapping techniques to document ongoing struggles, advocate for affected communities, and resist the erasure of histories of violence. The Lab's team of over 20 researchers—comprising urban planners, designers, engineers, and data analysts—are deeply embedded in the local context, ensuring that their work is both responsive to the realities on the ground and relevant to the needs of affected populations.
Despite the overwhelming challenges of the current conflict, the Beirut Urban Lab’s work remains steadfast in its mission to produce knowledge that advocates for justice and promotes inclusive futures. As Dr Mona fawaz, professor of Urban Studies and Planning and BUL research lead, puts it “The Beirut Urban Lab's vision is aligned with MSFEA's goal to foster a viable, livable, and just world. True to this vision, the Lab has activated its mapping knowledge and critical skills to deploy analyses of the unfolding war on Palestine and Lebanon.”
Through its initiatives in media activism, post-disaster recovery, and emergency response, the Lab serves as a lifeline, amplifying the voices of those affected, challenging distorted narratives, and providing vital data for rebuilding efforts in regions like Gaza, Beirut’s Southern Suburbs, Tyre, Baalbek, and Nabatiyyeh. These efforts have reaffirmed the Lab’s long-standing role in advocating for justice and ensuring that recovery efforts are grounded in the realities of those most affected.