BEIRUT: The Beirut Municipal Council’s first public hearing to discuss urban planning Wednesday ended in a heated debate over a controversial plan to build an underground parking lot in Ashrafieh’s Jesuit Park.

Signs written in English welcomed members of the public to the “town hall meeting,” where council members presented a series of projects aimed at renovating and restructuring a large number of spaces across the capital. Many of the projects highlighted have already come to light in the press, often clouded in controversy.

The meeting appeared to be an attempt to address criticism that the municipality has been less-than transparent with its designs for the city and its public spaces.

“We want to include the civil society in [the planning of the projects],” Beirut mayor Bilal Hamad told the crowd.

He acknowledged that the municipality enjoyed surplus funding, but added that wealth has to “manifest into projects compatible with the city.”

Deputy Mayor Nadim Abu Rizk said projects were “for the residents of Beirut, and not for the council itself,” emphasizing that the council was eager to include citizens, local nonprofit organizations, and the media.

Abu Rizk called on the community to cooperate with the municipality in implementing “a strategic vision for the city of Beirut,” adding: “[Beirut] is not a museum, but is an entity with a beating heart and a soul.” [Link]