Annex and Method Notes 

Below is a brief summary of various methods used in the analysis. For further detail, see the method note. 

Population Analysis

In order to understand the impact of the blast, up to date population figures are required. In absence of a census, we used Facebook Data for Good World Population dataset, which is generated in collaboration with  the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). The population figures are available at the country level, at the sub-regional level, and, most importantly, at the neighborhood level. 

The dataset provided the population density for the whole of Lebanon in a gridded format. This was processed into usable data points, which were then overlaid against the boundaries of municipal Beirut. These data points were first aggregated against municipal Beirut’s official administrative boundaries. These points were also calculated against boundaries derived from the natural clusters of neighborhoods found within the city to juxtapose the population distribution.

Urban Morphology

The urban morphology aims to understand how neighborhoods in Beirut are structured. To derive these neighborhoods, the city’s road network was taken into consideration. Here, open-source data from OpenStreetMap was used to allow reproducibility of the results. Areas that contain a high density of road intersections within a specified distance were considered as individual neighborhoods. This allows the city to be divided into a way that may be considered more true to Beirutis’ lived- experience. 

Accessibility Analysis

With the understanding of Beirut’s population distribution, we look at how equitable essential urban facilities are distributed within the city. In particular, the ease of reach to health and education facilities are taken into account with respect to the average time required for Beirutis to walk to any given facility. The proportion of Beirutis required to walk more than 10 minutes to a hospital or school was taken to better understand the equity of distribution of these facilities. Subsequently, a spatial interaction model was formulated to understand the movement of populations within the city to take into account the size (and, therefore, attractiveness) of different hospitals. This model allows to estimate areas within Beirut that attract the most commuters, with the highest flows considered more accessible. 

Leave No One Behind (LNOB)

The LNOB presents the results of a qualitative study consisting of desk reviews and field observations, which included interviews with inhabitants and discussions with local and international NGOs.  

Page 38-39 Leave No One Behind UNDP report 2020

Further to the framework described above, the report presents results of a qualitative study consisting of desk reviews and field observations, which included interviews with inhabitants and discussions with local and international NGOs. 

Key vulnerabilities identified in the report:

• Unemployment - 32% of the Lebanese workforce is jobless (May 2020) which has implication on furthering brain drain and no support for remaining talent
•  Income status- 86% of households in Greater Beirut rely on less than $1.33 per day
• Insecure tenancy contracts - Tenants often remain in structurally unsound homes due to fear of losing old rent contracts, while some landlords evicted tenants out of fear of not receiving aid
• Risk of no or little compensation - Unlikely insurance compensation is leaving many owners unable to pay for repairs
• Affordability of necessities - Devaluation of the currency coupled with constrained supply of building materials exacerbates people’s inability to afford rehabilitation and living expenses
• Insecure housing options - Crowding, which could exacerbate COVID risks and has been shown to increase gender based violence
•  Access to support networks - Households without access to support networks, such as migrant groups or refugees, have fewer options to lean on
• Gender - Lebanon ranks 145 / 153 in the WEF Gender Equality Index, a score that is likely to deteriorate as women are more likely to be unemployed, lack social protection, have no legal residence or adequate shelter, making them less resilient to shocks
• Legal status - Livelihoods of migrants and refugees have significantly deteriorated in recent months; for example, the Karantina public hospital, one of the few health care institutions that catered to these groups, was destroyed from the blast and has since been prioritised by UNDP Lebanon to receive support for rehabilitation
•   Youth and children - Up to 100,000 children were directly affected by the blast, compounding existing traumas and vulnerabilities caused by parallel economic and health crises.
•  Elderly - The currency devaluation has slashed savings while the lack of social security and reduced employability have left many elderly individuals without financial means or support
• LGBTIQ+ - The neighborhoods closest to the blast also has some of the safest spaces for the LGBTIQ+ community, many of whom were displaced as a result of the explosion
• People with physical or mental disabilities
• People with mental illness and PTSDs

Attribution