Beirut and the creation of the rent gap

What is it about?

What makes some plots of land more expensive than others in Beirut? Besides market forces, conflict, war, informality and illegal/exceptionalist practices have a huge impact on building and land values in Beirut. When entire areas are instantly abandoned or destroyed, when refugees create instant demand for housing elsewhere, housing markets shift.

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Why is it important?

This paper goes beyond explanations such as urban growth and building devaluation, to look into forces not commonly considered in the literature on rent gaps.