Under the guidance of UN-Habitat Lebanon, and as part of the emergency response to the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, IBI Group was commissioned to provide technical oversight and testing services for the Rubble to Mountains initiative, a project aimed at reusing construction and demolition waste (CDW) in environmentally sustainable urban-restoration developments.

The State of the Lebanese Cities Report presents primary and secondary data and analysis across themes relevant to sustainable development in Lebanon as an overwhelmingly urban country. Following decades of rapid and unplanned urban expansion resulting in dire inequalities in access to services and infrastructure within and between cities which have been exacerbated by the compound crisis emerging since 2019.

The transport sector in Lebanon is considered one of the most unsustainable in the Middle East region, due to weak governance structures and regulatory frameworks, the absence of a modern and reliable public transport system, and a car-friendly culture dominated by large old-model polluting cars. Lebanon lacks an integrated and inclusive transport system, with mostly informal public transport services and very limited infrastructure for alternative transport means.

UN-Habitat Lebanon has produced two guides that detail how to mainstream housing and transport–mobility into a future National Urban Policy (NUP) in the country. The making of inclusive and sustainable communities is deeply rooted in the interconnectedness of the housing and transport sectors, along with other sectors.