CITIES ON STAGE. URBAN REGENERATION:
THE ITALIAN WAY TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Beirut, 18 September – 12 October 2025
Exhibition: Abroyan Factory – Bourj Hammoud
Parallel Events: Cinema Royal – Bourj Hammoud
The Embassy of Italy in Lebanon and the Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut have inaugurated on September 18 the exhibition “Citta’ in Scena. Urban Regeneration: the Italian way to a sustainable future”, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and realised by ANCE, Associazione Mecenate 90 ETS, and Fondazione Musica per Roma.
At a critical juncture for Lebanon, where the question of reconstruction is at the forefront of the national agenda, this undertaking transcends the purely cultural sphere: it constitutes a tangible contribution by Italy to the re-imagining of models of growth and development, providing a platform for public debate and policy proposals, whilst offering for adoption replicable Italian experiences in the urban and territorial domain.
Urban regeneration: why it truly matters today
To regenerate is not merely to build, but to transform: to weave together memory and innovation, space and community. In Italy as in Lebanon, regeneration serves as a lever of social cohesion and sustainable development.
The exhibition brings to Beirut more than one hundred and thirty Italian practices, inaugurating an operational dialogue on governance, public-private partnerships, sustainable finance, adaptive reuse of heritage, mobility, and proximity services.
The exhibition in Beirut
The historic Abroyan Factory will house the panels and materials narrating Italy’s regeneration stories. The Cinema Royal will welcome a series of public encounters conceived as open policy-labs, enabling dialogue among institutions, enterprises, universities, and civil society, with the aim of translating ideas into actionable proposals.
Main Events at Cinema Royal
- RIGENERA. Resilience in Action | Public Talk (23 September, 6:00 PM)
Architecture as a tool for reconstruction and cohesion. Presentation of the Rigenera 2025 Award. - PRINCIPIA – A New Model of Urban Regeneration (29 September, 5:00 PM)
From the area of Expo Milano 2015 to MIND: an international case of urban reconversion and innovation. - Roundtable – From the Community Upwards: Civic Urban Regeneration in Beirut and Beyond (30 September, 4:00 PM)
Dialogue between civil society and academia on grassroots practices, micro-interventions, and tactical urbanism; space for operational proposals for Beirut. - Presentation of the Restoration and Enhancement Project of the Former Mar Mikhaël Train Station (7 October, 4:00 PM)
A project funded by the Italian Government through AICS, in collaboration with UNESCO, UN-Habitat, and the relevant authorities: focus on governance, management, and long-term sustainability.
An Italy narrating itself through its cities
Through Cities on Stage, Italy shares expertise and exemplary cases, offering Lebanon a veritable toolbox of practices, regulatory frameworks, and partnerships for regenerating neighbourhoods and services, valorising heritage, and fostering new economic and social opportunities.
