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The Green Prophet has interviewed Wassim Melki, owner of the company StudioInvisible, (pronounced in French) who is trying to push the local authorities to mandate rooftop gardens across Beirut. The plan is to turn this:

Beirut: Now - Grey as far as the eye can see

Images property of Wassim Melki from StudioInvisible via archileb.com -- Beirut: Now - Grey as far as the eye can see

Into this:

Green Prophet -- Beirut: The Future

Images property of Wassim Melki from StudioInvisible via archileb.com -- Beirut: The Future

StudioInvisible plans to implement this project by way of a “municipal decree”, mandating all residents to grow a few trees on their roofs, or through some other form of authority. This is necessary, Melki explains, lest the project be doomed to failure, something he laments is “very common” in Lebanon.

The studio suggests offering “tax reductions” or other benefits to those buildings that have well-maintained rooftop gardens. It urges politicians to have the foresight to see the possible political advantages they could glean from implementing this initiative, being able to say that they literally “turned Beirut green”.