Proceedings of International Structural Engineering and Construction, 9(1), 2022 State-of-the-art Materials and Techniques in Structural Engineering and Construction Edited by Holschemacher, K., Quapp, U., Singh, A., and Yazdani, S. Copyright © 2022 ISEC Press ISSN: 2644-108X www.doi.org/10.14455/ISEC.2022.9(1).AAE-13 AEE-13-1 PUBLIC SPACES, VALUES, AND NEEDS SILVIA MAZZETTO Dept of Architecture, College of Architecture and Design, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia While cities are expanding, public space is retiring worldwide. In recent decades many Middle East cities have undergone massive transformations; however, the quality of public spaces of the new globalized cities has been often neglected, although new needs and new ways of living are currently searching for new typologies of public spaces. Particularly in Lebanon, in 1990, after fifteen years of war, the Government developed an urban reconstruction plan to rebuild downtown Beirut, completely destroyed. The plan promoted the idea of building a new contemporary Beirut as the capital of the Middle East, a new city with towers, malls, commercial areas, without considering the life quality of Lebanese citizens and their social needs of new public spaces. The main research problem is the claimed need for public spaces from Lebanon's inhabitants that are currently unavailable. The paper's main aim is to promote the values of social places that can help address pressing challenges like social segregation and equity and urban regeneration processes that affect the population's life. Additionally, public space has enormous potential by strategically supporting cities' economic, environmental, and social agendas. The research methodology has been developed by conducting a series of interviews and a literature survey about the need and values of public spaces in Lebanon. The research has highlighted the transforming needs and values of public spaces that follow the transformation of Lebanese society. The research has identified some typologies of spaces currently required to improve the built environment's quality and promote higher living standards. Keywords: Urban planning, Sustainability, Social needs, Society. 1 PUBLIC SPACES IN BEIRUT: EMERGING CONFLICTS 1.1 Aims and Objectives Public spaces, which are fundamental resources of the Lebanese society, are not adequately taken into consideration by the local Government but need to be vigorously developed and managed to respond to all the pressing social needs of the contemporary society. The research aims to investigate reasons, and knowledge, about the need of public spaces in Lebanon to identify some typologies of spaces that are particularly requested and should be promoted to enhance the quality and standards of social life. In doing so, to enhance the opinion of the Lebanese public society a series of interviews were conducted at Lebanese American University in Beirut and Byblos involving students and instructors about the current status of the Lebanese cultural public values, needs, resources and the urban response of the territory trough the available presence of public spaces. The conducted interviews have identified some old and new typologies of public spaces that are particularly needed in Lebanon.