Public Works Studio

What Public Works Studio does

Public Works Studio (استوديو أشغال عامّة) is a Lebanon-based non-governmental research and advocacy organization founded in 2014 that produces data, publications, and audiovisual content on urban planning, housing rights, and spatial justice in Lebanon and the broader Arab region. Its core platforms are the Housing Monitor (مرصد السكن), which receives and analyzes eviction and displacement reports from affected residents; the Land Policy Observatory (مرصد سياسات الأرض), which tracks Lebanese land policies and planning decisions over time; the Public Works Magazine (مجلة أشغال عامّة), a bilingual digital publication; and a suite of interactive thematic maps, including the Israeli Attacks Map and a collaborative Eviction Map with beirutevictions.org. The underlying technology is a human-curated documentation and visualization stack — case-management workflows, geospatial mapping, and open-access publication — rather than a proprietary software product.

Name

Public Works Studio

Legal name

Public Works Studio (استوديو أشغال عامّة)

Website

https://publicworksstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Works Studio is a Lebanese non-profit research and advocacy organization founded in 2014 that documents housing violations, land policies, and displacement cases, serving marginalized communities, refugees, parliamentarians, and civil society through participatory research, interactive maps, and legislative drafting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Research and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE)

Keywords

• Urban research advocacy
• Housing rights monitoring
• Spatial justice analysis
• Land policy research
• Participatory urban planning

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Project Funding: Public Works Studio operates as a non-governmental research organization. Its primary revenue appears to come from project-based grants and funding for specific research initiatives, such as the housing law drafting project conducted in partnership with Legal Agenda, and the ecocide research paper with Arab Reform Initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Public Works Studio is a Lebanese non-profit research and advocacy organization that produces research, documentation, interactive maps, films, and legislative proposals focused on urban planning, housing rights, and spatial justice in Lebanon. It operates three core platforms — the Housing Monitor (مرصد السكن) for tracking housing violations and evictions, the Land Policy Observatory (مرصد سياسات الأرض) for analyzing land policies, and the Public Works Magazine (مجلة أشغال عامة) digital publication — and distributes all content freely under CC BY 4.0 license through its bilingual website, social media, and civil society partner networks.

Product overview

Public Works Studio (استوديو أشغال عامة) is a non-profit research and advocacy organization focused on urban planning, housing rights, and spatial justice in Lebanon. The organization operates several interconnected platforms: the Housing Monitor for tracking housing violations, the Land Policy Observatory for analyzing land policies, and the Public Works Magazine for publishing research-based content. Additional offerings include interactive thematic maps, documentary films, lectures, and advocacy campaigns. The organization does not operate a commercial software product but rather produces research, documentation, and audiovisual content focused on urban justice and the right to housing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Monitor (مرصد السكن)

Quantifiable outcome

• Documented 215 housing cases and 152 analyzed for right to housing violations in 2024 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Responsible Business Initiative CoalitionminorOthers · 24 November 2020Public Works Studio supported the Swiss 'Responsible Business Initiative' referendum by documenting LafargeHolcim's illegal quarrying and environmental violations in Lebanon, advocating for Swiss multinational corporate accountability.
• Legal Agenda (المفكرة القانونية)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partner in research and advocacy. Together with Public Works Studio, Legal Agenda co-developed a comprehensive draft law for the right to housing in Lebanon, submitted to parliamentarians in 2026. The partnership encompasses joint research projects, law commentaries, and policy advocacy on urban planning, land policies, and housing rights in Lebanon.
• French Institute of the Near East (IFPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the bi-monthly seminar series 'Dialogue – City – People', bringing together researchers, practitioners, and activists to discuss urban justice, housing rights, reconstruction, and spatial equity in Lebanon and the Arab region.
• Arab Reform InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research paper with Public Works Studio titled 'Responding to Ecocide in Lebanon: Recommendations for Official and Community Engagement in Sustainable Recovery', addressing environmental destruction in southern Lebanon.
• Four Independent Artists (Hashem Adnan, Majd el-Hamwi, Ghassan Halwani, Saseen Kawzaly)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative production of a series of four independent short films on land dispossession in Lebanon, based on the research project 'Master-Planning in Lebanon: Manufacturing Landscapes of Inequality'. The first film was directed by Ghassan Halwani.
• Arjouane Production (أرجوان للإنتاج)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the short film 'Playtime Karantina' (Episode 1 of 'Beirut belongs to whom?' series) with Public Works Studio, exploring children's right to play in urban spaces.
• National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) – LebanonminorOthersData source for the interactive Israeli attacks map. The Housing Monitor aggregates and cross-references attack data from CNRS platforms, local media, social media, and field correspondents.
• beirutevictions.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative mapping project 'Mapping Beirut Through its Tenants' Stories: Eviction Map', documenting eviction mechanisms and stories from old rent tenants in Beirut's historic neighborhoods.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Broad incumbents

• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development. Comparable as the global normative body on housing rights and urban governance — Public Works Studio's research aligns with UN right-to-housing criteria and engages UNRWA/UNHCR/IOM.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global nonprofit focused on housing and shelter. Comparable in the housing-rights domain, though much larger in scale and operating globally with a service-delivery rather than research-advocacy model.
• World Resources Institute (WRI) - Ross Center for Sustainable Cities: Global research organization with a sustainable cities program producing urban data, mapping, and policy analysis. Comparable in producing research-driven urban and housing analysis with spatial visualization tools.

Emerging players

• American University of Beirut - Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service: Beirut-based academic institution conducting participatory urban and housing research in Lebanon. Comparable as a Lebanon-focused research organization engaged in community-based urban studies and policy advocacy.
• Centre for Housing Policy (University of York): Academic research center producing evidence-based housing policy research. Comparable as a research-driven housing policy organization, though academic rather than advocacy-led.

Direct peers

• Arab Reform Initiative: Paris-based independent Arab think tank that co-authored the ecocide research paper with Public Works Studio and operates as a regional research and policy advocacy network — comparable as a grant-funded think tank producing policy papers on MENA reform, including housing and reconstruction.
• The Right to the City Alliance: Global alliance of urban justice organizations focused on housing rights, anti-displacement, and spatial justice — directly comparable in framing, mission, and participatory methodology to Public Works Studio's spatial-justice work in Lebanon.
• Legal Agenda (المفكرة القانونية): Lebanese legal advocacy NGO and Public Works Studio's primary strategic partner — they co-drafted the comprehensive right-to-housing law and jointly publish law commentaries on urban policy. Directly comparable as a Beirut-based, grant-funded civil society organization producing legal and policy research.
• beirutevictions.org: Collaborative Beirut eviction-mapping project and direct partner on the 'Mapping Beirut Through its Tenants' Stories' project. Directly comparable as a participatory, community-driven housing-displacement research initiative in Lebanon.

Regional players

• Heinrich Böll Foundation - Lebanon Office: German political foundation's Beirut office supporting civil society and urban research. Comparable as a Beirut-based funder/convener of urban-rights and democratic-governance research with overlapping partner networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/publicworks_lb
• Facebookfacebook.com/publicworksstudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/publicworksstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-works-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Works Studio