Saifi Village (Summer Village), Beirut

Summer Village is at the edge of the City Center. It is bordered by Streets Debbas, Haddad and Gouraud in the south east and north and by Streets Ariss and Kanaani in the west. It used to be the beginning of the Green Line, the front line in the Lebanese Civil War in Beirut. The war had effectively obliterated the neighborhood.

The neighborhood was reconstructed in a style that recalls buildings of the French colonial era. The rebuild was planned by a French architect, developer, and urban planner Francois Spoerry. The overall style is New-Urbanist. The idea is to create pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods having a broad range of housing types and businesses. The streets and modern buildings of Summer Village fit well.

Summer Village is also called Le Quartier des Arts (Art District). It has a number of important art galleries, antique shops and artisan boutiques. Every Saturday, there is an open-air farmers market in the Village square known as "Souk el Tayeb" ("The Good Market"). The market features organic produce and other country fare.