The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20090116051421/http://www.macalester.edu:80/courses/geog61/jmhamilton/reconstruct.html
After the civil war much of Beirut was left in shambles. The central business district was almost completely destroyed and primarily occupied by squatters, most of West Beirut was in ruins from the constant shelling and bombing by Israeli forces and the Lebanese Army, and East Beirut sustained a fair amount of damage from the conflict that erupted between the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Forces. The impact of the civil war on Beirut raised the question of whether or not Beirut would be able to re-establish itself as modernized "Paris of the Middle East" it once was.
As soon as the civil war ended in 1990, city officials and private investors began making plans for the reconstruction of Beirut. Plans were drawn out to completely overhaul the old central business district, increase the size and modernity of the Beirut International Airport, the design for a new central bazaar, and the construction of completely new water, electrical, and transportation systems. A plan to widen the narrow streets of Beirut, designed under Muslim control, as well as create more accessible highways leading into the cities was also proposed. In fact, the chief investor of the reconstruction of Beirut is Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister and billionaire property developer, who donated 125 million dollars to the cause. At first the reconstruction plan was met with some hostility from the squatters occupying the old central business district, but it soon became accepted.
Once Beirut became open to construction after the war, many archeologists, including those from the American University of Beirut, took the opportunity to examine the history of Beirut. A series of excavations were opened in areas of Beirut that would have been impossible before. The findings have shed light some light on the long history of Beirut. Leila Badre of the American University of Beirut explained that "before there was no evidence that Beirut even existed in the Phoenician period." The discovery of Canaanite jars, Bronze Age walls, Phoenician lamps, and Hellenistic sculptures have put Beirut in the ranks with Rome and Athens in terms of archeological history.
An estimated twelve billion dollars will be spent on by the public sector on the reconstruction of Beirut as well as the millions of dollars spent by private investors to repair and create businesses and buildings. During reconstruction, Beirut's power, telephone, and telecommunications cables were rerouted and protected by a system of temporary metal ducts to ensure that the activity and the commerce of the city went uninterrupted. A new water system is in the plans to not only create a more efficient system but to allow for more commercial expansion. The reconstruction of the central business district is well under way and many businesses have appeared in Beirut. In fact, Beirut has implemented a series of features to attract new foreign industries and businesses to Beirut. Simplification of Visa requirements, a flat-annual tax rate for off-shore holding companies, the reduction of the corporate income tax to a maximum of 10%, not to mention Beirut's banking secrecy laws are aimed at luring foreign investors to Beirut. The reconstruction of Beirut gives light to the importance of commercial enterprise and industry in Beirut.
Although much of Beirut is being completely remodeled, large portions of West Beirut still remain damaged from the civil war. As the Christian dominated East Beirut has attracted many of the new investors and businesses after the war, private investors have widely contributed to its reconstruction and development. West Beirut, however, suffering from the lack of private investment and the "ignorance" of public funding has been unable to fund any necessary repairs and development.