Schematizing the future of Lebanon’s transportation sector through inclusive design
Tarek El Khoury, Raphael El Akra
كلية رامز ج. شاغوري للعمارة والتصميم والفنون الجميلة-جامعة سيدة اللويزة · لبنان
Lebanon’s transportation sector has always experienced decades of deterioration and chaos due to political and administrative instability, limited investment, and more importantly the absence of a standardized public transit mapping system. Despite the sector’s importance in everyday commuting and the several reformative initiatives proposed over the years, it remains in an unstable and outdated state of decay and disorder. This thesis addresses the need for an organized and inclusive mapping system by proposing a human-centered schematic prototype for the Lebanese transit sector. The design is built on a hybrid grid system strategy that combines regular and adapted octo linear structures with a curvilinear grid, and is grounded in principles of schematization, wayfinding semiotics, and inclusive transit design strategies. The research incorporates extensive archival analysis, field observations, stakeholder interviews, and contemporary data collected from academic and governmental institutions involved in public transit. The resulting prototype and mobile user interface are evaluated through usability observations and iterative testing to assess their accessibility and wayfinding performance across diverse transportation settings. The outcome proposes a reformative mapping strategy branded and adapted to Lebanon’s public transit infrastructure and the needs of its daily commuters.