Page | 1 Assessing vulnerabilities in Beirut Post-Explosion: combing survey and satellite data Elisabetta Pietrostefani1 1Department of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool GISRUK 2023 Summary On the 4th of August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut exploded causing at least 200 deaths and over 7,000 injuries. This research builds on spatial survey data together with satellite imagery measuring the degree of damage of buildings to investigate the changing landscape of local vulnerabilities before and after the explosion. This original data is based on surveys conducted in 2018 and 2021 for representative samples of two Beirut neighbourhoods. The research evaluates alterations in vulnerability indicators (livelihoods, housing, and mental-wellbeing measures) and focuses on the added-values of combining satellite imagery with perception-based surveys to further the understanding of urban inequalities. KEYWORDS: vulnerability; satellite data, post-disaster, survey, urban inequalities 1. Short introduction On the 4th of August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut exploded, causing at least 200 deaths, over 7,000 injuries, US$3.8-4.6 billion in material damages, and the displacement of over 300,000 people. Lebanon was already suffering from a rapidly escalating financial crisis, further aggravated by the outbreak of COVID-19. This paper spatially explores survey data collected in 2018 and 2021 in Beirut, together with satellite imagery measuring the degree of damage of buildings. These datasets are exploited to investigate the changing landscape of local vulnerabilities from pre-crisis to post-explosion. The term ‘pre-crisis’ marks the period before the Lebanese liquidity crisis which started in August 2019. The term ‘post-explosion’ marks the period after the 4th of August 2020 port explosion. This original data is based on four survey datasets conducted between 2018 and 2021 for representative samples of the comprehensive population count of areas of Ras Beirut and Mar Mikhael, two neighbourhood of Beirut, proportionally stratified by nationality (Lebanese and non-Lebanese). Lebanon is no stranger to post-disaster reconstruction. The Beirut city centre reconstruction after the Lebanese Civil War is a closely tied example of the renovation of a historic core, though it displaced its local populations and dismantled entire neighbourhoods to make way for luxury developments (Davie, 2004; Verdeil, 2002). This not-so-distant episode created an underlining threat to the welfare and security of vulnerable residents in neighbourhoods adjacent to the Beirut port area, many of which were displaced following the blast and had not returned one year after the explosion. Keeping this in mind, as well as the conspicuous alterations that many Beirut neighbourhoods have undergone over the past few decades (Gebara et al., 2016), this paper builds on Pietrostefani et al.’s (2022) analysis of livelihoods, housing and mental-wellbeing and focuses on the added-values of combining satellite imagery with perception-based surveys to further understanding of urban inequalities. 2. Data The assessment of the buildings damage in Beirut after the blast relies on three research projects conducted in the area: ARIA/NASA, the Reform and Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) and the FER dataset.