. - as a way to give back to the community, mona el hallak and her team at the american university of beirut developed a project called neighborhood initiative. together, they transformed the street just outside the campus walls by creating wider sidewalks, adding benches and improving green spaces for public enjoyment. but that's not all mona does, not even close. born and raised in beirut, mona was only seven when the civil war broke out. through education, activism and design, she now works relentlessly to improve her beloved city. o.k. so architect, urban activist, urban design initiator, and now you're sort of muscling your way into politics. what's up with that? i mean, i've been, all my life, trying to preserve heritage buildings, to preserve our natural coast, to look into housing alternatives for affordable housing, work on waste management, so by default, i'm doing what the politicians should do, right? - mona is part of a unique political collective called beirut madinati, which recently ran for office on the municipal level. comprised from a diverse range of citizens from