Beirut, one of the oldest cities on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, has a long and eventful history which makes its city plan difficult to study and categorize. Many of the events in Beirut's history have played a role in the appearance, function and development of the city.

A primate city, Beirut is comprised of 75% of the urban population of Lebanon and almost 5 times the population of the second largest city in Lebanon, Tripoli. Its estimated population is 1.5 million people, however, only 100 years ago the population was barely 6,000 people. The cause for this striking increase in urbanization is the large rate of migration from the rural areas that began in the 1880's and has continued ever since. Recently, Beirut has also served as a haven for refugees of neighboring countries. As a result, Beirut exhibits many of the "disquieting symptoms of an exploding metropolis." In fact, the urban area of Beirut is almost 5 times what it was 1900 and about 100 times what it was in 1800. The scale and scope of urbanization has overcome the city's resources and ability to effectively supply the increasing demand for urban space.

In fact, Beirut is one of the few cities that may be considered to be "over-urbanized." The city has been unable to curb urbanization through government plans and zoning acts and has failed to establish any residential sectors within the city. As a result, many of the residential buildings have been modified in order to make room for the increasing commercialization of Beirut.

The fast-paced urbanization of Beirut can be compared to the urbanization of primate cities in Africa. However, unlike the cities of Africa, the urbanization of Beirut seems to be "generative" rather than "parasitic." That is, the growth of Beirut has been more of a stimulus than a hindrance to the economy. Residents of Beirut have also been able to preserve familial ties and connections and Beirut has been able to retain much of the cultural flavor it is famous for.

As Beirut as retained much of the original city plan and street design created during the Muslim period, the city fits in the Islamic city model. Characterized by its "formlessness and irregular mass of confusion," the Islamic city often has a large 'central' bazaar, however, the city is usually divided by religious sects.

Beirut is a difficult city to classify. The alarming rate of urbanization has created an increase in the commercial and financial functions of Beirut, especially due to its stable currency and "secrecy banking" that would permit Beirut to be classified as having primarily commercial and financial functions. However, throughout history Beirut has continued to be a major port city of the Middle East and engage in sea trade with nations from all over the world. Beirut could also be classified as an intellectual and cultural center as it is the home to the internationally recognized American University of Beirut as well as the many other universities and colleges that exist in Beirut, a population with a wide range of ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, and a widespread liberalism and social acceptance.