أرشيف الوسم: city

بعد مدونتي السابقة، وفي دعوة لتحويل مدن الكويت الجديدة كمراكز للإنتاجية بدلا من مجرد مساحات استهلاك، فمن الضروري التعلم من المدن التي نجحت في الاستفادة من نقاط قوتها وقدراتها المحلية لتحقيق نماذج إنتاجية فريدة. وهنا تبرز كوبنهاغن كمثال رئيسي، حيث تجسّد المدينة الإبداع وجودة الحياة والازدهار.

يعكس ظهور كوبنهاغن كعاصمة ثقافية قرونا من الاستثمار الاستراتيجي في الفنون والهندسة المعمارية والتنمية الحضرية. ففي القرن الثامن عشر ، وضع الملوك الدنماركيون الأساس من خلال تأسيس مؤسسات ثقافية رئيسية ، بما في ذلك الأكاديمية الملكية الدنماركية للفنون الجميلة (1754) – التي أنشأها الملك فريدريك الخامس لتحفيز تأهيل الفنانين والحرفيين المهرة الديناماركيين- بالإضافة إلى المسرح الملكي والمكتبة الملكية. فقد ساهمت هذه المؤسسات لجعل كوبنهاغن مركزاً فكرياً للمملكة، مما خلق إرثا فنيا لا يزال يحدد شخصية المدينة.

وخلال القرن العشرين ، أصبحت كوبنهاغن معيارا دوليا للتخطيط الحضري الذي يركز على الإنسان ، وقد شكلت أساساً من خلال نهج المهندس المعماري جان جيل Jan Gehl في تصميم المدن للسكان بدلا من المركبات. وقد كان إنشاء شارع Strøget في عام 1962 – من بين أولى شوارع المشاة الرئيسية في العالم – رائدا في وضع معايير البيئات الحضرية الصالحة للعيش على مستوى العالم. حالياً، يستقل أكثر من 60٪ من سكان كوبنهاغن الدراجات الهوائية في الذهاب للعمل يومياً، مما يدل على التكامل الناجح للمدينة في التنقل والعافية والتصميم المدروس.

من جهة أخرى، ترتبط الهوية الثقافية لكوبنهاغن ارتباطا جوهريا بتطلعاتها البيئية. فقد أدى التزام المدينة في عام 2012 بأن تصبح أول عاصمة محايدة للكربون في العالم بحلول عام 2025 إلى وضع خطة المناخ CPH 2025 ، والتي تستهدف تحسينات في استهلاك الطاقة والإنتاج والتنقل وإدارة المدينة. وعلى الرغم من مواجهة تحديات عديدة أعاقت تحقيق الهدف، فقد ألهم هذا الطموح مشاريع مبتكرة تمزج بين الاستدامة والتعبير الثقافي ، مثل CopenHill – وهي منشأة لتحويل النفايات إلى طاقة تتوج بمنحدر تزلج ومسار للمشي لمسافات طويلة – و Superkilen Park ، وهي مساحة عامة في نوريبرو Nørrebro  تحتفل بالتنوع من خلال عناصر التصميم من أكثر من 50 دولة. تعكس هذه المبادرات كيف يتم تضمين المسؤولية البيئية والترابط الاجتماعي في الحمض النووي الثقافي لكوبنهاغن.

تعد المدينة أيضا رائدة في التصميم والهندسة المعمارية ، حيث تؤثر جماليتها البسيطة على جميع أنحاء العالم من خلال معالم مثل تصميمات أثاث Arne Jacobsen والمشاريع من قبل Bjarke Ingels Group. ويضمن التمويل العام إمكانية الوصول الثقافي، من مؤسسات مثل متحف لويزيانا للفن الحديث ومتحف التصميم في الدنمارك إلى الأماكن الشعبية العامة مثل كوبنهاغن المعاصرة.

لا ينبع التميز الثقافي لكوبنهاغن من مؤسساتها فحسب، بل ينبع من مبادئها المتجسدة في المساواة والانفتاح وما يعرف محلياً بالهيج – مبدأ يشير إلى الشعور بالرضا المريح والرفاهية من خلال الاستمتاع بالملذات البسيطة – وكلها تعزز مدينة قائمة على الإبداع والاهتمام بالبيئة والمشاركة المجتمعية.

مثل كوبنهاغن، تمتلك الكويت المكونات الأساسية للتحول الحضري. فالكويت ذات نطاق حضري يمكن التحكم فيه، وتركيز سكاني كثيف نسبياً، وموارد وفيرة، ومواطنين ذوي تفكير ابداعي. وتؤكد أوجه التشابه هذه إلى أن الكويت في وضع جيد لتبني الدروس من نجاح كوبنهاغن وتطوير مدنها الجديدة بشكل استراتيجي كمراكز للإنتاجية الاقتصادية والحيوية الثقافية.

The fundamental question we must ask at this critical stage of our history is: How do we place the productive economy at the heart of urban development? Urban expansion can become a burden if it is not grounded in production and value creation. Building cities that evolve based on production rather than consumption is the key to authentic and sustainable development.

Our economy remains rentier, heavily dependent on oil, and the public sector remains the primary employer of citizens. With urban expansion and the establishment of new cities, we have a unique opportunity to invest in economic reform and redirect resources toward more productive sectors.

Here, I argue that urban expansion and housing plans must be closely linked and contingent upon the creation of productive jobs that generate real economic value and contribute to the increase of gross domestic product (GDP). These jobs should utilize the skills of local workers and offer fair wages that are driven by market demand.

The welfare state has created a form of fake employment or “disguised unemployment,” where resources are depleted without actual production. Excess labor in enterprises that do not need this number represents an economic loss, unlike productive labor that drives sustainable growth. Therefore, development plans must be based on production, not consumption, because expansion based on temporary resource abundance threatens economic stability.

In this regard, there is a pivotal role of urban planning, which must focus on:

• Encouraging productive uses, especially mixed uses.
• Investing in infrastructure that stimulates production, not false displays of well-being.
• Stimulating small industries and creative initiatives by supporting industrial land and entrepreneurial workspaces.

In conjunction with urban development, we must develop education and skills to keep pace with industrial and technological transformations, as curricula are still far from serving the needs of the future economy, despite significant spending on them.

At the same time, we must consider and support local production chains that rely on local raw materials and labor, as this has a positive impact on strengthening national wealth and social cohesion.

Development plans must include special attention to creative and cultural production in the fields of art, design, and architecture, as is the case in cities like Barcelona and Copenhagen, which have flourished thanks to the knowledge economy and creativity. Kuwait has a long history in these fields and boasts a distinguished human capital in these sectors in particular.

Finally, national policies must be based on policies, regulations, and governance that stimulate production through exemptions, facilitations, and research support, along with flexible land planning systems that enable productive activities to flourish.

It is time to link urban sprawl with strict economic policies that lead to the creation of productive cities, combining creativity, industry, and knowledge. Urban development must be a means of creating true wealth, not a means of fostering consumption and speculation.

Urban development has long been associated with consumption – shopping malls, skyscrapers, tourist areas, and real estate speculation. But consumption-driven growth deepens inequality, drains resources, and turns citizens into passive consumers. As we move towards the creation of new cities and more urban sprawl, we need a more profound transformation to make cities economically, socially, environmentally, and culturally productive. Cities are designed according to the requirements and needs of their users. This is how Jane Jacobs brilliantly pointed out this shift: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, everybody creates them.”

Her words remind us that successful cities are not formed from the top down but from the grassroots up, through people’s active contributions, not just as recipients of welfare and housing products.

To build productive cities, we must start by putting productive economies at their center. Instead of viewing them as real estate products or prioritizing consumption, cities should invest in local production, innovation, and development centers. In doing so, cities reduce reliance on resources, stimulate jobs, and recycle value locally.

Urban design must foster productive communities – collaborative gardens, shared workshops, citizen labs, cultural gatherings – not just residential, consumer, and recreational areas.  These spaces thus transform the inhabitants into participants in the creation of their environment.
Environmentally, cities should generate life, not consume it. Lewis Mumford has observed that “the chief function of the city is to convert power into form, energy into culture, dead matter into the living symbols of art, biological reproduction into social creativity”.

In other words, infrastructure should not only support consumption (roads, water and sewage networks, parking spaces, and air conditioning systems).  They should produce energy, generate clean water, compost organic waste, and integrate green systems into the urban fabric.

Finally, governance must reflect production. Planning and budgeting must align and be participatory, with decision-making power channeled to communities so they become policy producers, not mere participants.

Whereas our cities are currently only seeking to attract and feed more consumption that is forced upon citizens. Productive cities strive to create material and cultural value from within.  Jacobs warned elsewhere: “There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.”
If we pay attention to this wisdom, our urban future can evolve from passive consumption to active creativity – building a sustainable, just, income-generating, and vibrant future.

The newspapers have published the news about the proposal by the municipal council members to establish an independent municipality for Kuwait City. Dr. Sharifa Al-Shalfan, Eng. Farah Al-Roumi and Eng. Abdullatif Al-Dai submitted a proposal to establish an independent municipality for Kuwait City. This municipality would have a separate budget and particular organizational structure that adheres to the municipality’s regulations with the aim of raising the level of services offered. This is an excellent proposal that could contribute to the dismantling of government centralization and potentially serve as a first step in establishing more independent municipalities in all governorates, including the new cities like Al-Mutla’a, Saad Al-Abdullah, Sabah Al-Ahmad, and others.

People are often motivated to care for their cities due to the spiritual connection that binds them to the historic town. Nostalgia drives them to envision a positive, idealized past. Some elders and professionals people reminisce about the picturesque history of Kuwait City, recalling its walls, houses, ferjan, markets, beaches, seas, and other aspects of pre-oil social life. Specialists are working to leverage these features to shape the modern and future vision of Kuwait City while preserving the remaining historical monuments.

However, a major obstacle to this trend is that most citizens are not inclined to return to the old city’s image. Many who lived before the oil era appreciate the comforts of modernity, such as private vehicles, modern homes, residential suburbs, and amenities. The younger generation, on the other hand, has limited knowledge of the pre-oil era, often exposed to superficial glimpses of the past, through media or educational curricula. Media stereotypes about neighboring regional cities with their high-rise towers, highways, and architectural landmarks influence perceptions.

Furthermore, the systematic destruction of historic Kuwait City is irreversible. The city has been depopulated, erasing its original urban fabric, with the majority of its old buildings being demolished and replaced with modern facilities. Additionally, the completion of the First Ring Road Project further divided the city into two and dismantled its already fragmented fabric.

Kuwait City, as the capital, remains essential, serving as the nucleus of the state, the center of governance, and a hub of commercial activities. To salvage what remains and steer urban development in the right direction, the following steps should be taken:

• Promote the preservation of Kuwait City as a historical site with spiritual significance even though few physical artifacts remain.
• To undertake small-scale interventions and urban experiments to improve the city’s-built environment, serving as pilot studies for replication.
• Initiate the revitalization of the city by encouraging different segments of society to reside within its limits. A thriving city with permanent residents will foster interest in the place and create a vibrant environment round the clock.
• The establishment of the Kuwait City Municipality will undoubtedly contribute to the city’s development. It would concentrate efforts, define responsibilities, and streamline the complex bureaucracy complexities. Therefore, I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Municipal Council for this valuable proposal.