Since the beginning of modern planning, Kuwait City and Al Murqab land allocation has been reviewed in the light of various master plans. The planner confirmed that Al Murqab land should maintain its residential land-use. It was envisioned that the land could accommodate more than 1200 housing units to serve Kuwait City and create the necessary mix that supports a vibrant city. Kuwait Municipality attempted to achieve this plan and designated the land to the Public Authority of Housing Welfare, however, the project failed to be realized.
Eventually, the latest master plan was approved through an Amiri Decree. This plan sought to accomplish the vision of His Highness the Prince of Kuwait to transform Kuwait into an international and regional business and financial centre. Based on this ambitious vision, the planner changed the land use of Murqab from residential to commercial and proposed to create an urban project that helps achieve Kuwait’s vision.
The Kuwait Municipality concluded the “Kuwait City 2030” Study in 2017, which proposed to designate the site for the creation of a prime financial district with mixed use development such as: a major transportation hub, conference centre, hotels, parks, residential and commercial towers, entertainment activities, and public amenities. It is hoped that the decision makers don’t take this project lightly; it is a vital project which will occupy the last virgin land in Kuwait City, and has the ability to transform it completely. To achieve this transformation we need to prioritize quality over quantity. We should not be tempted to copy international urban models which seem to be successful but in reality suffer from various defects.
I hope that the project would be based on a comprehensive development vision that takes into consideration social and cultural dimensions beside economic aspects.
It is also crucial to change the traditional governmental method for tendering projects, which tenders every aspect of the project as a single package targeted at large investors. This might seem like the easiest path, but it has proven to be unsuccessful. This leads to a project either succeeding as a whole or failing completely!
On the other hand, if a high quality master plan is prepared which divides the project into smaller packages that are then tendered to small or medium investors,this would be more feasible; it would enhance the economy, create a healthy competitive atmosphere, and ensure high-quality and speedy execution.
Al Murqab Project is a valuable opportunity. It is hoped that it becomes a true development project which is creative, modern, yet inspired by traditional Kuwaiti Architecture and Urbanism.
From an urban planning point of view, the site should be divided into small to medium size blocks, planned with fine-grained urban fabric and avoids the creation of large isolated plots which have many negative urban impacts.
At this critical period, where resources are scarce and the world is rapidly changing, Al Murqab should be a unique urban project that is environmentally friendly and employs state-of-the-art sustainable technology and renewable energy.
The project should follow healthy urban trends which limits the dependency on private vehicles and provides various public transport alternatives. Equally important, is to ensure the creation of a connected, continuous, and comfortable pedestrian network.
I hope that decision makers realize the importance of this valuable land, give it the necessary thought that it deserves, and create a development model that distinguishes itself from previous mediocre projects. We wish to see Al Murqab become a sustainable, vibrant and outstanding center; not a mere real estate commercial venture.
