أرشيف الوسم: Transparency

Time passes over cities and leaves its impact on people and buildings alike. Time is relative, and its impact varies from one location to another. Similarly, science and technology impact the notion of time and affect the way people live everywhere. Life in the country differs from city life in terms of timing and the need for speed. In traditional societies, seasons govern the way people use space; and for Muslims, the five prayer times determine their daily activities.

With modernization and the changing nature of work, work became a routine; and the clock now rules the daily activities of people. Also, means of transport altered the way people view time. While in the past walking controlled how we perceived time, today the vehicle speed organizes how people communicate.

Additionally, the mobile phone revolutionized communication.  It removed barriers from the public and private spheres. It canceled the notion of space completely. As such, people’s activities could take place anytime, anywhere; and as a result, the physical place lost its value completely.

Even buildings that used to be designed and built to last were designed carefully with attention to minute details that allow pedestrians to enjoy their elegant facades. Today, buildings are designed, built swiftly and expected to last for 40 years only. We no longer justify the need to supplement buildings with details as the fast-moving eyes can only notice their silhouettes.

Places and buildings carry traces of memories, meaning and history. Thus, world cities preserve historical sites and buildings. Cities act beyond that and also preserve modern buildings that carry architectural and historical significance. We can import stones and technology, but we can’t buy history, memory and meaning. Such intangible qualities carry the secrets of specificity, the chests of the past and the keys to the future.

We need to replant the value of place and time through the design of our cities, public spaces and architecture. The built environment determines the quality of the places we live in. When designed carefully, it can create a lively environment that brings us to reality and enriches our daily experiences.

Kuwait City is divided into three primary neighbourhoods: Sharq, Qibla and Mirqab. In the sixties and after the implementation of modern urban planning, Qibla gained prominence as the main commercial hub, especially for offices and retail, while Sharq mostly maintained its residential and low-density use. Sharq is bordered by the old market area to the west, Dasman Palace to the east, and the industrial crafts area to the south. Sharq is characterized by low density traditional Arabic houses, ranging in size from 250 to 500 square meters.

In 2002 — after the end of the Iraq war and tumbling of the old regime — Kuwait’s market was optimistic, and it was ready for a new economic and urban renaissance. And as usual, the real estate market was the most active sector. In turn, Kuwaiti developers began to search for opportunities. However, scarcity and the high cost of land hampered the development of Qibla neighbourhood and brought attention to Sharq.

The Municipal council reacted to this demand and issued decrees to change the use of some sites in Sharq (East Moqwa) to commercial land use with the maintenance of high-density residential FAR’s. Also, developers were allowed to build higher buildings and purchase additional air rights for a certain period of time.

During the last fifteen years, Sharq flourished and housed outstanding projects, such as Al Hamra, Al Raya, Al Awadhi, Mazaya, KIPPCO towers, and others. Currently, the capital tower and the NBK headquarters are other architectural landmarks located in Sharq and are under construction.

However, what we observe today is that Sharq suffers from severe urban problems, which negatively affects the quality of its projects and impedes the success of its business environment; this is due to the lack of urban forecasting and planning as well as the bowing of the planner to the pressures of the market and developers that seek quick gains.

This fast and unstudied transformation led an emergence of various urban problems that can be summarised as follows:

 – Traffic congestion occurred, as roads were not planned to accommodate these major commercial developments.

 – Lack of parking spaces led to chaos in parking and blocked roads and sidewalks, which denigrated the overall scene.

 – Deficiency of land use balance and the improper mix-use — especially the provision of adequate residential units to accommodate a portion of those who work at Kuwait City.

 – The absence of an adequately connected pedestrian network that is safe and encourages walkability.

 – The nonexistence of public open spaces that are well-designed and provides an outdoor breather for residents.

 – Disharmony in use and scale, which negatively impact the urban form and urban fabric.

Sharq is a vibrant part of Kuwait City, and today, it houses a group of outstanding architectural landmarks and is the address of leading companies and locations for small entrepreneurs. In addition, there are three main roads that pass through Shar: Ahmad Al Jaber, Jaber Al Mubarak, and Al Shuhada. Once properly designed, these streets possess the ingredients to be successful avenues and can contribute to achieving the vision of Kuwait City as a vibrant centre. This being said, Sharq must be rethought out carefully because it can be developed to protect its projects and environment and prepare it for the future. However, if left to chance, Sharq will face an urban catastrophe and life for residents will become unbearable.

This post stresses the interchangeable relationship between citizens and the built environment. A city’s success depends on the acts of its citizens, as their ability to lead a good life depends greatly on the quality of their city, the urban milieu, and implemented governance systems.

Citizen is defined as a “member of a political group that enjoys citizenship rights and carries its duties”. Encyclopedia Britannica defines citizenship as the “relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance, and in turn, is entitled to its protection”. Citizenship implies the status of freedom with accompanying responsibilities. Being a citizen of a specific city entails a wider notion; it is a feeling that a successful city gives and contributes to its development.

Civic spirit is reflective of how citizens view and can act within their city. Cities flourish through their citizens. The success and happiness of citizens depend on the quality of the built environment. The more the relationship between citizens and their city is characterized as positive, the more their feeling of pride increases, and the civic spirit and civic society thrives alongside it.

The active “good” citizen establishes a successful city that facilitates his/her life, protecting him/her from fear, hunger, anxiety, and all forms of discomfort. However, planning is crucial to creating such a city, as successful cities are not built by chance but created by clear visions, good plans, and fierce commitment. Urban Planning and urban design are crucial to creating an urban environment that incubates citizens and provides all of their necessary means. Thus, what are the conditions for such interchangeable relations between citizens and their city?

Law abiding citizen and fair city

A conformist citizen, whether a leader or follower, is a law-abiding, ethical, and honest in all his/her dealings. He/she is a generous citizen that seeks to assist those in need and creates opportunities to facilitate the success of others. Moreover, such citizens need a city that does not tolerate corruption and enforces sound, fair, and smooth procedures.

Active citizen within an open city:

A good city needs active participant citizens — who hold a high sense of individuality and responsibility. Such citizens participate in public debates and express their opinion in a positive manner. Further, they seek to contribute to the enhancement of other lives and the creation of solutions to help all of their city’s members. Similarly, citizens need a city that welcomes all and provides spaces for debate and the exchange of ideas. These cities must also value freedom and protects the right of all.

Creative citizen and an environment that stimulates creativity:

A successful city requires vigilant, aware citizens with clear goals. These citizens must also notice areas of weakness and search for solutions and provide initiates and proposals. At the same time, the city must be open and flexible enough to encourage public gathering and the exchange of ideas — while providing resources for its citizens to accomplish their projects and dreams

As modernization and progress occurs, cities adopt global management and planning methods, and doing so, they lose many of their unique characteristics — gradually transforming into one-dimensional cities. These cities are cruel, and living in them becomes extraordinarily harsh. The following article explores the characteristics intrinsic of one-dimensional cities.

In one-dimensional cities, the economy is the leader, driving force, and reference of success. As a result, economic practices assume priority over the material — and subsequently, over the human. In one-dimensional cities, economic growth proves more important than true societal development. The material interest is the basis, and the entire city transforms into a factory or a marketplace of endless consumption.

The invisible hand of the market adjusts the rhythm of life in the city, and priority is given to contractual relations over human relations. The individual might think that he/she is free — where consumption choices are vast — but in reality, the individual is constrained to only functional choices. In turn, the individual becomes unable to critique, protest and is only allowed to operate within the status quo.

One-dimensional cities seek to standardize all aspect of life, cancelling out an individual’s character and identities. It believes that there exist a scientific and engineering solution to every problem, and these solutions can be applied to all. As such, one-dimensional cities resist and eliminate uniqueness, individualism and specificity.

The standardization phenomenon can be defined where “many of the civilization’s products are alike and standardized through manufacturing production techniques… [,] and this standardization of civil products leads to the standardization of public and private lifestyle”*

Standardization, in consequence, eliminates the human and his/her freedom. Due to their nature, humans make attempts to resist the process of standardization by protesting acts that break the law, violence, addiction, and even suicide! This city might seek to standardization under the slogan of justice or planning; but standardization is one of the tools of the market and the one-dimensional city.

The one-dimensional city invades the private and the public sector and works to reduce their freedoms, as expression is only permitted through consumption and ownership. The spiritual, cultural and socio-political dimensions are also marginalized.

Another characteristic of one-dimensional cities is its sway of bureaucratic procedures — where the individual is lost between a web of complicated and fine procedures, feeling worthless and unable to influence surrounding social, political and economic factors. The individual feels complete deficiency against the injustice faced, including facing the incomprehensible procedures indicative of one-dimensional cities that waste time and effort. Consequently, suffering upsurges as time — an individual’s most valuable asset — is squandered and consumed by one-dimensional cities.

In the following articles, I shall go in detail in every character of these.

*Some of these  ideas are inspired by Dr. Abdulwahab Al Missiri’s books.