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The Evolving Arab City

Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development

Edited by Yasser Elsheshtawy

Published May 27th 2008 by Routledge – 314 pages

Series: Planning, History and Environment Series

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Description

Today cities of the Arab world are subject to many of the same problems as other world cities, yet too often they are ignored in studies of urbanisation.

This collection reveals the contrasts and similarities between older, traditional Arab cities and the newer oil-stimulated cities of the Gulf in their search for development and a place in the world order. The eight cities which form the core of the book – Rabat, Amman, Beirut, Kuwait, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh – provide a unique insight into today’s Middle Eastern city.

Winner of The International Planning History Society (IPHS) Book Prize.

Contents

1. Introduction: The Great Divide: Struggling and Emerging Cities of the Arab World Yasser Elsheshtawy 2. Prologue: The New Arab Metropolis Fuad Malkawi Part I: The Struggling Arab City 3. Amman: Disguised Genealogy, Recent Urban Restructuring and Neo-liberal Threats Rami Farouk Daher 4. From Regional Node to Backwater and Back to Uncertainty: The Refashioning of Beirut, 1943–2006 Sofia Shwayri 5. Rabat: From Capital to Global Metropolis Jamila Bargach Part II: The Emerging Arab City 6. Riyadh: A City of ‘Institutional’ Architecture Mashary A. Al-Naim 7. Kuwait: Learning from a Globalized City Yasser Mahgoub 8. Manama: The Metamorphosis of a Gulf City Mustapha Ben Hamouche 9. Rediscovering the Island: Doha’s Urbanity from Pearls to Spectacle Khaled Adham 10. Cities of Sand and Fog: Abu Dhabi’s Arrival on the Global Scene Yasser Elsheshtawy

Author Bio

Yasser Elsheshtawy is Associate Professor of Architecture at the United Arab Emirates University. His most recent publication is an edited book published by Routledge (2004) titled Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope in a Globalizing World. He has lectured at Harvard Design School, Tianjin University, China, and Virginia Commonwealth University, Doha.

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Name: The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development (Hardback) – Routledge 
Description: Edited by Yasser Elsheshtawy. Today cities of the Arab world are subject to many of the same problems as other world cities, yet too often they are ignored in studies of urbanisation. This collection reveals the contrasts and similarities between older, traditional Arab cities and...
Categories: Middle East Culture, Architecture, City and Urban Planning, Urban Studies