Cairo, Baghdad, Algiers and Dubai cannot be easily lumped together as a single group. Cities in the Arab world are too diverse and hybrid, ranging from those rich in tradition, to 'forgotten’ cities, to newly emerging Gulf cities.
The authors here, Arab scholars and architects local to the cities they describe, provide an authentic voice with an understanding no outsider could achieve. They explore issues of identity, hybridity, colonization and globalization in the context of the struggles and solutions offered by each city from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Their focus is on how the built environment has changed over time and under different influences.
Planning Middle Eastern Cities : An Urban Kaleidoscope
Description
Table of Contents
- The Middle East City: Moving Beyond the Narrative of Loss 2. The Merits of Cities' Locations 3. The Spatial Development and Urban Transformation of Colonial and Postcolonial Algiers 4. Globalization and the Search for Modern Local Architecture: Learning from Baghdad 5. Sana'a: Transformation of the Old City and the Impacts of the Modern Era 6. Lake Tunis, or the Concept of the Third Centre 7. Cairo's Urban Déjà Vu: Globalization and Urban Fantasies 8. Redrawing Boundaries: Dubai, an Emerging Global City
Author Description
Yasser Elsheshtawy is Associate Professor of Architecture at the UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.