Remah Y. Gharib

Requalifying the Historic Centre of Doha: From Locality to Globalization

Abstract Over the past two decades, the fabric of Doha has been altered, as Qatar is considered to be one of the most rapidly developing nations in the world. The architecture and urbanism are evolving enormously, with new settlements, expanding infrastructure, and various architectural patterns deployed. Moreover, in the era of globalization, cities of the Arabian Peninsula are competing to place themselves in the international context, and it could be argued that in this milieu the Qatari government utilizes the high-quality urban interventions as a developing tool in this rivalry. This trend can be observed in the requalification of the historic centre of Doha that involved massive destruction of traditional heritage observed during the 1980s through to the present day. This discussion focuses on Souq Waqif, a traditional open market which has been revitalized for the public, and Msheireb Downtown Doha, an adjacent new development with reverence to Qatari history and culture. This paper investigates the role of urban design in reconstructing the historic centre of Doha and examining the local attitudes regarding what constructs an attractive, global, and emerging urban centre, addressing the cultural, socio-economical and physical impact of these projects with reference to different approaches to revitalization.

Gateways to the World: Port Cities in the Gulf

Within a matter of decades, Gulf port cities have rapidly evolved from regional centers of cultural and economic exchange to globalizing cities deeply embedded within the global economy. Explicitly evident features of Gulf cities such as international hotel chains, shopping centers, and entertainment complexes have classified these cities as centers of consumption. Other urban trends, such as exhibition and conference centers, media and knowledge cities, and branch campuses of Western universities have integrated Gulf cities within numerous global networks. In line with this, the CIRS research initiative on “The Evolution of Gulf Global Cities” examines dynamics of urban configurations in the Gulf region (the GCC, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran) in order to understand the city as a cultural and social space. Over the course of two working group meetings, CIRS invited academics from various disciplinary backgrounds as well as architects, urban planners, and designers to discuss their research findings and to present papers linking macro-level knowledge of urbanization and modernization projects in the Gulf with the micro-level understanding of everyday spaces of living and human interaction. The chapters are combined into an edited volume titled, Gateways to the World: Port Cities in the Persian Gulf.