31 March 2010| Huma Gupta
Recently, Gary Toth praised Abu Dhabi’s new street plan design manual on Planetizen. The manual’s new principles are as follows:
- Good street design starts with pedestrians. The world’s great cities are delightful and safe for walking, resulting not only in lower rates of driving but also improved public health.
- Good street design supports Abu Dhabi’s environmental goals: reducing CO2 emissions, minimizing the urban heat island effect and reducing water consumption.
- Street connectivity enhances road capacity and allows smooth traffic flow. Congestion worsens when most vehicle traffic is funneled onto arterial streets.
- Street design follows from a sense of place. Streets are not just for movement of vehicles, but for enhancing the communities they pass through. This means paying attention to the enjoyment of residents and the success of businesses
The concepts aren’t revolutionary, but are cited as a great step towards sustainable urban design and celebration of streets as public spaces. My only question to Gary and to the Abu Dhabi manual is this:
Who wants to walk on sidewalks in the sweltering heat?
The success of street life in older Middle Eastern cities is the integration of narrow alleys, cloth awnings, and even wood frame roofs for plants to block out the sun. If the Persian Gulf truly wants to move into a more sustainable direction with its streetscapes, they will have to first tackle the issue of natural climate control and shade. Or, people can live as vampires and only come out at night. Without addressing this major concern, no amount of street beautification, connectivity, and pedestrian amenities will lure the majority of Gulf-ites/Khaleejis out of their air conditioned homes and cars.
[…] These innovative ideas actually borrow from history. Older Middle Eastern cities relied on “the integration of narrow alleys, cloth awnings, and even wood frame roofs for plants to block out the sun,” says blogger Huma Gupta from MIT Meydan. […]
It seems that that the design guidelines underlined by the Abu Dhabi’s new street plan design manual are totally unsusceptible to the urban fabric that is being created in their cities. This is a common phenomenon in the third world countries(devoid of resources and lack of vision), but in places like Abu Dhabi which are anyways quite well endowed in monetary terms and have access to all the available resources, seems to be quite strange.
Now coming to the following statement “success of street life in older Middle Eastern cities is the integration of narrow alleys, cloth awnings, and even wood frame roofs for plants to block out the sun.”
We have to highlight the underlying logic behind the statement.
Narrow alleys which are undulating in their profiles, or also referred to as “organic development” is because of the reason that there is mutual shading during the day time which is comforting to dwellers of the area and they are undulating in their profile so as to prevent the streets from becoming wind tunnels. now coming to shading devices or non-mechanical design interventions such as the brise soleil which was popularized by Corbusier himself or the ‘mashrabia’ which are found mostly in the mashriq (east of the Arab world) and maghrib (west of the Arab world), elements like these are now days almost abandoned by the vast majority of designers with the exception of buildings such as Jean Nouvel’s Institute du Monde Arabe. But the question that comes out to my mind is when the author actually wants to reinforce the concept that the” street should act as a seam rather than a divider”, which means that street also acts as the series of spaces where interaction between the community takes place and it is an entity that bridges two or more, similar or dissimilar nature of spaces catering for different activities.
My inferences would be the following:
1. The urban fabric that is being created is in direct opposition to the climatologically aspect of the
architectural and urban interventions.
2. Pls refer to the concept of ‘Rurbanism’ which is fast catching up in a country like India. “RUrbanism” is the sustainable integration of rural and urban communities. It is a sophisticated new set of design principles and practices governing land use, energy, transportation, governance, and all aspects of economic, ecological, and social development for a major city. Most importantly, it is a new framework for thinking about how to put an existing city onto a pathway toward genuine sustainability particularly a city in the developing world, but the framework could apply in many other urban/rural contexts.
3. When will the designers and the authorities in the gulf actually realize the importance of architectural interventions in a water scarce area.
It seems that that the design guidelines underlined by the Abu Dhabi’s new street plan design manual are totally unsusceptible to the urban fabric that is being created in their cities. This is a common phenomenon in the third world countries(devoid of resources and lack of vision), but in places like Abu Dhabi which are anyways quite well endowed in monetary terms and have access to all the available resources, seems to be quite strange.
Now coming to the following statement “success of street life in older Middle Eastern cities is the integration of narrow alleys, cloth awnings, and even wood frame roofs for plants to block out the sun.”
We have to highlight the underlying logic behind the statement.
Narrow alleys which are undulating in their profiles, or also referred to as “organic development” is because of the reason that there is mutual shading during the day time which is comforting to dwellers of the area and they are undulating in their profile so as to prevent the streets from becoming wind tunnels. now coming to shading devices or non-mechanical design interventions such as the brise soleil which was popularized by Corbusier himself or the ‘mashrabia’ which are found mostly in the mashriq (east of the Arab world) and maghrib (west of the Arab world), elements like these are now days almost abandoned by the vast majority of designers with the exception buildings such as Jean Nouvel’s Institute du Monde Arabe. But the question that comes out to my mind is when the author actually wants to reinforce the concept that the” street should act as a seam rather than a divider”, which means that street also acts as the series of spaces where interaction between the community takes place and it is an entity that bridges two or more, similar or dissimilar nature of spaces catering for different activities.
My inferences would be the following:
1. The urban fabric that is being created is in direct opposition to the climatologically aspect of the
architectural and urban interventions.
2. Pls refer to the concept of ‘Rurbanism’ which is fast catching up in a country like India. “RUrbanism” is the sustainable integration of rural and urban communities. It is a sophisticated new set of design principles and practices governing land use, energy, transportation, governance, and all aspects of economic, ecological, and social development for a major city. Most importantly, it is a new framework for thinking about how to put an existing city onto a pathway toward genuine sustainability particularly a city in the developing world, but the framework could apply in many other urban/rural contexts.
3. When will the designers and the authorities in the gulf actually realize the importance of architectural interventions in a water scarce area?
In response to Huma Gupta’s remarks…I think it would be extremely interesting to see how a city could evolve as a pedestrian city only at night. It would be like a never ending modern Ramadan (sleeping during the day, staying up all night) — not that different from how they regularly function now.
In all seriousness, I doubt that the use of traditional/natural forms of shading and cooling would ever be enough to address the extreme humidity which causes most of the discomfort in the UAE. If it were that easy to fix, I’m sure the country would have evolved from its Bedouin culture much earlier.
I like Summer S’s concept of pedestrian streetlife at night. I think her comments on humidity and the nighttime street culture during Ramadan are right on point.
Personally, Dubai (not as sure about Abu Dhabhi) does have a vibrant street night life, but it is largely centered around market districts, malls, etc. The point of being a pedestrian is about walking from destination to destination. The current pattern, however, is to drive from destination to destination, and then people may choose to walk around a particular area. I think these distinctions are important to recognize as we as planners try to find ways to draw people out. The subway systems are definitely a step in the right direction. But, how do we inculcate a culture that views walking as a legitimate form of transport?
One way to address this issue, if we listen to Summer S’s comments, is to translate these new transnational urban planning precepts into the vernacular. I think her reference to Ramadan is a brilliant insight. Nighttime wanderings, visits, and coming into the street to watch the fireworks and hear the canons go that mark the break of the fast are daily traditions during Ramadan. How do we maintain this feeling of camaraderie and street festivity throughout the year?
Perhaps if we think of streets as nodes of festivity, where medians and intersections are social spaces, and from any given point, one can see another point on the street that is inviting to the pedestrian. If we can condense these nodes of activity/celebration (via kiosks, little shops, activity areas, etc) along a visual axis, and if we privilege access for pedestrians, we could slowly re-instill a pedestrian culture that has existed in the Persian Gulf for centuries.
After all, walking is the original form of transport.
Thank you for these insights! I am seeking to learn more of the Middle Eastern way of life. Those of us in the west who love Truth seek it out.
Some key words are “axis” of the “earth” and “walking”.
Walking is the original and still most valuable form of transport because it promotes vitality, well-being and health.
We miss much by rapid transport that walking allows.
A time is coming when when the earth will be shaken and returned to its proper polarity, alignment.
Isaiah 35:1-10, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”