Abstract
Scholars and researchers, who investigate the extent to which spatial form and livability are mutually interconnected, stress that the built environment provides the space for the enhancement of social interactions, which in turn have a deep impact on the level of livability of cities. Namely, in relation to this relationship, to which extent the built environment of (1) the contemporary business district of ‘West Bay’ and (2) of the heritage site of the ‘Souq Waqif’ in Doha contributes to the enhancement of social interactions and/or livability has not been comparatively investigated yet. This study aims at investigating how the spatial form of the two selected precincts contributes to create a livable environment. The analysis indicates that while West Bay’s contemporary built environment contributes to the image of Doha as a modern city, the traditional settlement of the Souq Waqif contributes to the formation of a sense of community, increase occasions for social interactions, enhance livability and finally consolidate cultural identity
Highlights
In the past two decades, due (1) to a significant growth in national wealth, produced by the production and export of oil and gas, (2) to globalization or westernization as a world-wide trend and (3) to the resulting desire to attract foreigners to invest into the rapid and intense urban development of GCC capital cities’, Middle Eastern countries has experienced the construction of modern districts exposing spectacular structures influenced by western-contemporary architectural design, materials and construction techniques
Skyscrapers are the image of globalism and economic prosperity and world-widely cities are embracing rapid urbanization where urban developments are characterized by high-rise buildings as dominant typology
West bay could represent a manifestation of this contemporary trend, seen how the ground floor of the towers is characterized by security gates and parking areas, rather than public realm spaces. This pattern has a negative impact on the settlement’s livability and/or quality of life because it reduces the accessibility of users to the area and deprives the users of spaces utilized for social activities
Summary
In the past two decades, due (1) to a significant growth in national wealth, produced by the production and export of oil and gas, (2) to globalization or westernization as a world-wide trend and (3) to the resulting desire to attract foreigners to invest into the rapid and intense urban development of GCC capital cities’, Middle Eastern countries has experienced the construction of modern districts exposing spectacular structures influenced by western-contemporary architectural design, materials and construction techniques This trend, experienced by GCC capital cities, contributed to the expansion of single core cities towards decentralized new urban neighborhood. Arts Social Sci J 7: 171. doi:10.4172/2151-6200.1000171
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