Urban Regeneration of Old Neighborhoods: The Case of Old Al Ghanim in Doha, Qatar

Abstract

ABSTRACT Qatar witnessed its first urban expansion era following economic prosperity amid the discovery and production of oil and its exportation in the early 1950s. However, the capital city of Qatar, Doha, beheld numerous challenges following the rapid growth that resulted in unsystematic urban sprawl in the city. Therefore, the country developed national expansion plans and policies for the geographical city change process by encouraging sustainable and regenerative approaches. Studies concentrating on urban regeneration in rapidly growing cities offer prospects by evaluating existing settings and proposing regeneration solutions. This research aims to assess the urban environment of an old neighborhood in Doha, called Fareej Al Ghanim by examining the existing conditions and providing recommendations for its regeneration. A qualitative research methodology is applied in this study to identify proper solutions for urban regeneration in Fareej Al Ghanim. The latter is an important case to analyze, study and recommend an appropriate regeneration strategy, which can be used as an example of best practice for other historic neighborhoods in Qatar, the Gulf and elsewhere. Namely, the urban regeneration of Old Al Ghanim neighborhood in Doha was studied through physical analysis of (A) urban settings (B) land uses and (C) current building conditions. The information was collected through data collection, site visits, walking tour assessments and map analyses. The findings identified the following; (1) poor infrastructure of the neighborhood, (2) multiple abandoned buildings in a deteriorating state, (3) lack of parking spaces and over congestion, (4) absence of cycling paths and pavements and (5) inexistence of open areas where people can sit and relax. Thus, the proposed recommendations for urban regeneration are based on (A) enhancing the physical environment of the area through land-use changes and (B) rehabilitating the surviving historic buildings and reconstructing the deteriorating ones. The findings offer policymakers, city planners, and designers an opportunity to improve old districts in Qatar, the Gulf and elsewhere.