Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2.6 The Middle East Context
2.6.1 The Gulf Area
The Gulf area as an arid zone provides a challenge for architects and urban
planners to build urban settlements that respond to the needs of inhabitants
for climatic comfort and in the same time be sensitive to energy use and
its consequences of climate change. This section reviews two approaches to
tackle this issue and provide a climatic responsive built environment that is
energy efficient.
2.6.1.1 A Return to Compact Cities
Over centuries, the climate in Arabia has become a major factor that shaped
the daily life of local societies and, thus, the form of their cities. Old cities
were characterised by their compactness, which stemmed from the need for
protection from the harsh environment. Urban fabric has been dominated
by the building masses, the limited number of enclosed public and outdoor
spaces, and the inward-looking architecture. Besides its environmental
utility, compactness also provided a physical support to the local commu-
nity, reflecting its strong social structure and complex network of kinships.
Nowadays, Gulf cities that are mostly shaped by the modern movement
and American lifestyle are in complete negation with their past. An unprec-
edented sprawl effect is taking place all over the Gulf countries due to the
heavy reliance on private transportation, high building technology, power-
ful air-conditioning systems and private housing [104].
A study by Ben-Hamouche on cities in Arabia recognised two historical
shifts in the form of the city. The first one occurred during the industriali-
sation era from the old compact city to the modern dispersed city, and the
second shift is expected to occur in the information age from the modern
dispersed city back to the post-modern compact city through the combina-
tion of the concepts of sustainability and IT. He refers to the New Urbanism
movement and its principles in his call for referral to compact cities as a rem-
edy to the cancerous sprawl and suburbia [104].
Although this study claims that the information age will make the city more
compact, due to the diminishing need for mechanical mobility, this increased
accessibility might not lead to compactness. The sprawling may continue;
only car usage might decrease but not necessarily increasing density.
2.6.1.2 Masdar City: Innovative Technologies [105]
As the geographical core of the Masdar sustainable energy initiative, Masdar
City has been one of the elements to move forward the most quickly. The
concept is simple but radical: zero-carbon and zero-waste. This involves a
radical rethink of everything about the way that the city will function.
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