September 20, 2003

Kuwait City, Kuwait

If there’s one thing that I can about Kuwait, it’s that it’s hot.  Really fuckin’ hot.  It’s currently past 10 o’clock at night and still a cool 99 degrees.  We went to the Radisson to work out a couple of days ago and I’ve never imagined a swimming pool that looked more appealing.

Drivers and pedestrians alike are crazy here.  Not Cairo crazy – that’s “Crays-see!” – but very unruly, nonetheless.  Eric has taken to it, however, like a fish to water.  That said, he still nearly snuffed out a snuffy on route to Nino’s tonight.

This area of the Gulf is known for all-male social gatherings called Diwaniyahs.  Diwaniyahs are rooms generally located at someone’s house where the men get together to openly discuss politics, the eroticism of seeing an uncovered female arm, etc all while under the influence of tiny cups of scorching hot tea.  Post-dinner, I was envying Eric’s ability to go to such a diwaniyah.  Gender segregation sucks!   Eric responded, “If there was a place like that for the ‘bee-atches’, it’s be called a ‘bee-waniyah’.”  Both politically and culturally insensitive in just one sentence!

The Great mosque (Kuwait, Kuwait)

Cargado originalmente por sana banana nana

The Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the State of Kuwait. Located on Arabian Gulf Road opposite Seif Palace. Its area spans 45,000 square metres, out of which the building itself covers 20,000 square metres. The remaining area consists of gardens with a variety of flowers, plants, palm trees, fountains and waterfalls. On the eastern side there is a vast courtyard with a total area of six thousand five hundred square metres. The Main Prayer Hall is 72 metres wide on both sides, has 21 teakwood doors and lighting is provided by 144 windows. The Dome of the Grand Mosque is 26 metres in diametre, 43 metres high and is decorated with “Isma Al-Hosna”, the 99 attributes of God [Allah].

The Grand Mosque can accommodate up to 10,000 men in the Main Prayer Hall and it has a separate Daily Prayer Hall for men also. A Ladies’ Prayer Chamber is located on a level above, which can hold up to nine hundred and fifty female worshippers. There are steps and a lift for access. Its entrance gate is in the southern wall.

During Ramadan, annually, 180,000 men, women and children from Kuwait and all across the globe, attend the Grand Mosque for praying together to God (Allah) at the same time during the Last Ten Nights. People pray, awaiting what is called The Night of Destiny – Laylat Al-Qadr. The Grand Mosque contains a 350 square metre library of Islamic reference books and documents.

To accommodate the large number of vehicles belonging to worshippers, the mosque also contains a 5-level car park located below the eastern courtyard, which can accommodate up to five-hundred and fifty cars, with elevators providing access to upper halls and public areas. Construction on the Grand Mosque started in 1979 and was completed in 1986.

It seems the initial success and glow of Dubai Metro has breathed new life into our own national project. Let’s hope for their continued success so that the fires of envy burn brighter and ignite real action. I keep thinking about the people that will end up using the metro. Who are they? What do they want out of a well functioning mass transit system? How can we make the design better?

Kuwait has invited consultants to express interest in its 171-kilometre metro project, MEED magazine has reported. The estimated $7bn scheme will involve building four lanes, with 60km of the network underground. The successful developer will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the metro network for an undisclosed period of time.

-AMEinfo November 4th, 2009

So who rides the metro?

Hawalli residents:

There can be around 7 stops in Hawalli. That’s a fair number, but the great thing is that the Blue line and the Black line cross each other at right angles. This means that pedestrian development and density in Hawalli won’t be restricted to a linear path. The current design doesn’t make all of Hawalli entirely walkabl, but its close enough. Feeder buses can fill in the gaps. It’s important that Beirut and Tunis are well fed, but also creating a great node around Qadsiya Stadium and the new Sultan Center. I imagine that interchange would be underground and provide a subterranean link between alMuhallab, Sultan Center and the sports complex as it’s not that far between the three.

Farwaniya residents:

It’s very hard to do any better than simply following the existing road infrastructure here. The place really isn’t a destination and most of the stops are funnels for people to enter the network. The challenge and the potential here is to think of the nodes as a generator for development. Mixed use spaces at every stop can make this neglected part of the country more pleasant and livable. The area is far too big, so a network of feeder buses is definitely required to make the system functional. Seeing as how the lines follow the major roads, it won’t be hard to get that to work. It has to be cheap and easy for anyone living here to be a part of the network.

Salmiya residents:



The entire Salmiya line is underground. Several of the stops on the line are destinations as well as dense residential areas; Salmiya Park, Khansa (Restaurant Street), Amman (a hopefully pedestrianized Salem alMubarak street), Marina Mall, Scientific Center (and waterfront). This is really the jewel of the metro system. I’d add as many stops as possible, possible 4 or 5 more to the ones already on the map above. The density in Salmiya is already there and the metro will create a virtuous spiral; more people walking creates better safety and more investment, which leads to even more people walking and the cycle improves the experience indefinitely. Salmiya Park has its own private transit system, and this could be integrated with the metro to create a shortcut in the system between Marina and the southern end of the park. The good thing about Salmiya is that most of the buildings are fairly tall and shade a lot of the sidewalks, but there has to be a major investment in planting trees and cleaning up the sidewalks making them safe, pleasant and accessible to wheelchairs.

Students:

There are 5 stops at university campuses (including a stop at Mishref that can have feeder buses into the campuses there). A lot of students enjoy driving to college to show off their cars and drive around, but most people just want to get to class. Having the option of getting there without having to worry about parking is a great relief. Also, the commute allows for precious reading or relaxing time before class.

Mall hoppers:

The Avenues, Marina Mall, alMuhallab, 360, Souq Sharq and the airport all have dedicated stops. This would help weekend traffic because people would park their car at any metro stop and then hop from one mall to the next looking for where the action is. Part of the fun is in just driving around, but not everyone wants to do that and a lot of people don’t own cars. This is good for the malls and for people who want sanity on the weekend.

Office workers:

Once a significant density is achieved in the City we can talk about having people walk around from one building to the next. Every new metro stop will act as a node of development, because every building within walking distance to a stop is connected to the network; meaning office workers can walk from any building in the network to another one without having to worry about driving and parking. On the way, there can be cafes, news stands, restaurants… A real city.

Government employees:

All the major government complexes have a dedicated metro stop. This is critical for both the employees and the unfortunate souls that have to visit them. It’s common to have to from one complex to the other, and so having them all connected is better for everyone. Parking is usually a nightmare for these places, since working hours are so short and everyone is there at the same time. A metro will provide much needed relief.

Kuwaitis:

The Gray Line links Jahra with Fahaheel, and everything in between. Most of the stops along that line will be Park and Ride stations. However, I also suggest a completely new line that would wrap around the dense residential areas between the first and fifth ring road. The metro stop would be underground and accessible from the shopping center of every area. The parking infrastructure is already there and every area has the ‘Jam’eiyah’ conveniently located at the center. A lot of people can walk to that, and those that don’t can drive and park there. I think this makes a lot of sense as it will allow for a much greater density within the residential areas. People just don’t seem to want to live further away but we’ve reached a limit because of the number of cars that we squeeze in. If we can build densely without having to park more cars that means that more people can live closer to their families without sacrificing quality of life.

Ridership estimate is at around 70 million per year, which comes around 200,000 per day. I think this is a very conservative estimate and I expect a fully functional, well maintained system to attract 250,000-300,000 per day (around 15% of our labor force). The value of the metro isn’t simply to generate a profit. Rather, it is in the unquantifiable benefits such as:

• Rush hour traffic reduction
• Cheap transportation alternative
• Lower gasoline consumption (and more profitable exports)
• Less pollution
• Pedestrian culture will improve health standards
• Fewer parking headaches
• Create potential for greater density (more stuff in less space)
• Ability to explore the city and discover new places
• Greater potential for emergent nodes to flourish without the need for planned development

This is the final post discussing the 13 points of good neighborhood design as described by the Congress for the New Urbanism. All of these ideas aren’t meant to be a guide for how to build new neighborhoods. There is nothing in the list that we can’t really do now in our existing neighborhoods. All it takes is for us identify the problems and offer solutions for this change to happen.

12. Certain prominent sites at the termination of street vistas or in the neighborhood center are reserved for civic buildings. These provide sites for community meetings, education, and religious or cultural activities.

This makes sense also because it provides people with a frame of reference. Some neighborhoods look very similar and it’s easy to get lost or simply get bored with the lack of urban character. Having an easily definable building or space is great for quickly calibrating yourself and understanding where you are. The uniqueness also embeds a spatial character and identity onto the community that will grow with time and memory.

13. The neighborhood is organized to be self-governing. A formal association debates and decides matters of maintenance, security, and physical change. Taxation is the responsibility of the larger community.

This is very, very important. We have to harness the menacingly powerful Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) mentality. Having the neighborhood be self-governing means that nobody feels powerless to change even the most minor thing. It would be fertile ground for grass-roots activism and provides a great opportunity for anyone to have their voice heard and participate. Today, the decision-makers don’t live with the consequences of their actions. If they do, they will have taken much more care in designing and maintaining our public spaces and urban character. Every neighborhood will, with time, begin to represent the values of the people who speak up. This in turn will attract people who think the same way and drive away the few that don’t.

We have to force accountability and the best way to do this is to delegate the local decision-making to the residents of the community. That’s really where democracy happens; not just the big national issues, but whether to build a wheelchair ramp to access the park toilets. If we don’t speak up, nobody will.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in Kuwait. Computer games and television has made it easy for kids to live a sedentary lifestyle. For some, the only exercise is the few hours of PE class in school every week. Neighborhoods have a social duty to provide children with a safe environment to play with other kids and have fun.

6. An elementary school is close enough so that most children can walk from their home.

Summer break means that kids are spared the worst months of summer, so a walk to school is mostly pleasant. Of course, the entire length should be shaded, and every morning there should be someone at each road crossing to stop traffic and allow the kids to safely cross the street. To do this, sidewalks have to be wide enough to allow people to walk. The problem with most neighborhoods in Kuwait is that the sidewalk is too narrow and each house has far too many cars; the cars park on the sidewalk filling the entire space. This forces people to walk on the street. If it was up to me this would be illegal. The public owns the sidewalk and nobody should force me to walk on the street.

7. There are small playgrounds accessible to every dwelling — not more than 150 meters away.

We have a unique opportunity to create a hybrid community center by merging a playground with a mosque. Both have to be within walking distance of every dwelling, so why not combine the two? The playground becomes part of the mosque infrastructure. During prayer time, adults using the mosque will create a feeling of safety through community policing. It can become a new hybrid community center; a mosque, playground, learning center and local library all in one seamless small urban space.

Ibn-e-Pakistan

Two women MPs elected to Kuwait's parliament who refused to wear Hijab

The munafiqun in Kuwait’s highest court gave a ruling that “women Members of Parliament (MP) can shun [avoid] Hjiab because election law does not specify regulations to be followed by women MPs” – perhaps Mr. Judge knew election law very well but either he does know what Islam tells or he is a munafiq [hypocrite].

Kuwait’s highest court rules headscarves are not obligatory for elected female lawmakers.
[ Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-ml-kuwait-womens-rights,0,1843591.story ]

Allah s.w.t. tells Muslim women to take Hijab at a number of places in Quran. Following verses are straight and clear in meaning:

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” [al-Noor 24:31]

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59]

It was narrated from ‘Urwah that Aisha (radi Allahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and the believing women would attend (the prayer) with him, wrapped in their aprons, then they would go back to their houses and no one would recognize them. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 365; Muslim, 645]

It was narrated that Aisha (r.a.) said: “The riders used to pass by us when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (s.a.a.w.w.) in ihraam, and when they drew near to us we would lower our jilbabs from our heads over our faces, then when they had passed we would uncover them again. [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1833; Ibn Maajah, 2935; classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah (4,203) and by al-Albaani in Kitaab Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah]

It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said: We used to cover our faces in front of men. [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, 4/203; al-Haakim, 1/624. He classed it as saheeh and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah]

It was narrated that ‘Aasim al-Ahwaal said: We used to enter upon Hafsah bint Sireen who had put her jilbab thus and covered her face with it, and we would say to her: May Allaah have mercy on you. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment” [al-Noor 24:60]. And she would say to us: What comes after that? We would say: “But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them”. And she would say: That is confirming the idea of hijab. [Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 7/93]

Who are these people? Are they not Muslims? It should be clear these either these people are ignorant or munafiqun [hypocrites]. Now think what type of these MPs will make laws to govern a Islamic country – indeed they are mentioned in Surah Al Baqara in following words:

“Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” [Al-Baqara 2:85]

Sources:

Kuwait court rules that women MPs can shun [avoid] hijab [ Source: http://geo.tv/10-28-2009/51937.htm ]
Kuwait’s highest court rules headscarves are not obligatory for elected female lawmakers [ Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-ml-kuwait-womens-rights,0,1843591.story ]
Kuwait court rules that women MPs can shun hijab [ Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hJ8lqCF0ujYFP0XJF8cr0MNmIRow ]

Ibn-e-Pakistan

Two women MPs elected to Kuwait's parliament who refused to wear Hijab

The munafiqun in Kuwait’s highest court gave a ruling that “women Members of Parliament (MP) can shun [avoid] Hjiab because election law does not specify regulations to be followed by women MPs” – perhaps Mr. Judge knew election law very well but either he does know what Islam tells or he is a munafiq [hypocrite].

Kuwait’s highest court rules headscarves are not obligatory for elected female lawmakers.
[ Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-ml-kuwait-womens-rights,0,1843591.story ]

Allah s.w.t. tells Muslim women to take Hijab at a number of places in Quran. Following verses are straight and clear in meaning:

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” [al-Noor 24:31]

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59]

It was narrated from ‘Urwah that Aisha (radi Allahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray Fajr and the believing women would attend (the prayer) with him, wrapped in their aprons, then they would go back to their houses and no one would recognize them. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 365; Muslim, 645]

It was narrated that Aisha (r.a.) said: “The riders used to pass by us when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (s.a.a.w.w.) in ihraam, and when they drew near to us we would lower our jilbabs from our heads over our faces, then when they had passed we would uncover them again. [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1833; Ibn Maajah, 2935; classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah (4,203) and by al-Albaani in Kitaab Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah]

It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said: We used to cover our faces in front of men. [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, 4/203; al-Haakim, 1/624. He classed it as saheeh and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah]

It was narrated that ‘Aasim al-Ahwaal said: We used to enter upon Hafsah bint Sireen who had put her jilbab thus and covered her face with it, and we would say to her: May Allaah have mercy on you. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment” [al-Noor 24:60]. And she would say to us: What comes after that? We would say: “But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them”. And she would say: That is confirming the idea of hijab. [Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 7/93]

Who are these people? Are they not Muslims? It should be clear these either these people are ignorant or munafiqun [hypocrites]. Now think what type of these MPs will make laws to govern a Islamic country – indeed they are mentioned in Surah Al Baqara in following words:

“Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” [Al-Baqara 2:85]

Sources:

Kuwait court rules that women MPs can shun [avoid] hijab [ Source: http://geo.tv/10-28-2009/51937.htm ]
Kuwait’s highest court rules headscarves are not obligatory for elected female lawmakers [ Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-ml-kuwait-womens-rights,0,1843591.story ]
Kuwait court rules that women MPs can shun hijab [ Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hJ8lqCF0ujYFP0XJF8cr0MNmIRow ]

The heat in Kuwait in the summer is unbearable. Yet this is only a problem between June and September. The rest of the year is fairly pleasant, especially in the morning and evening. We have to design our spaces with that in mind and not be trapped because we fear the hot months. Scandinavia is basically frozen for half the year, yet they design knowing that for the other half the weather is very good. We should do the same.

2. Most of the dwellings are within a five-minute walk of the center, an average of roughly 400 meters.

In an ideal world, the Metro would criss-cross our radial residential areas and have stops in each neighborhood center. This would officially make Kuwait a walkable city, as it means that everyone has the option of living a car-free lifestyle. I’m sure this isn’t economically feasible, but as a public health initiative, it’s priceless.

The neighborhood centers don’t have to be physically connected to each other, of course. The point is that everyone can simply go outside and have a pleasant walk and arriving at a unique and exciting destination. This would also allow the residential areas to be exponentially denser without fear of the transportation system failing because every area is now mixed-use and self sufficient.

This would eventually lead to the collapse of the ‘mall mentality’. The neighborhood centers become a truly democratic and public space. Instead of going to The Avenues to hang out, you might go to the Shamiya center and have dinner, watch a show and have a nice stroll there meeting a friend who lives in Shamiya. You get all the amenities and advantages of a mall without the parking headache.

Every neighborhood center would grow to have its own distinct character. Malls are only as imaginative as the developers that built them. A public space is democratic in nature, meaning that it is up to the people to decide how the space should evolve. I know for a fact that young, creative Kuwaitis are far more imaginative than even the best developer. A subsidy for young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs will help encourage them to converge and all use the space together, focusing their creative energies into creating a wonderfully unique, distinctly Kuwaiti experience.

-A stupid idea, but I can’t think of a better way to waste money.

Edited: Slightly less stupid (fewer interchanges) but still wasteful.

Why do we have so many malls? People seem content to walk inside them in circles. Lots of people walking, but only a few with shopping bags. They’re there for the experience. People attracting people who attract people. The mall itself seems almost irrelevant in all this. It’s just the excuse, the agreed upon destination for this gathering to happen.

Without the crowd the mall is useless, but without the mall, can you still get the crowd? What’s wrong with malls anyway? They seem convenient; lots of shops, restaurants and girls. What more do you want? Well, a shopping mall is very efficient at serving itself by segregating and isolating spaces within the city. It is a self-sufficient island detached from its context.

flickr- Toomz

Let’s look at a successful mall such as The Avenues. So many people are attracted to it every day, yet the space beyond its border hasn’t changed at all. It’s as if you freeze a puddle of water and you get one shiny ice cube surrounded by dry nothing. If the city is filled with ice cubes, we all end up living in the dull emptiness between them.

What we need is a hip and trendy node that energizes and regenerates its context. A good example is that strip near Seif Palace with all those cool shops and restaurants. They’re not in a mall, nobody owns the street, yet people love it there. The problem is that it has a well defined boundary that confines the space, and that discourages exploration beyond it. Still, it is part of a public space. Someone can go there with a guitar and just play; no one will stop them. If three guys stand around in a mall, the man with the walkie-talkie will get them to move along. A public space means it is owned by the public. No one can tell you what to do.

Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar

Kuwait, I think, has been recently blessed with a wonderfully innovative generation. We are all part of a burgeoning creative class. Artists, musicians, actors, designers, film-makers and architects. There is so much talent out there that is not fulfilling its potential. What we need to do is find a place that can welcome this burst of creativity and allow it to flourish into something special.

The only way for that to work is if you develop the density first. Maki proved with its first restaurant that you don’t need to be in a place with a built in customer base to succeed. It was in the middle of a dirty street with nothing near it, yet it was a great success. People will flock to good stuff no matter where it is. It won’t take much for this node to develop and organically grow into the cultural heart of Kuwait City.

I imagine the place to be a very dense, crowded and linear pedestrian-only promenade that has lots of very successful restaurants and cafes. Street performers fill the place, there’s always some kind of live music playing. Street vendors and artists everywhere too. There are little alleyways that lead to small nooks that have niche boutiques and art galleries. Theaters that house small productions of local plays. A small cinema that shows Kuwaiti films and has a drama school upstairs. People that go there love to explore the place, always discovering something new by accident. You meet people there, because the place induces conversation. I can imagine lots of marriages that trace their origin to an accidental meeting there.

This cannot happen at a mall. It’s too messy and unpredictable and they’ll never allow it. It has to be a publicly owned pedestrian promenade. People own the shops of course, but anything can happen in the street and alleyways. There will be security, the place has to be kept safe and clean at all times, but it has to allow for casual spontaneity. The place has to be as hip as the people that made it and the only way for that to happen is if it emerges naturally and free. Kuwait has the potential to be the creative capital of the region. Let’s not suffocate this opportunity because we fear the challenge. Kuwait deserves more than malls.

William Whyte, in his book ‘The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces’, explains why some public spaces work and others don’t. The example in the previous post of AlRaya made me wonder how we can adapt his ideas for Kuwait. I highly recommend, if you haven’t already, for everyone to see the video. We obviously don’t have the same density as Manhattan, but in a few years Kuwait City will hopefully be a lot denser than it is today. Here is what Whyte had to say:

Crowds:

What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people. If I belabor the point, it is because many urban spaces are being designed as though the opposite were true, and that what people liked best were the places they stay away from. People often do talk along such lines; this is why their responses to questionnaires can be so misleading. How many people would say they like to sit in the middle of a crowd? Instead, they speak of getting away from it all, and use words like “escape”, “oasis”, “retreat”. What people do, however, reveals a different priority.

This is because of both a desire for safety and is a method of peer-approval. People naturally feel safer in crowds. You see the opposite in our public parks. Most of them are fenced off and gated. The intent was to ensure safety and security, but in reality what this does is put people off from going in. It becomes a ‘destination’ instead of an impulse. If the walls weren’t there you’ll start to see kids playing inside, which in turn attracts more kids and families, which attracts more action. It’s sort of counter-intuitive, but the walls actually make the parks less safe. The only people who feel safer because of them are the people hiding inside, doing things they’re not supposed to be doing. I say we tear down the walls. I know, that seems like my solution to every problem.

Benches:

Benches are artifacts the purpose of which is to punctuate architectural photographs. They’re not so good for sitting. There are too few of them; they are too small; they are often isolated from other benches or from whatever action there is on the plaza. Worse yet, architects tend to repeat the same module in plaza after plaza, unaware that it didn’t work very well in the first place.

Benches are useless. They force strangers to sit unnaturally close together. A better solution is to have a long ‘decha’ or built mass all around the space that is easy and comfortable to sit on. The more options people have to organize themselves as a couple, or a group, the more accepting they will be of that space. In Kuwait, as with most places, we see far too many benches that have just been plopped on the edge of the sidewalk, facing the street, and away from the shade. Instead of benches everywhere, why not have trash bins? There are too few of those, and I often find myself needing to throw something but not finding anywhere to put it.

Distrust and “Undesirables”:

Many corporation executives who make the key decisions about the city have surprisingly little acquaintance with the life of its streets and open spaces. … To them, the unknown city is a place of danger. If their building has a plaza, it is likely to be a defensive one that they will rarely use themselves. Few others will either. Places designed with distrust get what they were looking for and it is in them, ironically, that you will most likely find a wino.

The ‘courtyard’ space of AlRaya is a great example of this (though i’ve only rarely seen a wino). The space is so controlled and isolated that it is simply rejected. The fear of ‘letting it go’ and allowing anyone to use it has condemned the space to being cold and neglected (no matter how clean and well maintained it is). There is never anyone there, so people aren’t attracted to it. The fear of attracting laborers or loud youth often sanitizes the space to a point where it becomes boring and forced, like AlRaya.

Guards and Plaza mayors:

…it is characteristic of well-used places to have a “mayor”. He may be a building guard, a newsstand operator, or a food vendor. Watch him, and you’ll notice people checking in during the day. … One of the best mayors I’ve seen is Joe Hardy of the Exxon Building. He is an actor, as well as the building guard, and was originally hired by Rockefeller Center Inc. to play Santa Claus, whom he resembles. Ordinarily, guards are not supposed to initiate conversations, but Joe Hardy is gregarious and curious and has a nice sense of situations. … Joe is quite tolerant of winos and odd people, as long as they don’t bother anybody. He is very quick to spot real trouble, however.

We sort of have those in Kuwait, but in the private malls. They’re those serious guys in dishdashas with the walkie talkies. I think the way they usually go about their job is counterproductive as they seem more interested in breaking up groups than in creating a pleasant atmosphere. Their primary job should be to facilitate a free, happy and safe environment. Every major public space should also have it’s own little mayor. They’re not really police, but a cross between security and a tour guide. The best ones are those that feel a sense of pride, ownership and responsibility for the place that they control. They should also have authority to demand that shop owners and such are well regulated and everything is clean and tidy. They will also be held responsible if things aren’t safe, clean and busy. It should be a well paid job, because the results are very important and the only way to ensure accountability is if the person is well compensated.

Megastructures:

The ultimate development in the flight from the street is the urban fortress. In the form of megastructures more and more of these things are being put up – huge, multipurpose complexes combining offices, hotels, and shops… Their distinguishing characteristic is self-containment. While they are supposed to be the salvation of downtown, they are often some distance from the center of downtown, and in any event tend to be quite independent of their surroundings, which are most usually parking lots. The megastructures are wholly internalized environments, with their own life-support systems. Their enclosing walls are blank, windowless, and to the street they turn an almost solid face of concrete or brick.

Again, AlRaya is a perfect example of this, but almost every other mall is guilty of the same sin. The only exception is probably Marina Mall. They attempt a sort of public space at the Salem alMubarak end, but the lack of any real pedestrian activity softens the impact. Hopefully once Salmiya Park is finished (and isn’t fenced) things will be different. Marina Crescent is very successful. It’s a great example of a public (kind of) space that works really well. There just aren’t enough places to sit (where you’re not expected to buy something). I don’t know how comfortable those giant bumps are, but they seem pretty useless. The point is that successful projects are not the inward-looking ‘megastructures’, but the ones that engage and interact with their context. There really isn’t anything to fear, and if done right, all parties benefit; the developer, the city and the citizens.

coluombo- Flickr

The image below is of the street face of AlRaya. I’m certain that many of you have had this same thought; why have the developers of AlRaya completely wasted this wonderful opportunity? The pavement, which is actually of great quality and well maintained, is yearning for action. There are shops, cafes and restaurants right on the other side of that wall that would benefit immensely if only that wall did not exist. What happened?

Looking through one of those windows you notice that directly behind the wall is a service corridor. Imagine that; the best and most expensive potential real estate of the entire building has been wasted on a service corridor. I tried to get in there to have a look. As you’d expect, it was being used as secondary storage and waste removal for the shop owners. I don’t think that having a service corridor is such a critical element that it should be a priority even in a side alley, let alone along one of the most important pedestrian roads in Kuwait. What makes this worse is that this is on the north face of the building, meaning that the mass of AlRaya would actually block the sun and the outdoor space would mostly be in shade during the afternoon. That would be an advantage during winter, but even today at night the weather was beautiful and I can easily imagine it being filled with hip and trendy outdoor activities (or just boring but profitable cafes). It would benefit AlRaya by getting in more pedestrian traffic and increasing the rent for those street facing shops, while benefiting the city by adding more activity and enriching the pedestrian lifestyle.

I really don’t understand how this decision was made. What would be the advantage to the way it’s set up now? Other than the pointless service corridor there isn’t any reason for this. I’m inclined to suggest that the architect simply had this preconceived notion that AlRaya would be an introspective mall that is just totally sealed off from its site. The irony is that on the other side of the building, between the parking structure and the mall, AlRaya are trying their best to achieve that same kind of outdoor pedestrian activity that can happen at the front but failed miserably. That space is always dead, even though it’s shaded and clean. It’s just a dumb, wasteful and frankly arrogant decision. It’s not too late to tear that wall down. I have a sledgehammer they can borrow.

Today, 09.09.09, is the day the Dubai Metro was promised to have been launched. The project is 75% over budget (SkyNews) and with only a small portion of only one line active from the first day, but it will be up and running as promised without delay. Will it be good for Dubai? We all hope so, but it is a very risky experiment. Kuwait and Dubai have very different urban structures. What can we learn from the Dubai Metro?

“The buzz in all major and minor circles today is hovering over just one topic & one topic alone: Dubai Metro. No one can help but agree that a lot is riding on its success. …With one million registered vehicles in Dubai and more than 1.3 million vehicles seen on the roads of Dubai, the general prevailing sentiment is: “Better late than never.” Many residents believe that it’s about time a convenient and diffused mode of public transport is available for the common citizen for various purposes: saving commuting costs, reducing traffic related stress levels, reaching work on time, getting daily chores done, etc.”

“The Dubai Road and Transport Authority adds: “Dubai Metro is bound to have a lasting effect on the mobility habits of visitors and inhabitants of the city. …This will ultimately impact the lifestyle of people. [W]e will be heading towards an enhanced version of mobility habits that looks pretty similar to the European model.” (Road and Transport Authority)”

Glass House

I really don’t care that the project has launched on schedule. The date, 09.09.09, was a cheap marketing gimmick that is fairly arbitrary in the grand scheme of things. To think that they rushed the completion, paying huge overtime and premiums, is unfortunate. I found this comment from the RTA in Dubai to be very foolish:

“When you talk about Dubai you talk about the seven-star hotel – the Burj Al Arab – or the Palm Island – the first man-made island – or the tallest building in the world – the Burj Dubai. We want the Metro to become a new icon and to connect all of these icons.”

That’s just incredibly stupid. I hope that wasn’t the real motivation behind the project. A metro shouldn’t link buildings together, it should connect walkable networks of urban spaces. This sensationalist marketing and branding of the city looks great on magazines and brochures, but will it really make your life better?

The main problem I have with the Dubai Metro is that Dubai is such a frustratingly linear city. You can see that reflected in the map. The Red Line starts at the airport and then just goes in a straight line, passing all of the Dubai ‘icons’, all the way towards Jebel Ali. This means that if you live along that line (and within walking distance to a station) then you can go up and down Sheikh Zayed road without worries. If you don’t live that close (and the vast majority of people don’t) then you will have to drive to a station. You can take a bus and then take the train, and most people will do that. But if you’re already in the bus, why can’t you take that all the way to your destination?

The metro will no doubt make that journey better, but was that really worth more than KD2 billion? A successful metro allows a commuter to walk comfortably to a station, take as few trains as possible, and then exit and walk to their destination. The Red Line will provide that experience to only a small minority of its passengers. The Green Line makes a lot more sense as it wraps around a very dense part of the city that is already well established and walkable. I don’t think the Purple Line makes any sense, and the Blue Line will never be built.

Kuwait City has evolved in entirely different way from Dubai. The high density of parts of the city are well suited for a public transportation network. The goal of Kuwait Metro is to link the three main walkable urban centers together, those being the City, Hawalli/Salmiya and the Farwaniya area.

It is critical that in each of these zones for the metro network to be highly dense. Everyone living in Salmiya/Hawalli and Farwaniya and working in the City should be within walking distance to a station. In addition to this, a complete overhaul of the pedestrian culture in the city is needed; meaning more tree-shaded walkways, more benches and many more secure, clean sidewalks.

Once the three networks are linked, people living and working within them will find that a car becomes optional for life. This is the whole point of creating the metro. The density of the City, Hawalli, Salmiya and Farwaniya will continue to increase rapidly, but there will be fewer cars on the road. There will also be a lot less stress in terms of finding parking spaces and also more room to walk and cleaner air to breathe.

People always use the excuse that few or no Kuwaitis will use the thing. I disagree on that point, seeing as how the plan makes sure that all major universities and malls are included. Even if the majority of them don’t use it, they will still benefit immensely from the reduction in traffic and the wonderful new walkable urban spaces that will emerge.

Dubai never really needed a metro. It will help for sure, but it is definitely not worth the cost and effort. Kuwait desperately needs one, and the city will benefit greatly for generations to come. This is an investment worth fighting for and getting right.

Mark from 248am posted this image of bollards being installed outside his office building. They are spread out wide enough to allow for bicycles and pedestrians to pass through, but not cars. Ostensibly, the reason for that would be to discourage parking on the side walks and encourage pedestrian traffic. That seems to be a good enough reason to install these, however it does raise a lot more questions which should have been answered before the bollards were installed.

1. Are there sufficient parking spaces for cars in the area for visitors and employees? Are they within walking distance?
2. Is it comfortable to walk in the new sidewalk on a hot afternoon? If not, are they installing shading devices and benches to alleviate the stress?
3. How would emergency services reach the building? Will they be forced to stop in the middle of the road, blocking traffic? Is there a gap in the bollards for them to get inside?
4. If this is a government initiative and is to be implemented throughout the city has a tender for the project been presented? Who has decided on the aesthetic of the bollards and why have they chosen a Victorian look that has no historical reference in Kuwait? Are will still affected by colonialism? Why not a simple, timeless, stainless steel rod?
5. Based on the image, the installation seems to be very imprecise. It looks like they’re already bolted down, but they don’t look straight to me. I’m also curious to see how they articulate the detailing between the bollard base and the rest of the concrete pavement. I hope they don’t just leave it naked like that. Also, in the image the pavement is actually raised above the street level, which makes it highly unlikely that it’s being abused for parking anyway, unless there is a little ramp somewhere out of view.

It is always a good idea to have bollards protecting sensitive areas of a building and high value targets; embassies, jewelery shops, banks, etc. However, I must question the logic of employing this technique around every congested street in Kuwait. Where will all the cars go? Unless this is part of a comprehensive solution which addresses pedestrian comfort, parking availability, aesthetics and emergency services then I suggest that they stop with whatever they have already installed and use it as an experiment. After a year the problems that will undoubtedly arise will become clear and if they can be resolved then the experiment can expand further. Retractable bollards should be part of the experiment, maybe to allow for parking at night and weekends, or for emergency situations. We should not force this initiative on a large scale and live with the consequences. It can be a good thing if we do it right, otherwise it’s only a way for certain people to make some money.

Update: Mark sent us these images. Wow, this is just too stupid. The pavement of the entire block is raised above the ground, so there’s really no point in installing these. This just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. The whole point of raising the pavement was to separate it from the street. These things are a redundant eyesore. I don’t think anyone can argue that they look good. If you have a budget to clean up and beautify the place why not just replace the broken pavement, add benches and shading, plant some trees or whatever. This is just wrong. I want to break them. Thanks for sharing this, Mark.

The urban form of Kuwait City is going through major developments. Tall buildings of commercial use are starting to take over. But are we going in the right direction? Let us take a few minutes to examine the issues related to the tall buildings of Kuwait.

Thamerium

Materiality: One similarity that governs tall buildings here is the choice of one material; Glass. No doubt there are obvious advantages that are offered with the use of glass curtain walls; Availability of glass by fabrication, low cost and aesthetic value are a few of them. Moreover, view and ventilation are two main reasons for using glass. Sadly in Kuwait, the weather is dusty therefore the glass looks dirty most of the time. For eight to nine months, the temperature in Kuwait varies from 35-50 degrees. Ventilation by opening the window is not a choice in those towers as all the cool air conditioned air will escape.

Orientation: You might not really appreciate the importance of orientation until you work in an office facing south or west. The building’s orientation is very important anywhere, but especially in hot countries like Kuwait. In the northern hemisphere the sun rises from the East, moves South and sets in the West. Western walls of buildings should be insulated as much as possible. From what I’ve seen, it is as if the architects design the building as a stand-alone element in the middle of nowhere, then they stick it on site. There is no regard whatsoever to the amount of heat transferred through the glass to the interiors.

Identity: At a glance, the tall glass buildings in Kuwait look pretty much the same.  One can argue that most of the tall buildings here don’t have an identity. Except Dar alAwadi and the under construction United Towers, the buildings are a simple extruded footprint. Identity in a building doesn’t necessarily mean to make it look Kuwaiti. It is completely wrong to take buildings designed for the States and force them in desert environment like Kuwait. A simple regard for the heat, dust and other regional aspects will eventually result in much better buildings.

Context: In every design project, the architects ask the question of whether they want the building to stand out or to blend in with it’s surrounding. Although I do believe that every designer has the right to create something that is unique which could be regarded as a landmark, I wonder at times what would happen if every architect decides that their building should stand out. What would happen to the overall urbanism of Kuwait city? would it look like Las Vegas or Dubai.

These simple yet profoundly important elements are critical to the success of any building. Looking around at our burgeoning skyline, it seems obvious that they are being taken for granted. Many buildings use wildly incorrect materials, are blind to orientation, lack in identity and are oblivious to their context. These are not complicated issues, yet their effect on space is enormous. Let’s try to get it right.

There is a historical public square in Kuwait called Al Safat Square, yet a square is not an appropriate description for it. Today, it serves as a traffic interchange where you pass by noticing it only because of the monument erected at its center. The rest of the historical square is a pedestrian underpass to connect the three parts that surround the Al Safat Square. It’s tragic that modern day Kuwait City has no public square nor are there any plans to have one, at least none that I know of.

Public squares are an important component of any town or city. It is an open air space, usually rectangular in shape, that serves for public gatherings for different functions. They are widely used as open air markets due to its pavement. In the old days, major governmental announcements happen there, sometimes even carrying out punishments for criminal acts in public.

mhels_13, flickr

The need for a public square in Kuwait has not escaped us. During the famous 2005 protests, the parliament members alongside their constituents and supporters used the open space in front of the National Assembly building to gather and voice their anger at the government. That space is now locally called ’saahat al erada’, meaning Determination Square. It is understandable that the government of Kuwait, given the recent history of ’saahat al erada’, won’t rush to create new public squares. However, the need to have a public space in the city that acts as a ‘breather’ is critically important.

Imagine a space downtown where you can see people from all over the world, since Kuwait City is becoming a cosmopolitan place with people coming and living here from about 200 nationalities. A space where it serves many different functions, from political protest to religious gatherings. It becomes a gathering space, a focal point, something like the Solidere in Beirut or Trafalgar Square in London. We should look back at how our illiterate grandfathers created the old town with all it’s working components, and see how today in the 21st century we struggle to overcome the shortcomings of modernism in the past 40 years.

Recently, I have noticed something interesting with the giant billboards around the city. Television stations are actively and competitively advertising their Ramadan shows. This phenomena is an exciting one. Kuwait is the most active in the region when it comes to the entertainment industry and with a multitude of new shows coming to us these days it’s only logical that TV stations try to attract as many viewers as possible. But what if we take this a step further; think of year-round billboards dedicated to show business. Kuwait is very active in the entertainment business, we produce TV shows heavily prior to the month of Ramadan, and almost half of them air again after the Ramadan. We produce plays throughout the year, and sometimes even movies. This advertising can potentially translate into an urban communication tool.

I am thinking of Times Square in New York City. When you arrive at Times Square you are instantly at different zone and place. It’s as if you’re not in New York City anymore but in a bright and unreal place. The eye candy of Broadway shines and the gigantic flashing lights are so enticing that your eyes unintentionally gaze upon them rather than seeing where your heading. However, Times Square isn’t really a square. I remember being a bit disappointed when i first experienced it. It is in fact a leftover space between buildings that have two triangles opposing each other with some pedestrian spaces left behind. The islands between the streets that make up those triangles happened to be on Broadway where all the theaters are located. The show producers used this space because it was the most convenient to showcase their productions. All other streets are very linear with no chance of someone taking a glimpse while in a car or even walking. It was smart of them to have transformed that leftover and unique space into what is now one of the hottest tourist spots not only in New York city but in the entire world. That experience has changed my perception of the so called ’square’. People have an innate ability to use public space in very imaginative ways. It becomes a stimulus for development and cultural evolution.

Why can’t this can happen here, since we are the pioneers in the entertainment business in the region? We should nominate a space in the city to transform it into a year round show case of works done locally, maybe even some big international productions. A sort of Entertainment District where art house film theaters and drama schools can provide some much needed culture and art.

Watson Wyatt Data Services (WWDS) is still inviting companies to participate in this innovative new “Gulf Cooperation Council Allowances Survey” which has been designed to scrutinise industry compensation practices across the Gulf region with regards to the numerous cash allowances that are typically provided alongside base pay. This survey collects a broad range of detailed, city-specific data pertaining to the most common cash allowances across all countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, namely: 

- Bahrain (Manama)
- Kuwait (Kuwait City)
- Oman (Muscat)
- Qatar (Doha)
- Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar, Jeddah & Riyadh)
- UAE (Abu Dhabi & Dubai)

 In 2008 we ran a very similar survey, and as such we are looking forward to analysing the data that comes out in 2009 in order to report on the effect that the global recession has been having on allowance levels such as housing assistance.

 This questionnaire will collect information on all of the allowances most commonly paid by multinational and local companies across the region, namely:

 - Housing allowance / assistance
- Children’s education allowance
- Utilities allowance
- Furniture allowance
- Representation allowance
- Vacation tickets
- Consolidated allowance (mainly local companies)

The 2009 GCC Allowances Survey represents a huge expansion on the housing data collected in our General Industry Surveys. The survey covers 9 cities across the GCC region In the UAE  separate ranges for Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be provided. This report deals with allowances in a much more granular way than the main GIS survey. The questions are more detailed and cover aspects of allowances that are simply not covered elsewhere. For example, the following questions are asked with regards to housing allowances:

Allowance amounts for single and married employees
Measures taken to decrease housing allowance amounts where declining rents
Housing allocation criterion and property selection criterion (where company provides housing)
Proportion of costs covered
Nationalities typically eligible
Amount paid per employee category/city/country
Increase provided per employee category/city/country

Additionally, children’s education allowance, vacation ticket, utilities allowance etc. policies and amounts are collected in far more depth here than elsewhere.

If you are interested to participate in this survey please contact:

Camp Virginia aka Tatooine

Note: This is installment eight of my series “Going to War” which chronicles my deployment to Iraq working with our advisers to the Iraqi Army and Security Forces in Al Anbar Province.  To see the others in the series go to “categories: and click on the “Tour in Iraq” link.

We flew from Leipzig to Kuwait.  Flying into Kuwait in mid- afternoon is an interesting sight.  The azure waters of the Northern Arabian, or the Persian Gulf, the terminology depends on who your Ally is, hug the coast where Kuwait City, a sits ensconced at the tip of the Gulf.  The azure waters and the almost overwhelming sand that predominate this area of the world stand in stark contrast.  The city itself, full of modern luxury hotels, home of business and oil conglomerates and resorts for those who can afford them, seems a foreign intrusion.  The brightness of the sun reflecting off of the concrete of the tarmac was nearly blinding to us and I was very thankful for my sunglasses.   The aircraft taxied to its position and as the door opened the heat rushed in.  We deplaned and walked single file in the searing heat with our covers removed to a line of white tour buses of various Asian and European manufactures.  Drivers, guest workers from India, Pakistan or elsewhere on the sub-continent or eastern Africa sat in them or stood beside them smoking or talking with one another.  Our bags were moved to waiting tractor trailers and a small shaded area was close by where liter bottles of drinking water and MREs were available for any who wanted one.

We were loaded onto the buses for the trip to our in processing station where our ID cards were scanned and we officially entered the theater.  If you have never ridden on a tour bus manufactured in a country us than the United States they are not quite designed for people of our more fully shaped asses and longer legs.  This means that unless you are short and twig like that you will be rather cozy with the person sitting next to you, especially if they are well fed.  Thankfully Nelson and I were together as usual and since neither of us are terribly large, though I might be referred to as “stocky” and we watched in almost horrified fascination as rather some rather large folks squeezed in together.  Since we were pretty hot and sticky and previous busloads of rather stinky people had left their stench on the seats before us, the odor in the buses was rather strong and vibrant.  Unfortunately my allergy medicine cocktail of Allegra and Flonase allows me to smell the stink.  15 years ago I would have not noticed the smell because of what were then severe allergic symptoms when exposed to things like…. let’s say…dust.   Lots of that in the desert, and there is plenty of dust in Kuwait.  But this time for me there was no escaping the smell.  It took a couple of hours going at what seemed to be an ungodly slow pace to get to what is known as Camp Virginia, a place which bears little resemblance to any locale in its namesake, save for the McDonald’s sign which lit the food court area since it was now night.   Tents with plywood floors were our quarters and large air conditioning units on each end of the tent were used to try to cool it down.  We got our gear off of the baggage trucks and did the “Sea Bag Drag” of our gear into our tents.  This was no easy task, we all had three sea bags or their equivalent all packed with a deployment’s worth of gear.  One thing about going to war as opposed to flying commercial is that you are often the baggage crew as well as your own “Skycap.”  The smaller and older you are the bigger more painful the load seems.  I was in better shape than many of my fellow sailors because of consecutive tours with the Marines and EOD, but three  massive bags, a 3 day pack and case for the computer that I had been issued by EOD for the trip combined with the heat and the effects of our extended trip to get across the pond had kicked my ass.

Camp Virginia

The time we spent in Kuwait accomplished a number of things.  It allowed us to get acclimatized to the region. It also was a place where we completed various administrative and training evolutions including a couple of days on a place in the middle of the fricking desert called the Buehring Range complex and specifically an inhospitable site known as the Udari Range..   I think that Buerhring  is named for an Army Soldier killed during the war.  I’m sure that he was a gallant soldier, but the Navy does far better in naming things for our heroes, we name ships after them, or nice buildings, not a hellhole in the desert.  I do hope that the Army will decide to name something nice for him someday.  It kind of remeinds me of the movie The Green Berets where one of John Wayne’s sergeants asks for a latrie, or “privvy” to be named after him.

Udari  is a live fire range where more advanced weapons skills are taught as well as convoy procedures and IED drills which are as realistic as you can get outside of hte real thing.  It also forces you to realize that danger is not far off, Weapons are carried at all times, security forces man checkpoints, guard posts and patrol the area, buses and convoys are escorted by armed vehicles.  Despite the creature comforts provided on Tatooine by the US Government it is still both a harsh and inhospitable place as well as a dangerous place.  The MREs, heated by the oven like heat were more tasty than usual, a culinary delight if you may.  We only had a couple of heat related casualties while there and lost a Air Force sergeant to renal failure for which he was evactuated to the States, but apart from that the training was uneventful.

Udari Range August 2007, about the time I went through

I am convinced that Buerhing and Camp Virginia are actually not on this earth and that they are actually the planet Tatooine, the home of Luke Skywalker and his trusty droids R2D2 and C3PO.  I have seldom seen a more desolate and God forsaken place on earth, even in New Jersey.  Thus somehow we must pass through some interspatial portal while driving from Kuwait City to Virginia and Buerhing, possibly like a “wormhole” in Star Trek.   Temperatures while we were there were 130 degrees plus in the heat of the day and the lows were in the cool 90’s.  It was so hot that the air bubbles in my Nike 180’s melted and lost their bounce, becoming compleely flat.  Likewise the glue on my Blackhawk boots melted and the soul began to separate from the boot.  Thankfully it took a while for it to get really bad and my e-mail to Blackhawk netting me a new pair of boots with their apologies once I arrived in Iraq.  I wrote Nike but got no response.  Everywhere one looks there is nothing but heat and sand.  Yes, you can see the heat.  I am not making this up.  As on Tatooine, Camp Virginia hosts a remarkably diverse transient population from numerous countries.   Some of these are from former Soviet Republics such as Georgia.  There was a Georgian Brigade processing through on its way to Iraq that was like a hoard of Jawas.  2,500 Georgian soldiers including female troops who we were informed served as ‘comfort women” for the Georgian men were everywhere, the Post Exchange, Chow Hall, or as the Army calls it the DFAC as well as the gym, the MWR computer room and food court.  Of course I do not begrudge any ally a meal, a bed and a place to stay but the Georgians descended like locusts.  If you got to the PX after them it was empty. Nelson and I would almost race the 500 meters to the Chow Hall to get in line ahead of the Georgians.  They were amazing; they filled their plates higher than Bluto Blutarsky (John Belushi) in the movie Animal House.  Breakfast was especially amusing from my point of view.  They would have eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, topped with pancakes and waffles covered in syrup and two to three donuts stacked on top.  All of this on one plate.  I am sure that when these soldiers returned home to Georgia that its obesity rates spiked in a rather remarkable manner.  The lady that ran the internet café constantly chased them off of porn sites, even the women.  In addition to the Georgians we had Brits and Aussies, Poles, South Koreans, Brazilians and a number of other nation’s soldiers passing through on their way to various places in the Middle East, but it was the Georgians that I remember most.

The other two chaplains, Kyle and Rick and I ensured that spiritual and emotional needs were met during the stay, for me this was usually with sailors who would pull me aside informally just to talk or ask for prayer or advice.  There is something about the final stage of a journey into a combat zone that pulls at you as you think about what might be faced on the other side.  Since most places in Iraq were still pretty sporty with huge numbers of attacks and many personnel killed or wounded, even in supposedly “safe” areas.  Kyle and Rick would remain in Kuwait to run the Warrior Transition program while Nelson and I loaded our gear prepared for our flight into Iraq.

Padre Steve at the Udari Range

Eventually we competed a very good cycle of training at Buerhring and Virginia and once again loaded our gear on trucks, made accountability checks, got our signed copies of our orders and headed off to a joint Kuwaiti and US Air Force Base for our flight to Baghdad.

Kuwait City has suffered from a lack of appropriate density ever since we abandoned the old mud houses and demolished the Soor. Large plots of land have been left vacant for decades. This was the Governments’ way of buying property from Kuwaiti families and granting them land and houses in the new areas surrounding the old town. Brand new streets were laid. New building codes were devised that informed the construction of the New City, each zone with its appropriate code.

Before this exodus, there was a vibrant density in the city. There were different building types that aggregated to form a rich urban fabric. Wherever there was density, there was life. After the second Gulf War, new malls were erected and new attitudes towards shopping and leisure replaced the old mentalities. This left the old structures in despair far beyond their physical ruin. Kuwaitis began to shun the old town for the more chic and sleek malls. Salem Al-Mubarak Street became the focal point of Kuwait, so much so that the opening ceremony of Hala Febrayer was held there.

The City, the old town, is now alive only until 2pm everyday, where it is evacuated almost completely after work hours. There are signs however that it is changing and new urban renewal projects are emerging, such as Salhiya Plaza and the new trendy restaurants in front of Seif Palace. We will focus on such projects in greater detail in later posts. Also, I will highlight a hidden street that is coming alive recently, which surprised me with its unusual character.

Those are only minor face lifts to a much deeper problem. A more forceful and drastic solution to the lack of density is the Disneyland-like Heritage Village being constructed in front of Souq Sharq, beside the new headquarters of the Central Bank and the Al-Babtain Library. The project, even with its fakeness and insult to our history and way of life, is an important step if only to create a walkable experience in our Downtown. The irony of that project is that during excavation, they found historical ruins of great archeological value. This has delayed the project for several years. How ironic that by attempting to build a fake town that would remind us of the old, we dig up the actual remains of the reality it wanted to imitate.

It is worth noting that walking and exploring any city is the most rewarding experience one can get from traveling abroad, so why not have that same excitement, that same sense of discovery and wonder, here in Kuwait City? Change takes time and we must make sure that every step we take is in the right direction. If we do that, then maybe in the future we’ll be walking and exploring what Kuwait City has to offer. Let’s hope so.

From 30,000 feet, a dust storm is rather beautiful.  That’s what we should do in fact: we should build stations high up where the weather is both cooler and dust-free. Just look at that blue sky!

Even dust seems to produce beauty:  I love the view above – taken from our cruising altitude.  Dubai wasn’t anywhere near as dusty as Kuwait – but it was a ‘yellow’ journey from start to finish.  Below are a few shots from the trip, starting with the airport, Dubai, the ‘World’ and Kuwait.  

As we were landing, the wind made the captain pay a little more attention.  It was so dusty, visibility was poor. The ugly shacks you see below are Shuwaikh Industrial area and Rai.  From this position, I usually get a wonderful view of Downtown – with Kuwait Towers in the very far distance.  Have a look at the larger version, you may just be able to make out some of the taller buildings.

“KUWAIT CITY, June 12: MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei has forwarded questions to Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on the preparation and implementation of action plans to address the worsening traffic problems in the country, reports Al-Shahid daily. Al-Tabtabaei argued the government should prioritize transportation to ease people’s movement from one location to another. He said Kuwait is currently facing serious traffic problems that have been adversely affecting individuals, groups, companies and the national economy in general. He decried situations in which people spend three to four hours battling traffic congestion in a country whose population is less than three million.”

-Arab Times

(Jan-Michael Breider)

Kuwait, along with most developing nations, has seen its growth restricted by crippling traffic jams. As with other major problems in Kuwait, it has been worsening exponentially because of a total lack of planning and forethought. We at re:kuwait will not wait any longer and are proposing our own solutions.

At the heart of it, the problem is simple. There are too many cars on the road. Therefore, the solutions will either be to reduce the number of cars or to build more roads. For years, traffic problems in the United States have seen them invest heavily into building more and more highways. The problem with this is that more highways will eventually generate increased demand for cars. This will clog up all the new highways and the traffic persists. This is not a solution for Kuwait, not only because it doesn’t really solve the traffic problem, but that we simply don’t have the room to build new highways where they’re needed.

It becomes clear then that the only solution is to reduce the demand for cars and provide alternate means of transportation. This won’t be easy, as the status-quo will be defended by highway contractors, automobile dealers and the services that depend on them.

We have to be persistent and fight back by arguing that reducing traffic not only ensures a better economy and quality of life but will lower our overall carbon emissions  and reduce our domestic consumption of oil. This requires a comprehensive solution. There are six ways we can lower automobile demand:

1: Abolish the fuel subsidy. Kuwait sells gasoline to the gas stations at a much lower price than its market value. This is called a subsidy, which means that the government is subsidizing (lowering) the price of gasoline for its citizens. Our government does this to alleviate the cost burden from its citizens. A fuel subsidy is in place in many developing countries as well as in almost all oil exporters.

As you can see, Kuwait sells its gasoline at around 1 dollar per gallon. Germany and other developed (and oil importing) nations sell gasoline 7 or 8 times the price in Kuwait. They do the opposite of us, they tax the fuel that is sold in gas stations. This reduces the demand for driving by artificially increasing the price. I’m not suggesting that we implement a fuel tax, but that we should simply abolish the subsidy. This means that the Kuwait Oil Company is not losing money by selling domestic oil at a loss while also reducing automobile demand. The revenue generated by this would be reinvested into alternate means of transportation as well as an increase in wages. This would cause some inflation, but the reduced traffic would more than make up for that by increasing productivity.

2: Provide alternate transportation modes. What are the alternatives to driving in Kuwait? To get from point A to B you have very little choice but to drive. Our suburban residential areas were designed to only be accessible by automobiles. The bus system has gotten a lot better these past few years, but they suffer just as much as cars in traffic. We need several new modes of transportation that overlap and provide alternatives so people can use the modes that appeal to them and provide the least resistance. The only way this would work is if driving becomes so unappealing that people would be willing to use mass transit. Right now, I believe we have reached this tipping point. Let’s imagine that the Kuwait Metro has been built and that the stations are well designed and strategically placed. People would begin to gradually alter their living, work and transportation patterns. Workplaces close to a Metro station would become more desirable. Residential projects will advertise that they are a walking distance from a Metro station. People would mix up their transportation routes, driving to a station, parking their car and using the Metro the rest of the way.

The only way the Metro would be successful is if the stations are placed very close together in the dense areas (Salmiya, Hawalli, the City, etc). It has to be a comfortable 5 minute walk from one station to the next. This creates a network in the dense areas where every location is walking distance away from a transportation node. This would mean that having a car in these areas is entirely optional. You do not have to have a car to live. The suburbs would be served with massive Park and Ride stations around the perimeter (and one in the center) of the residential areas. On the Metro map above, these stations are Bayan, Mishref, Shuhada, 5th Ring Road, 6th Ring Road and Damascus. Every mall, university campus and major hospital would have a Metro station that would link them to the system. This project is essential to the progressive development of our nation and its implementation should not be delayed.

3: Invest in RFID technology. RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) is an emerging field of technology where small amounts of information are stored on a cheap microchip which transmits that information through radio waves to an RFID scanner. Dubai has already implemented this technology to serve its toll booths by allowing cars to drive through the toll without having to stop to pay. Their system (called Salik) requires every car in Dubai to install an RFID sticker.

The sensor on the toll booth reads every car that passes underneath and deducts the fee from that drivers’ account. In Kuwait, we do not have a desperate need for toll booths, and implementing them would be counterproductive. We can use this technology for other purposes, such as:

-Replacing all the speed cameras with RFID sensors. An RFID system would have no way to measure the speed of a car as it rushes past. All it can do is scan the chip and download the License plate number and the exact time the car went past. A second RFID scanner further down the road does the exact same thing. A database would record the exact time each specific car has passed every scanner. The distance between Sensor 1 and Sensor 2 is divided by the time it has taken the car to go past them, revealing the average speed of the car. If the average speed is above the speed limit on that stretch of road, the driver would be fined accordingly. This is a completely automated system. Here is an quick example of how it would work:

Distance between Sensor 1 and 2 = 4km and the speed limit is 120km/h:

-Congestion Charge. This is a flexible method for adjusting the cost of driving. It is similar to a toll booth in that it charges people to use the road, but it does not have a fixed value. In times of heavy traffic (rush hour) the charge would be highest. When traffic is low, the charge would be zero. This would force people to find alternate methods during rush hour and add more incentive to use mass transit and other means. The cost of using the road would be shown on the big automated signs that have been installed which currently serve little purpose. This system should only be implemented if the traffic is especially bad in a specific road and diverting commuters to other routes would solve the problem.

-Interactive online traffic map. Once the system is implemented it is possible to use the information to map real time traffic patterns. An interactive traffic map can be automatically generated and updated in real time. This would be published online so people can plan their routes. If possible, it would be integrated into car navigation systems so your route would be automatically adjusted based on traffic patterns. Software would be developed to create web and iPhone apps that take advantage of the open source traffic information. The technology exists in metro areas in the United States. This is not science fiction.

The variables are comparatively tiny and the vast number of calculations do not have to occur in real time. The RFID system only has to record the time and location while the calculations can be done remotely and at any time. This would be of immense benefit for the safety of commuters, as it would mean that reckless drivers can no longer simply slow down at each fixed camera and speed away once past. Anyone that has spent time in the rural areas of the United States would know that a similar method has already been in place for many years. One traffic cop would wait for a car to pass, and record the exact time on a stop watch. He would describe the car to his partner through his radio a kilometer or two down the road. His partner would use a stopwatch to record the time it takes for that car to go past him, and a quick calculation would reveal the average speed of the car, even if the driver slowed down when he saw the police car. It works really well, but unless the process is automated, it is impossible to implement in high density situations.

4: Fuel cost stickers. A new law should be implemented that requires a sticker to be placed on every car in every showroom showing the average amount of money the owner would be expected to pay in fuel costs per year. MPG is incomprehensible for most buyers and hides the true cost. It seems arbitrary and is hard to quantify. When a prospective buyer compares two cars they would instantly be able to see the different fuel costs involved. For example, on one side an SUV that would cost 2000KD per year and on the other a hybrid that costs 300KD per year. The buyer would add this cost to the final sticker price and make a much more informed decision. This would add a visible incentive for buying more fuel efficient cars. This demand would also mean that car dealers would import more fuel efficient cars and market them aggressively. We consume less gasoline and export more crude oil. Everybody wins.

5: Migratory traffic. The way the urban plan of Kuwait City was devised has created large districts that are very specialized. This high degree of segregated zoning creates innumerable social, cultural and transportation problems. The Business district are evacuated after work hours. The Entertainment districts flooded on weekends. There is no quick solution to this problem. What is required is a sustained effort to decentralize Kuwait and create more mixed use development which would fragment the city and allow for a less predictable traffic and transportation network. We have to educate the relevant authorities that strict zoning laws and suburban sprawl create far more problems than they solve. We need to start rethinking how we organize Kuwait City.

6: Raise the driving age to 21. Our population is growing fast. More and more young people are reaching 18 years of age and will be eligible to drive. Most fatal traffic accidents are unfortunately a result of reckless driving by 18 year old boys (or younger).

This diagram shows the expected population pyramid for Kuwait in 2010. The spikes in the population between 20 and 45 years is due to our foreign labor population. Removing these spikes would make our pyramid look something like this:

As you can see, the base of the pyramid is growing every year. This means that every year, more babies are being born than the year before. Our population is expanding. Increasing the driving age by three years would very quickly lower the number of new cars on the road. An obvious benefit is that 21 year olds would be a little more mature and would not drive as recklessly, making our roads safer and saving lives. Students would complain that they have to go to university and they can only drive there. Seeing how they complain about the traffic and parking problems on campus, this might benefit them as well. I believe that Kuwaiti students have an unjustified sense of entitlement and many will reject the idea that they have to be driven to campus, or find other ways to get there. If you really have a problem, you can live on campus. You can use the metro to get to class. Students have been driven to school from kindergarten through high school. Why stop there? Of course, this simply delays the problem. In three years the students will all start driving. This three year delay will give us time to implement most of the solutions. Seeing as how our population is increasing exponentially, we need to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

In conclusion, it becomes increasingly clear that simply making driving less desirable will not solve the problem and only inflict additional suffering. We have to provide an alternative to driving. The effect of abolishing the fuel tax, creating a new RFID speed limit system, raising the driving limit and so on is punishing. It would only make sense if people can reject the driving option and choose a far more desirable mode of transportation. The alternative would be to use the Metro, carpooling, riding the bus, or simply driving less. What this means is that there are less cars on the road with people maintaining a higher quality of life. We have to make the car optional. Only then would we see the end of our traffic nightmare.

The High Line is an abandoned railway line in Manhattan. It was built in the early 1930s and has been unused since 1980. It used to transport cattle into the heart of the city. For more than a quarter century, the line was in a state of disrepair, yet the elevated structure was basically sound. Wild grass and plants grew on the abandoned track. During the Giuliani administration, the High Line was set for demolition to make way for development.

In 1999, neighborhood residents Robert Hammond and Joshua David created a community-based group called Friends of the High Line to try and stop the demolition and transform the High Line into an elevated linear park. They managed to raise more than $30 million dollars to help fund the project, which was used along with funding from the city. The first section of the linear park was opened to the public last Tuesday (June 9th 2009).

The new High Line is a wonderful example of how we can reuse existing infrastructure and the potential to simply reinvent spaces. The structure was there. People always imagined this possibility occurring, yet for so long it never materialized. It took great perseverance and dedication for the Friends of the High Line to follow through on their ideas and see the project to completion. It is certainly worth the wait.

The project has already reinvigorated its neighborhood. Several hotels and museums have decided to relocate alongside the High Line and will become a part of the experience. Pedestrians now have a wonderful new route that elevates them above the noisy and dirty streets below. The project was designed by landscape firm Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Buildings and infrastructure are static objects, yet the programs that conceived them may have become obsolete long ago. Why should the built environment be held hostage to that original intent? The New High Line transformed the obsolete into the essential. I can imagine the adjacent buildings creating elevated entrances that provide access directly to the park.

Where in Kuwait City can we see the potential for such urban transformation? There are so many possibilities and we here at re:kuwait will attempt to shine the spotlight on such places and visualize how that transformation would take place.

Here are two quick examples of locations in Kuwait City that would benefit immensely from urban renewal. Of course, the obvious candidate is the green belt adjacent to the First Ring Road. This linear space extends from the Sheraton roundabout all the way to the south corner of Dasman Palace. There are only a few buildings on the strip, such as the ice skating rink and the new kids’ education center. The potential here is to create a mixed use park that provides places to jog, to relax and to escape the city (arriving either by walking or car). The financial incentive would be that the land adjacent to the park would become far more desirable and mixed use development would benefit greatly from being built alongside a high-value asset such as a park.

The space is currently vastly underutilized with classically landscaped, badly lit gardens and big open dusty patches. The park would also be only a pedestrian bridge away from the residential areas below the First Ring Road and the redevelopment would provide an excellent ‘mamsha’ for their residents.

Another example for redevelopment in Kuwait is in Salmiya, between the end of the 4th ring road and Salem Al-Mubarak Street (that’s Marina Mall on the top right of the image). As it is, you cannot drive through the space. There is a U-turn at the end of both streets, and the space is lined with parking on either side of the road. A full parking situation would mean that there would be four lines of cars throughout the length of the space. The potential here is to simply remove the streets entirely and have a shaded pedestrian promenade.

The new lively space will be home to street performers, art galleries, small shops owned by young, energetic Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, quirky restaurants and lounge spaces. There is so much demand for space in Kuwait, but most of the available rental space is in hermetically sealed Malls. This is an alternative.

There is ample space for parking in the surrounding lots. The landowners can even charge for parking during high demand. The buildings on either side of the promenade are 30 meters apart, which is wide enough to even allow the shops to extend inwards in places so as to have usable space above the extension. I imagine the end result would look something like this:

The shops lose by not having direct access to the street, but they would gain far more from increasing the ‘prestige’ of the street and being part of a new and vibrant location. The promenade is accessible to Marina Mall, as it is only one block away.

It’s a shame that nobody has done this yet. The potential is there, yet the space is stagnant and wasted. In future posts we will illustrate and visualize how we believe these projects should manifest. Our hope is that people would be inspired and take the initative to try and make them happen. If two guys in NY city could create a park on an abandoned railway line, we can do so much more.

EDIT:

Here’s a video from the Inhabitat where they interviewed the lead design architect James Corner from Field Operations and Ricardo Scofidio from DS+R.

Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Philippine president Joseph Estrada, Lorna Tolentino and Res Cortez along with other members of the 22-man delegation are the special guests of the Philippine independence day celebration on June 12 at the Al Arabi Stadium in Mansouriya, Kuwait. Two surprise artists from Manila will also entertain the Filipinos during the event, the delegation said. Assembly time on June 12 will be at 7:00 am which will kick off with a parade inside the gym by various Filipino organizations. Filipinos may avail the free transportation to the venue from five pick-points namely in Fahaheel (near Mario’s Restaurant), Farwaniya (at the back of Crowne Plaza), Kuwait City (Holy Family Cathedral), Salmiya (Sultan Center) and Jabriya (POLO-OWWA). You may contact the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait for more details.

What is urbanism? Why do we critique? What is Kuwait City?

Before we begin deconstructing and analyzing Kuwait City we have to be able to clearly define the basic nomenclature involved. Our goal in re:kuwait is to broaden the discussion beyond the esoteric echo-chamber of architects and urban designers. As such, it is necessary to begin by understanding the basic concepts of urbanism.

Urbanism is the study of cities. It is the integration of the geographic, economic, political, social and cultural parameters that generate our built environment. It is understanding why cities are the way they are; and imagining how they could be. It is the study of how people live in cities and how the built environment responds to or generates changes in urban function.

A critique is the process of understanding, analyzing and passing judgment on something. There is no shame in offering a critique or accepting one, yet in our conservative Arab culture it is often seen as a personal attack. To be be critiqued is not an admission of weakness, but an opportunity to explore multiple viewpoints through collective analysis. We have to shed this useless armor and expose our ideas to criticism and interpretation.

We begin this process without preconceptions. We will use all the tools at our disposal to analyze and critique the urbanism of Kuwait City. Our goal is to understand how the urban evolution of the City has come about as well as propose solutions to the serious problems that have developed. We begin this process by asking the simplest and most fundamental question; What is Kuwait City?