Saturday, August 29, 2009

Pedestrian Drivers...

A nigh time shot of the pedestrian path in Salwa, Kuwait (taken on a very humid day). As commendable as it is as an effort, this track leaves much to be desired regarding track material (the asphalt is too hard), location (too close to the road), variety (too uniform), etc.

All drivers are sometimes pedestrians, but not all pedestrians need to be drivers. This truism applies also in Kuwait, where even the most persistent drivers aren't (as of yet) allowed to drive down the main concourses of Avenues or Marina Malls. Why is it that a nation that not too many generations ago used to be almost exclusively reliant and designed to befit seafaring and moving by foot has now completely transformed into a place where even crossing a road has to be done by car? Take Gulf road as an example – on its roughly twenty kilometer stretch there is not a single pedestrian crossing worth mentioning, and as of yet I haven't detected a single pedestrian traffic light in Kuwait!

Claiming that the climate doesn't allow one to walk in Kuwait has become a self-fulfilled prophesy that has by now transcended into a generally accepted, and often repeated, justification and excuse why no one seem to walk in this city. Yet, for eight to nine months of the year, aided by the for the region unusually dry air, its perfectly possible, in fact pleasant, to move by foot in our beloved city. Whether this is actually possible due to the lack of available venues and routes where walking is possible is a different matter. This is a true shame, as walking, along with providing a form of low impact aerobic exercise, also offers a much more comprehensive sensory experience of a city compared to driving. In pedestrianized cities the pace and rhythm of the city are different – here the details and nuances begin to matter. A city perceived mostly through a car window is a city that lacks a soul, as it ends up becoming a city always experienced through the enclosed viewpoint and uniform and controlled ambiance of a car interior. It becomes a 'nodal-city', in which the points between the nodes end up becoming of less importance – generic, forgotten - and thus subservient to the end points of a car trip. Here the more subtle nuances of a place are lost, blurred by the speed and driving entails and the inevitable concentration handling a car requires. Intangible qualities such as the fragrance of the sea or blooming roadside plants; the gently shifting shadow patterns on a 'sigma-tized' wall; the sound of ones steps across shifting ground materials on different street blocks and neighbourhoods; or the gentle stroke of of the shifting breeze that adjusts its turbulent temperament according to the urban vernacular, the time of day, and seasons - all such subtleties are squandered whilst driving.


In the images below are two images from a case-study of Izmir, a coastal city in Turkey, which in many ways is surprisingly similar to Kuwait in that it is a city wrapped around an elongated bay coastline with a main vehicular artery adjacent to it. However, in many ways Izmir is leaps and bounds ahead of Kuwait thanks to how it has realized some of the featured details relating to this key ingredient of the city. Elements that are easy to overlook, but which make a substantial difference in how the areas along the coast are used. Factors such as the speed of traffic is substantially slower in Izmir than in Kuwait, and pedestrian access between the city and the shoreline is prioritized, or at least equalized, to that of cars. There are also other features, such as a maximum height to the buildings flanking the shoreline and how the buffering between where cars and those pedestrians move is more sensible and reflective of how people actually use the areas. These are elements that could be, with a bit of forethought and planning, be easily implemented in Kuwait, all it would require is a bit of formal commitment and faith from the right parties.


A cross-section of the main beach side street in Izmir (please click on the image for a close-up)...


A panorama shot from the beach side walk and street above, outlining some of the key features...


As it is well known by now, Kuwait as a nation has one of the highest levels of obesity and diabetes in the world, this one can with some assurance speculate is at least partly due to the lack of daily exercise. Ordinary things that in other cities are taken for granted, such as walking (or bicycling) to work or even just the corner store, are done by car in Kuwait. Ironically, as one of the most sun-rich nations in the world, many Kuwaitis also suffer from vitamin E deficiency, something easily rectified by additional sun exposure. There are only benefits to be had from reconsidering how we get about in Kuwait.


There are a number of parallel things that need to be developed to make this a viable option. Firstly, the seemingly infinitely postponed plans to develop a more comprehensive public transport system needs to be reanimated – the current situation is not sustainable for much longer. Secondly, a campaign for the hearts and minds of the population need to be set in motion. The current stigma attached to public transport needs to be neutralised. Thirdly, how the city itself is planned needs to begin assuming that (the Kuwait version of) suburbia is not the answer, as people seem to be living further and further from necessary amenities and work places – density, if done right, can be a good thing.

There are infinite templates of successful, more densely populated, neighbourhoods that could be adapted in Kuwait, some interesting options are already in development in some of the neighbouring states. We should learn from these and adapt them to Kuwait.


The aim here is not to exclude driving from the picture, but to allow for more alternatives for how one could get around the city, a symbiotic hybrid, of sorts, where there are options available. To do this, however, it is not enough to just get the architects, urban-designers, environmentalists and engineers involved, but, most importantly, engage with these issues on a political level, as true change will only be initiated through changes in governmental policy and the way these are implemented, supervised and enforced.


Tom having a morning stroll on the ceiling...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Printed Matters in Kuwait...


In the recent local press, there's been a number of articles lamenting the difficulty of accessing decent books, particularly those with a bit more select slant on things. The same can be said about magazines, where the situation isn't perhaps as dire, but the selection is still somewhat, shall we say, 'predictable' regarding what magazines one encounters on the shelves. Neither does their price (which seems to be the same in Dinars as they were in Euros, Pounds or Dollars) nor the censorship (black blotches and ripped off pages) increase ones wish to purchase them locally.

To create stimulating, interesting and worthwhile work one needs to be exposed to stimulating, interesting and worthwhile ideas, be these in picture and/ or text format. It was thus invigorating, as a born and bred bibliophile, on a recent trip to Europe to be reintroduced to the fantastic variety and selection of printed matter (books & magazines) available. This doesn't only include regularly available (best selling) magazines and books, but also more, call them, obscure and unusual material, limited edition prints, one-off publications, special interest papers, university press editions, etcetera. As someone interested in design and architecture related matters, the choice of specialized book stores on London's Charing Cross and its vicinity is heartening, as there are anything from large book department stores such as Borders, Foyles, and Blackwells, to smaller more specialized stores such as Koenig Books (art), Magma (design), AA Bookshop (architecture and urban design), Forbidden Planet (comics and graphical novels) or the book-shop at the Photographer's Gallery, to mention a few. Along its sidewalks there are also an abundance of antiquarian book stores (some with fireplaces, that are nice to nip into on cold winter nights) that each carry their own musty fragrance of decades, even centuries, old books and knowledge.

Similar locales, on a smaller scale (comparative to Kuwait), can be found in cities such as Singapore, Luxembourg or even Helsinki, which all have well stocked book stores, libraries and a well developed cultural life (aspects of a developed society that seems to be linked).

The Academic Bookstore in Helsinki (designed by Alvar Aalto)...

During my studies and practice life in London these places played an inherent role in my education, and aided in keeping me updated on the latest ideas and technologies. Visiting them became a daily early evening routine, that acted as almost an initiation, or catalyst, for some of the tasks that needed to be completed later. They, along with the various libraries and other peripheral cultural institutions (museums, galleries, theatres, etc.) made a considerable contribution to how I practice my discipline(s) today.

There are some great (English language) cultural magazines that focus specifically with the Middle-East, ironically, some of them, such as Bidoun and Meada, are actually based respectively in New York and London. Other worthwhile publications are Canvas, Brownbook, and even a student publication such as T-Square, done by architectural students at Kuwait University. An additional, by now unfortunately terminated, publication worth a note was Alef Magazine, which had some of the most evolved editorial content and formatting around.

If you have any know-how of further worthy magazines please let me know, as it's always great to encounter and learn more regarding this genre of press...

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Kuwaiti Chasms...


Walking up to Salhiya from the Dar Al-Athar Al Islamyyiah's headquarters at the former Americani Hospital Building by the Gulf Road, one has to cross the work site of the new road extension running adjacent to the Behbehani Complex that will eventually connect the area by the Al Jahra (also called the 'Sheraton') Roundabout to the First Ringroad and the beach side. For a nation that prides itself on its culture and heritage, it's remarkable how unfazed the population seems to be, and thus how seemingly easy it is to 'develop' (it that's the word), these types of drastic interventions without as much as a murmur in protest. What was once a level plane linking the beach side cultural centres, restaurants and gallery by the Behbehani Complex to both the commercial and retail hubs of Salhiya, will henceforth be occupying opposite sides of a unpenetrable chasm which, in its width and depth, will make any type of ambulatory crossing close to impossible. This is a true pity as, even though mostly having functioned as a somewhat ad-hoc parking lot, there used to be a very inherent and natural topographical 'flow' between the various adjacent blocks in the area. It used to be easy to, say, do a bit of shopping at Salhiya, and then walk or quickly drive down to the restaurants with their wide outside terraces for a snack or a drink. Now that option doesn't exist anymore as the urban coherence of this neighbourhood has been fatally interrupted. Unfortunately these types of shortsighted developments aren't unique in Kuwait, as examples abound and exist in most of its residential districts. In Kuwait it seems like neighbourhoods are defined by their flanking highways rather than the other way around. Here the needs of a neighbourhood have become subservient to the demands of the automobile.

What once was one, soon will be two - the multi lane and level route currently under construction in Salhiya...

We need to begin applying a bit more forethought and creativity to the way our city is formulated. Building more of the same will only take us so far, as there are only so many more roads that can be built and only so much more the existing ones can be widened. It was Einstein who said (here paraphrased) that one can's solve a problem by using the same type of thinking that caused it in the first place - as the amount of cars in the city won't change, this extension will, at best, only manage to shift the bottle-necks from one location to another. This type of development is too singular, too limited and one dimensional, in its purpose. The road to be is intended for nothing but cars - it includes no consideration for pedestrians or other means of transport or alternative uses along its extruded pathways. Nor does it show any for of consideration or respect for what existed on the site previously. Cities are more complex than that, they are living and breathing entities that, just like us, react to seasons and weather changes, respond well to kindness and consideration, and will eventually atrophy and disintegrate if not cared for. Thus it is time to begin thinking about alternative means of transport as well as urban patterns within Kuwait. What this might entail, and how such plans could realistically be implemented, needs also to be debated on a wider realm than what our current soap-box polemics allow for. Dubai will be opening its first metro line in a few weeks time (09/09/09), it is going to be interested to see how it is received and used, as it might provide a template for how Kuwait's own metro and train-line related plans (currently scheduled for completion by 2017) should be implemented. In addition to this, however, it is equally important to begin encouraging further alternatives for how one could move around without necessarily having to use a car. This should not only involve designing alternative means of transport (metro lines, trains, trams, mini-buses, etc.), but also how the related, more ground level, planning details, such as sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, parking, bus lanes, access routes, etc. should be implemented. Also, perhaps more importantly, the larger scale urban configurations such as what types of inherent services each neighbourhood needs (co-ops, banks, dry-cleaners, etc.) within its immediate vicinity, and the proportional quantities (and qualities & formats) of residential, commercial, office and other facilities the neighbourhood should include, also need to be thought of. All such considerations, from the micro, to meso, to the macro scale play a fundamental symbiotic role in the creation of a successful, functioning safe and dynamic living environment.

The new extension cuts Salhiya into two, irredeemably disconnected, halves...

On a slightly different, but related, note, lamenting about existing vexations might hopefully impact future ventures (one can always hope?!) - doing something about already existing miscreations is a different matter. Accepting that what has been (semi recently) built will remain for the foreseeable future, how could the overtly apparent shortcomings of the existing highway based problems be alleviated? How could, for example, the beach front, currently being split by the six lanes of the Gulf Road, be more naturally linked to the residential and commercial areas flanking it on the other side? This location is in the context of this query particularly pertinent as it, along its approximately twenty kilometer stretch, doesn't include a single pedestrian crossing (bridge or ground level) to speak of*. The quest thus becomes to figure out a way to create, design and build, this aforementioned connective 'flow' into a program which, without excessively impacting the roads themselves, aim to, if not fully heal, at least manage to lessen and partly camouflage the calamitous affects such developments usually result in? The answer will have to be left to a future date, so as not to veer off the main topic too much. However, based upon some of the projects produced by students of the 'Design 3' Studio at at Kuwait University's Department of Architecture, who just happened to explore a design brief based on the aforementioned criteria last year, the answer seemed to require a semantic shift in what the notion of a 'bridge' or a 'crossing' might entail. In other words, instead of defining the project as an exercise in creating a mere link between two points (a bridge), the assignment became about aiming to design an intervention/ environment/ experience that had its own presence and existed on its own merit. A design that was the protagonist of its own vernacular narrative rather than a sub-plot to the whims of the road. How such aims ended up being interpreted by the students will have to wait for a future blog entry...

*This observation excludes the bridge by the Seef Palace, as it cannot be accessed by the public, as well as the pedestrian connection of Marina Mall, as it is mainly designed to link two halves of a mall, rather than provide a public pedestrian crossing...

Some of the factual info of the text above was based on research conducted by students of last years 'Design 3' studio of the Architecture Department at Kuwait University. I'm grateful to you all...

Monday, August 17, 2009

Drawing Workshops at the Al Sabah Art & Design Gallery...


Yesterday was the conclusive Drawing Workshop session of the Al Sabah Art & Design Foundation, at the Al Corniche Club by Gulf Road. This type of occasions are a all too rare an occurrence in Kuwait, where the arts are still all too often relegated into the 'hobby' category, rather than considered an inherent representational component of a nation's psyche, character and maturity.

Architect Farid Abdaal and Artist Alia Farid...

The workshops have been taking place for the past few weeks and have explored a variety of different techniques, ranging from calligraphy, life-drawing, collage and even sculpting. They were organised by Artist Alia Farid, who is also the Cultural Director of Al Sabah Art & Design.

Architect Farid Abdaal introduces the days theme - Calligraphy...

The workshop was attended by individuals of various ages, backgrounds and skill levels...

Top view of the floor area, here used as the collective work area by the participants...

One of the younger workshop participants...

Above and below - some samples of the work produced during the various workshops...



Drawing from the life drawing workshop (a future Basquiat..?!)

The value of this type, more tactile and hands-on, skills need to be acknowledged and celebrated, as they form an inherent component in all (even the cerebral and more abstract) sets of abilities and know-how. Their development also needs to be included in the general educational curriculum rather than, as currently seems to be the case, predominantly left to private individuals and organizations to sponsor and organize.