Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Middle Eastern cities cannot be lumped together as a single group. Rather they make up the urban kaleidoscope of the title, as the diversity of the six cities included here shows. They range from cities rich in tradition (Cairo, Tunis, and Baghdad), to neglected cities (Algiers and Sana'a), to newly emerging 'oil-rich' Gulf cities (Dubai).

The authors are all young Arab scholars and architects local to the cities they describe, providing an authentic voice with an understanding no outsider could achieve.

These contributors move away from an exclusively 'Islamic' reading of Arab cities - which they regard as outdated and counterproductive. Instead, they explore issues of identity and globalization in the context of the struggles and solutions offered by each city from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Their focus is on how the built environment has changed over time and under different influences.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface(p. vii)
• Illustration Credits and Sources(p. ix)
• The Contributors(p. xi)
• 1 The Middle East City: Moving beyond the Narrative of Loss(p. 1)
• The narrative of loss(p. 3)
• Globalization, cultural hybridity and polarization(p. 6)
• The structure of the book(p. 9)
• Concluding thoughts(p. 18)
• 2 The Merits of Cities' Locations(p. 22)
• Overview and Developments
• 3 The Spatial Development and Urban Transformation of Colonial and Postcolonial Algiers(p. 29)
• Introduction(p. 29)
• Colonial Algiers(p. 30)
• Postcolonial Algiers(p. 43)
• Conclusion(p. 55)
• 4 Globalization and the Search for Modern Local Architecture: Learning from Baghdad(p. 59)
• Introduction(p. 59)
• Globalization and the architecture of Baghdad(p. 60)
• Baghdad past and present(p. 61)
• Baghdad emerging as the capital city of Iraq(p. 62)
• The emergence of the modern architecture of Baghdad(p. 63)
• The role of local architects, international architects and users in shaping Baghdad's contemporary architecture(p. 71)
• The architecture of Baghdad under international sanctions(p. 78)
• Rebuilding Baghdad and the architecture of the city(p. 80)
• Conclusion(p. 81)
• 5 Sana'a: Transformation of the Old City and the Impacts of the Modern Era(p. 85)
• Prologue(p. 85)
• Background(p. 89)
• History(p. 90)
• The vernacular architecture of Sana'a(p. 95)
• Early transformations in Sana'a after the Revolution(p. 99)
• The vast growth of the city(p. 100)
• The impact of modernity(p. 102)
• Comparative analysis of architectural transformation(p. 105)
• Tower house design(p. 109)
• Conclusion: the need for a novel approach(p. 111)
• Case Studies: Redrawing Boundaries
• 6 Lake Tunis, or the Concept of the Third Centre(p. 114)
• The medina: the first form of centrality(p. 114)
• European city: the second form of centrality(p. 117)
• Suburbia: the expression of different symbolisms(p. 119)
• Lake Tunis: a third form of centrality(p. 122)
• Conclusion(p. 131)
• 7 Cairo's Urban Deja Vu: Globalization and Urban Fantasies(p. 134)
• The colonial economy and agrarian capitalism(p. 138)
• Heliopolis: a European vision of the Orient(p. 144)
• The postcolonial economy and mixed capitalism(p. 151)
• Dreamland: an Oriental vision of the Occident(p. 157)
• Parting thoughts(p. 163)
• 8 Redrawing Boundaries: Dubai, an Emerging Global City(p. 169)
• The globalization/hybridity discourse(p. 170)
• The case of Dubai(p. 172)
• The creation of a 'global' image(p. 180)
• Evoking symbols: the sail and the palm(p. 185)
• Conclusion: redrawing boundaries(p. 193)
• Index(p. 200)

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics