Some of the international experts who took part in Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies second international symposium.
DOHA: Impact of globalisation and modernisation on the emerging Arab cities was discussed at the second international symposium held by the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) at the Education City recently.
The seminar titled “Emerging cities in the Arab world: Tradition, contemporaneity and sustainability” brought together 12 international experts from academia, as well as designers, researchers, and cultural anthropologists.
In his opening address, Prof Hatem El Karanshawy, Founding Dean of QFIS reflected on the notions of emerging architecture and urbanism influencing the image and public spaces of the Arabian cities.
He addressed the new development trends evolving in the Arab world coupled with the emerging uprisings and the Arab springs characterising most of the emerging cities.
The symposium highlighted the transformative shift of the urban condition, as a result of recent rapid growth in the form of fast track urbanisation processes, and marked by large scale work, learning and residential environments, and mixed use developments.
It also explored the widespread adoption of knowledge economies and theories that facilitate social activity among prospective users, influences community dynamics and introduces the emergence of novel forms of successful social interactions.
The speakers debated a number of narratives that highlighted the contemporary conditions of architecture and urbanism in the Arab world. The discussions focused on the demand to investigate the effects of globalisation on shaping emerging cities and the need to strike a balance sustainability and technology.
The speakers emphasised the inherently interdisciplinary nature of knowledge within the field of architecture, planning, cultural anthropology, and environmental psychology.
They explored the tactics of safeguarding the character of the city, addressing the timely and pressing issues relevant to place making and urban governance, as well as outlining strategies and tools for future social interaction and participation.
The Peninsula
