Towards a Critique of an Architectural Nahdha: A Kuwaiti Example

Critical nostalgia: Kuwait urban modernity and Alison and Peter Smithson's Kuwait Urban Study and Mat-Building

“…Throughout this stage of development it was not the state's aim to break completely from tradition. 33 Some earlier buildings were still present as markers of the different periods of the city's transformation. 34 The few that did withstand modernisation, however, did so without being integrated into the new context.…”

“…To a large extent, the plan disrupted the spatial and social heterogeneity of the old city and replaced this with zoned districts that accommodated administrative, government and commercial buildings. 31 Kuwaitis, who were affected by the implementation of this plan, were generously compensated by a statesponsored land acquisition policy and many settled in newly developed suburbs, just outside the old wall. 32 An urban highway system of radial and concentric carriageways carved paths into and out of the city.…”

“…Kuwait's urban transformation can thus be split into periods before and after this development programme. 29 Before the implementation of the MSM Plan, urban development was on a much smaller scale. The old town of Kuwait was a densely knit network of mud brick courtyard houses, mosques, markets, squares and a small number of palaces; a defensive wall surrounded these elements.…”

Negotiating the Politics of Exclusion: Georges Candilis, Housing and the Kuwaiti Welfare State

“…Some studies have revealed the extent to which land use policies and social housing laws have contributed to endless sprawl, housing application backlogs, rising property values and to the demise of the urbanization process (Al‐Khaiat, ; Al‐Shalfan, ). Other studies critique the social and political tensions generated by housing policies (Abdulla, ; Al‐Eisa, ; Al‐Zaher, ; Sadik, ; Al‐Ragam, ; Beaugrand, ). Some have pointed towards a causal relationship between state housing and social segregation (Al‐Moosa, ; Longva, ; Al‐Nakib, ).…”

“…However, all these studies glance only briefly at Candilis's projects in the Gulf. A few studies have examined his projects specifically in Kuwait (Al‐Ragam, ; Al‐Nakib, ; Al‐Ragam, ). This article investigates Candilis's lesser‐known projects and expands on the author's previous research on urban modernity through nation building, unsustainable state housing policies based on the single‐family house and citizens' dependency on the state for their housing needs (Al‐Ragam, ).…”