Abstract
This paper in its first part aims at contextualizing Abu Dhabi's urban development and understanding the factors that have governed its urban growth through a historical case study approach. Relying on archival records and primary sources five stages of urban growth are identified. Data mining of media archives allows for a first hand account of developments taking place thus grounding the depictions. The second part contextualizes this review through a case study of the Central Market project - also known as Abu Dhabi's World Trade Center. The paper concludes by elaborating on the significance of such a historical analysis as it shifts the discourse away from a focus on the 'artificiality' of cities in the Gulf to one that is based on a recognition about the historicity of its urban centers, however recent it may be. Additionally the pertinence of such an analysis for cities worldwide is discussed as well.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-69 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Open House International |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- Abu Dhabi
- Central Market
- Urban history
- Urban planning
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Architecture
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Urban Studies