Temporary Cities

Resisting Transience in Arabia

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, Architecture, Landscape, Planning
Cover of the book Temporary Cities by Yasser Elsheshtawy, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Yasser Elsheshtawy ISBN: 9780429855917
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 28, 2019
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Yasser Elsheshtawy
ISBN: 9780429855917
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 28, 2019
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Are Arab Gulf cities, the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, on their way to extinction? Is their fate obsolescence? Or, are they the model for our urban future? Can a city whose very existence is predicated on an imported labour force who build and operate these gleaming urban centres remain a viable urban entity? Could the transient nature of this urban model, its temporariness and precariousness, also be its doom? In this wide-ranging book Yasser Elsheshtawy takes on these tough, but necessary, questions aiming to examine the very nature of the Arab Gulf city and whether it can sustain its existence throughout the twenty-first century. Having lived in the region for more than two decades he researched its marginalized and forgotten urban settings, trying to understand how a temporary people can live in a place that inherently refuses to give them the possibility of becoming citizens. By being embedded in these spaces and reconciling their presence with his own personal encounters with transience, he discovered a resilience and defiance against the forces of the hegemonic city. Using subtle acts of resistance, these temporary inhabitants have found a way to sustain and create a home, to set down roots in the midst of a fast changing and transient urbanity. Their stories, recounted in this book through case studies and in-depth analysis, give hope to cities everywhere. Transience is not a fait accompli: rather the actions of citizens, residents and migrants – even in the highly restrictive spaces of the Gulf – show us that the future metropolis may very well not turn out to be a ‘utopia of the few and a dystopia of the many’. This could be an illusion, but it is a necessary illusion because the alternative is irrelevance.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Are Arab Gulf cities, the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, on their way to extinction? Is their fate obsolescence? Or, are they the model for our urban future? Can a city whose very existence is predicated on an imported labour force who build and operate these gleaming urban centres remain a viable urban entity? Could the transient nature of this urban model, its temporariness and precariousness, also be its doom? In this wide-ranging book Yasser Elsheshtawy takes on these tough, but necessary, questions aiming to examine the very nature of the Arab Gulf city and whether it can sustain its existence throughout the twenty-first century. Having lived in the region for more than two decades he researched its marginalized and forgotten urban settings, trying to understand how a temporary people can live in a place that inherently refuses to give them the possibility of becoming citizens. By being embedded in these spaces and reconciling their presence with his own personal encounters with transience, he discovered a resilience and defiance against the forces of the hegemonic city. Using subtle acts of resistance, these temporary inhabitants have found a way to sustain and create a home, to set down roots in the midst of a fast changing and transient urbanity. Their stories, recounted in this book through case studies and in-depth analysis, give hope to cities everywhere. Transience is not a fait accompli: rather the actions of citizens, residents and migrants – even in the highly restrictive spaces of the Gulf – show us that the future metropolis may very well not turn out to be a ‘utopia of the few and a dystopia of the many’. This could be an illusion, but it is a necessary illusion because the alternative is irrelevance.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Essentials of Sensation and Perception by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Science Advances by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Communication and Sex-role Socialization by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book The Rhythm of Business by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book The Disobedient Museum by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Reconfiguring the Natures of Childhood by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Music and Musicians on the London Stage, 1695-1705 by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Urban Governance and Democracy by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Backgrounds for Joyce's Dubliners by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Notes on Meterology by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book When the Wall Came Down by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book The Mongol Empire by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Mathematics Instruction for Students With Disabilities by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book Working Time by Yasser Elsheshtawy
Cover of the book How To Do Things With Logic Workbook by Yasser Elsheshtawy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy