Master Plans for Urban Districts a C the Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships a C a C a C a C a C

c a c a c 13 a c a c Master Plans for Urban Districts a c The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships a c a c a c a c a c

Some of the urban districts featured in media coverage are the massive man-made this chapter are the equivalent of a city islands. All are intended to represent a neighborhood, as with the commercial specific object (a palm tree, the map of district competition for central Ramallah, the world, a necklace) and may be clearly the Central Market project in Abu Dhabi, or distinguished from an airplane or through Madinat al-Fahaheel in Kuwait. Others rival satellite images. Creating spectacles has cities in their size, as with Palm Deira or the been repeatedly mentioned in this book as Dubai Waterfront. Although both are part a primary tool for differentiating projects of the city of Dubai, each was conceived belonging to the massive construction with the intention of eventually housing boom that overtook the region. With hundreds of thousands of people. these man-made islands, however, creat- The projects of this category differ not ing spectacles is carried to fantastic levels. only in size but also in their relation to the Criticism regarding these islands abounds. city. In the case of Beirut and Ramallah, the These concentrate on their outlandishness, aim is to redevelop the city’s central area the uncertainty regarding their economic in a manner that incorporates and builds and social sustainability, and the unknown upon a preexisting fabric and heritage. This environmental consequences that such is in contrast to Amman’s Abdali project reshaping of nature on a massive scale may and Abu Dhabi’s Central Market. Although cause, particularly regarding the disruption they occupy central urban locations, each of marine life. treats its massive site as a tabula rasa. What All these projects are intended as upscale previously existed on their sites was not developments for an affluent clientele, of- considered of any architectural or urban fering high-end housing, office, shopping, merit, and therefore it was not preserved or and entertainment facilities. Dubai Water- incorporated into the new developments. front provides a limited exception as sec- Other districts occupy undeveloped sites tions of it are to be set aside to accommo- located outside current urban boundaries. date workers’ housing. In the Gulf region, The functions of these projects also vary. there may be enough wealth to support As urban-scale developments, they are all these facilities. Their supply, however, out- mixed use by definition. A number of them, strips demand. This was not apparent when however, have specific functions. Business the region’s economy was booming because Bay in Dubai and the Financial City in Ri- of record oil prices, resulting in a real estate yadh focus on business and finance; Dubai buying frenzy. However, it became painfully Marina and Shams Abu Dhabi emphasize a clear with the advent of the 2008–2009 residential character. financial crisis and the subsequent drying The projects that have received the most up of buyers and tenants.

232 This discrepancy between supply and of primary developer, it brings in develop- demand also applies to the projects located ers from the private sector to develop plots outside the Gulf. It may be argued that or even complete sections of these dis- they create conditions of urban segrega- tricts. Examples include the King Abdullah tion. They are intended as massive zones Financial District, which is being devel- of wealth. Only the wealthy are able to live oped by the Saudi Public Pension Agency. in them or use their commercial facilities. There are also the projects carried out by Such criticism has been made with con- Nakheel and Dubai Properties. Both com- siderable severity against Solidere’s Beirut panies are wholly owned by the authorities Central District project, the first of these in Dubai. Public shareholding companies urban master planned districts to be con- also may develop projects, but their gov- ceived in the region. The counterargument ernments would own a controlling share in has been that although the Beirut Central them. This is the case with Emaar in Dubai District project may be intended for a high- and Aldar in Abu Dhabi. end clientele, it also provides an ample sup- In other cases, these projects are devel- ply of pedestrian-friendly public spaces not oped through joint public-private sector available elsewhere in Beirut. These spaces ownership. Examples include Amman’s are open to all the city’s residents, who are Abdali project and Durrat al-Bahrain. The using them heavily. structures of these partnerships take very Many of these projects cater to tourists. complex forms that differ from one project They have considerable hotel, retail, and en- to the other. The public sector’s share tertainment facilities. Even their residential may be assumed directly through a public components often are intended primarily sector organization or through a company for foreigners. that the public sector fully owns. This These projects, of course, reflect the ris- share usually consists of the value of the ing interest in the urban scale in the region land. This is to be expected, since no single and also bring attention to various urban private sector body in the region owns challenges. Transportation is of prime im- such massive tracts of real estate in or near portance. These projects add new major ur- cities. In turn, the private sector contrib- ban nodes to cities that already have highly utes the capital. stressed transportation networks. In Dubai At the other end of the spectrum is the and Riyadh, the intention is to link them to example of Solidere, a private sector public the new rail metros being developed there. shareholding company with no govern- In Amman, the road network around the mental ownership. The project, however, Abdali project is being extensively redevel- could not have been realized without oped and expanded to accommodate the active governmental support and facilita- dramatic increase in traffic that the project tion. The Lebanese government granted will generate. This redevelopment, however, Solidere various urban development au- does not challenge the private automobile’s thorities, including the power of eminent supremacy as the city’s primary form of domain. Moreover, Solidere’s main inves- transportation. The project therefore may tor, the late Rafic Hariri (1944–2005), was result in increased and serious traffic con- also Lebanon’s prime minister when the gestion problems. company was formed. Not surprisingly, his Because of their overwhelming scale, opponents accused him of using his politi- these projects cannot be realized without cal clout to realize the project. This issue active public sector involvement. Such continues to be a source of controversy. involvement takes various forms. These in- In all cases, the public sector’s close clude the public sector leading the develop- involvement in these developments does ment project, actively participating in it as a raise legitimate concerns, since it con- partner, or enabling private sector develop- strains the state’s ability to effectively ers to implement it. assume the role of impartial regulator of When the public sector assumes the role large-scale real estate developers.

Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships 233 Bahrain Bay, Master plan and architectural designs developed by the The project’s primary focus is a 275 m American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The high building located on its central island Manama, Bahrain CapitaLand District is designed by the Uruguayan- and intended as the highest in Bahrain (fig. American architect Rafael Vinoly of Rafael Vinoly 13.1.4). The high-rise, which will house a Architects. hotel, takes the form of two linked, slen- Under construction. der monolithic slabs. It will function as an anchor for the overall development along This $2.5 billion urban development is situ- with the nearby low-rise headquarters of ated on a 34-hectare reclaimed island off the Arcapita Bank (fig. 13.1.1), the project’s northeastern shore of Manama, opposite main investor. the Bahrain World Trade Center. It is con- The development also will include nected to the mainland by two bridges that residential, commercial, and retail areas, form an inner harbor. Upon completion, as well as schools, parks, mosques, and a the project will have a total built-up area of yacht club. Its most prominent section will 1.1 million m2. be the CapitaLand District Center, an $800 The project is designed according to million residential and retail zone that will a plan of concentric circles that carve a occupy about 20 percent of Bahrain Bay’s central island and define the project’s road total development area. The district is be- system, and also by two intersecting axes ing developed by the Singapore-based real that define vistas, with one of them fol- estate developer CapitaLand. It features a lowing the path of a canal. It will include pedestrian seaside promenade, residential seven main districts featuring buildings towers, and shopping areas. All are con- with highly modernistic architectural ceived as a series of concentric “waves” that vocabularies. culminate in four concave towers.

234 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.1.1–13.1.5. The 34-hectare Bahrain Bay reclaimed island development features a series of semicircular concentric strips that surround a central island. The central island has a 275 m high hotel tower as its focal point. Durrat al- Overall master plan developed by the British firm WS It also will include five islands, each in the Atkins. The master plan and architectural designs for shape of a jewelry pendant, as well as a Bahrain, near the project’s main island have been developed by the circular island housing a luxury hotel and a Manama, Bahrain Australian firm Woods Bagot. main island in the shape of a crescent. Under construction. The overall project will take the shape of a piece of jewelry consisting of a cres- Durrat al-Bahrain is in many ways Bahrain’s cent with pendants hanging from it. The response to Dubai’s Palm Islands and The crescent will be divided into six themed World. It is presented as the vision of Tom zones, which will include office and housing Wright, Atkins’s head of architecture, who complexes. also was responsible for the famed Burj Al Durrat al-Bahrain is expected to house Arab in Dubai. more than 60,000 residents and 2,000 daily This $6 illionb project is being developed visitors. In addition to containing a few jointly by a private sector investor, the thousand apartments, it will include a con- Kuwait Finance House, and the Bahraini ference and exhibition center, a golf course, government. Durrat al-Bahrain, which in a 300-room luxury hotel, a water park, a Arabic means “Pearl of Bahrain,” is con- golf course, a 400-boat marina, a traditional ceived as Bahrain’s largest residential, suq, a ferry terminal, and various com- leisure, and tourist complex. It is located munity facilities. The apartments, suq, and near the southern tip of Bahrain Island and community facilities will be housed on the is about a 35-minute drive from the capi- main island. tal, Manama. It will include 600 hectares Thirteen bridges will link the various of reclaimed land forming 15 islands and islands to each other and to Bahrain Island. extending over an area of 20 km2. It will be A 29 km highway will link the project to the one and a half times larger than Manama’s country’s main road network. downtown area. The developers state that studies were The project will create over 15 km of carried out to ensure proper water circula- sandy beaches and over 50 km of new sea- tion around the project and to assess its im- front. It will include six atolls (ring-shaped pact on marine environments. As a result, a coral reefs enclosing lagoons) with 1.5 km 3:1 ratio of water to land is maintained for of beach and more than 170 villas per atoll. the overall plan.

236 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.2.1–13.2.4. The pendant- shaped Durrat al-Bahrain consists of 15 man-made islands occupying an area of 20 km2. The main island takes the form of a crescent, with the remaining islands resembling jewelry pendants and atolls. Abdali Urban Master plan partly developed by the Lebanese firm Laceco. government-owned lands in the country. Under construction. In 2004, Mawared reached an agreement Regeneration to establish a partnership for developing Project, Amman, The Abdali Urban Regeneration Project is an the site with Saudi Oger, the Saudi Arabian Jordan urban-scale, mixed-use development that company owned by the Lebanese Hariri is presented as Amman’s “new downtown.” family, which also is a major shareholder in The project, which takes up an area of about Beirut’s real estate development company 38 hectares, is located in the city’s Abdali Solidere. district and occupies the largest contigu- The site’s master plan includes over 1.7 ous empty plot with a single owner in the million m2 of built-up areas, but also sets central part of Amman. It is situated next aside open spaces to be used as green areas to Amman’s financial district in Shmeisani and pedestrian spines. One of its main and also is adjacent to a number of impor- features will be a 370 m long, 21 m wide tant public buildings constructed over the pedestrian walkway, Abdali Boulevard. past two decades, including the Parliament This will be bordered by residential, office, building, the Palace of Justice, and the hotel, and retail spaces, in addition to King Abdullah Mosque. Until the recent landscaped areas that include two plazas. completion of the King Hussein Mosque, The walkway runs along an east-west axis the King Abdullah Mosque had served as and is located between the project’s Cen- the country’s official state mosque. The tral Marketplace and Tower Sector. project, which will feature various public, The Central Marketplace will occupy commercial, and residential components, is over 13 hectares in the heart of the site. expected to attract investments of over $5 More than 70 percent of it will be devoted billion. to retail facilities, but it also will include The site had housed military and secu- residential and office space. The Towers rity installations for over half a century. Sector will feature a series of high-rise It originally was located on the outskirts buildings to be constructed by private de- of Amman, but as Amman has expanded, velopers and for which a maximum height the site has come to be surrounded by the of 220 m has been set. These will consist city’s urban fabric. The Jordanian govern- of commercial, residential, mixed-use, and ment consequently decided to relocate hotel structures. the preexisting military and security The project will include parking facili- installations and to develop the site as a ties for 16,000 vehicles. Arrangements also tabula rasa through a public-private sector are being made with Amman’s municipal partnership. A government-owned com- authorities to develop and implement traf- pany, the National Resources Investment fic solutions for accessing the site, consid- and Development Corporation (Mawared), ering that such a large, centrally located was formed to oversee the project as well as development will have a significant impact other real estate development projects on on traffic patterns in the city.

238 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.3.1–13.3.7. The Abdali Regeneration Project devel- ops, from scratch, a large, centrally located urban-scale site in Amman. The project is being carried out through a partnership between the private and public sectors, an approach that is becoming increasingly widespread in the region. Madinat al- Designed by the Jordanian firm Dar al-Omran, with Wael 11-story residential buildings, a 15-story al-Masri as lead architect. Initial concept designs for office and residential structure, a hotel, a Fahaheel, Kuwait the project’s al-Kout Waterfront component were mosque as well as a mosque extension, a City, Kuwait developed by the U.S. firm Cambridge Seven Associates. multipurpose hall, and a municipal building The project’s al-Kout Waterfront component was for al-Fahaheel that includes a multilevel completed in 2004; parts of the al-Manshar component parking structure. The al-Manshar Complex were completed in 2006, and the hotel was completed also incorporates a rehabilitated retail area in 2007. Other parts are under various stages of dating back to the 1970s. The retail areas construction. of the complex are intended to allude to traditional bazaar architecture. Madinat al-Fahaheel (al-Fuhayhil) is a Madinat al-Fahaheel incorporates native large, mixed-use development located to and other drought-tolerant plants as well the south of Kuwait City, along the shores as gravel mulch covers to create water- of the Gulf and around the traditional al- conserving landscape solutions. In addition, Fahaheel fishing harbor. The project, which the architects have utilized a number of is expected to cost more than $250 million energy-conserving features such as bring- upon completion, covers a site of about 30 ing natural lighting into the shopping areas, hectares and features more than 100,000 using thick insulated walls to provide ther- m2 of built-up areas. Its developer is the mal masses, and creating extensive shaded Kuwaiti company Tamdeen Group. areas through arcades and pergolas. The development, which has received sev- The project’s lead architect, Wael al- eral regional and international architectural Masri, identifies the architecture of certain and retail-design awards, is divided into two components of al-Fahaheel, particularly major components. The first is al-Kout (the al-Manshar, as utilizing a “hybrid” archi- old name for Kuwait) Waterfront project, tectural vocabulary. An example of this which extends into the Gulf through its is bringing together contemporary retail twin North and South Piers, defining an shopping-mall architecture with Kuwait’s inner harbor. It features shopping and traditional suq architecture, including the entertainment facilities. The South Pier interaction between indoor and outdoor houses a supermarket as well as various activities. The design is in the spirit of the food markets. The North Pier houses a more recent work of Jordanian architect shopping mall, a food court, and a cinema Rasem Badran, a founder of Dar al-Omran. complex. The development also includes a It accordingly is inspired by traditional fea- fishing harbor and a marina. tures, including arcades, screens, pergolas, The second major component is al- domes, and thick walls, as well as a palette Manshar Commercial Complex, which is of natural sand and mud-colored walls located inland, just to the west of al-Kout. (which also serves to reduce glare). These It takes its name from the place where are combined with modern elements ex- fishermen used to hang their nets to dry. pressing a “high-tech” feel such as exposed It features shopping and entertainment space frames, mechanical system ducts, and facilities, four rehabilitated, preexisting tensile fabric structures.

240 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.4.1–13.4.4. Madinat al-Fahaheel includes retail facilities, apartments, recreational areas, office space, a hotel, and two mosques. The development incorporates both traditional and modern architectural features, often juxtaposed against each other to create what is identified as a “hybrid” architectural vocabulary. Reconstruction Master plan initially developed by the regional Beirut- plan divides the BCD into 10 sectors and and Cairo-based international consulting firm calls for constructing about 4.7 million m2 of the Beirut Dar Al-Handasah, and developed by an in-house team of building space. It also devotes 39 hectares Central District, from Solidere with input from various international to public open areas that include more than Beirut, Lebanon planning consultants. 60 squares and gardens. Ongoing. Solidere is the region’s main pioneer in large-scale urban real-estate development, Solidere, the Lebanese Company for the and it has provided a primary model for a Development and Reconstruction of Beirut number of similar regional developments Central District, is a public shareholding currently taking place. In such develop- company that has been in charge of rede- ments, the private sector takes on the role veloping the Beirut Central District (BCD) of master planner and developer, often in following the Lebanese civil war of 1975–90, association with the public sector. These which caused particularly extensive damage developments also emphasize luxury com- there. The company was founded by the mercial and residential projects, although late Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri parts of them often are set aside as public in 1994, and has a capital of $1.82 billion, spaces. which makes it Lebanon’s largest. The Solidere project has been the subject The Lebanese government granted Soli- of some controversy. For example, although dere special powers of eminent domain as it has allowed for developing and imple- well as some regulatory authority. These, menting a comprehensive, well-studied, and however, are subject to governmental con- homogeneous urban plan in a city whose trols including the approval of the master planning regulations have been in great plan by the relevant governmental bodies need of updating, it also is considered a and the granting of construction permits project aimed at an upper-income clien- by the Beirut Municipality. The company tele. A good part of this clientele comes functions as a land, real estate, and prop- from outside Lebanon, primarily Lebanese erty developer, as well as manager, and it expatriates and citizens of the oil-rich implements its projects directly, in joint Gulf countries. Also, although it has been ventures with partners, or in liaison with argued that the original property owners in other developers. The owners of properties the BCD would be unable to carry out the that Solidere appropriated were compen- reconstruction process, partly because of sated with shares in the company. fragmented ownership patterns and exist- The BCD occupies 191 hectares, a third of ing tenant protection regulations, many of which consists of reclaimed land from the these property owners have resented the Mediterranean. It originally had a 1.5 km exercise of eminent domain over their prop- shore along the Mediterranean, but land erties. They state that the compensation reclamation has extended the shoreline by they received in the form of shares did not an additional 3.5 km. The project’s master reflect the real values of those properties.

242 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.5.1–13.5.4. The development and reconstruction of the 191-hectare commercial core of Beirut by the public shareholding company Solidere is a pioneering example in the region of the private sector taking on the role of master planner and large-scale developer. New Commercial Designed by Jordanian architect Bilal Hammad of Bilal The competition was organized by Hammad Architects. the city’s municipality and the Riwaq District in the Competition results announced in 2000, but project not Center for Architectural Conservation, a Historical Center implemented. non-profit organization concerned with of Ramallah, protecting and developing the Palestinian This design received first prize in a com- architectural heritage. The project, which Palestinian petition organized for the development covers an area of 11 hectares, includes new Authority of the historical center of Ramallah, a city and preexisting multifunctional buildings that has emerged as a main cultural center occupying a built-up area of 4,000 m2, as in Palestine and also as the political center well as open spaces that can accommodate of the Palestinian Authority in the West commercial and cultural activities such as Bank. Before the Israeli occupation of the festivals and exhibitions. city in 1967, Ramallah also was known as a Bilal Hammad developed a design that summer tourism destination. centers on the city’s main plaza, which also According to the 1993 Palestinian-Israeli functions as an open air theater, with the Oslo Accords, a future independent Pales- city hall/cultural center building acting as tinian state would be formed in the area its backdrop. A clock tower is added to the known as the West Bank of the Jordan plaza as a symbolic feature emphasizing River and also the Gaza Strip, although the its role as a civic public space. In addition, exact borders of the state would be negoti- pedestrian activity is given priority within ated at a future date. Competitions such as the city center, and a number of open this one reflected the prevailing optimism spaces, including gardens and plazas, are that had existed before the advent of the introduced within the urban fabric. new Millennium regarding the formation of an independent Palestinian state.

244 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.6.1–13.6.3. This design is for a new commercial district that would upgrade the historical center of the West Bank Palestinian city of Ramallah. The project includes a series of open spaces that can accommodate various public activities such as festivals, exhibitions, and performances. The King Master plan developed by the Danish firm Henning In addition to housing banks, insur- Larsen Architects. ance and investment companies, a stock Abdullah Under construction. exchange, and financial regulatory au- Financial District, thorities, the project will include a financial Riyadh, Saudi Architect Henning Larsen has been very academy, a conference center, hotels, apart- active in the Gulf, where one of his better- ments, and recreational areas. Arabia known designs is the award-winning 1984 The architects remark that their design Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry building unites features of the traditional Arab city in Riyadh. His firm won an international with the contemporary metropolis. They competition in 2007 to design the sprawl- therefore brought the project’s buildings ing King Abdullah Financial District in close proximity to each other to create a at the northern edge of Riyadh for the compact built fabric that increases densi- Saudi Arabian Public Pension Agency. The ties. This aims at avoiding sprawl and also project occupies 1.5 km2 and will feature creating as much shade as possible in the more than 3 million m2 of built-up areas. hot arid climate of Riyadh. It is expected to create 43,000 jobs and is Pedestrianization is being emphasized. a conscious expression of Saudi Arabia’s The new Riyadh monorail accordingly will financial strength as one of the larg- serve the King Abdullah Financial District. est economies in the Middle East, one The district also includes a series of elevated of world’s 25 largest economies, and the air-conditioned walkways that connect its holder of 20 percent of the world’s proven various parts. Parking for 40,000 vehicles oil reserves. will be provided at its perimeter.

246 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.7.1–13.7.3. The King Abdullah Financial District will house various financial institu- tions, hotels, and residential and recreational areas. The project features a closely knit urban fabric that emphasizes pedestrian rather than vehicular movement. The Gate, Shams Designed by Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear of Arquitectonica is the lead architect for the American firm Arquitectonica. the first and primary development plot of Abu Dhabi, Under construction. Shams Abu Dhabi, The Gate. It includes al-Reem Island, eight high-rise buildings penetrated by Abu Dhabi, The Gate is part of the Shams Abu Dhabi two wide boulevards that will form the development on the 633-hectare al-Reem development’s southern entrance. The United Arab Island, the vacant island being developed buildings include the elliptically shaped Emirates as a mixed-use residential, commercial, and 380-meter, 83-story Sky Tower, which will business district. Al-Reem Island lies just be among Abu Dhabi’s highest. There also off the northeastern coast of Abu Dhabi are five 62-story buildings. Four of these are City and will be connected to it by a number located in proximity to each other, form- of bridges. The $8 billion al-Reem Island ing a curved line and linked by a suspended project, which is being carried out indepen- transom, while the fifth is a free-standing dently by three developers, is intended to elliptical building. The remaining two rise house 280,000 residents. This is one of a up to 31 stories. They are curved in plan and number of large projects being developed together form an elliptical arrangement. in Abu Dhabi to accommodate a projected These high-rise buildings will collectively population increase of about 6.8 percent house 4,600 residential units. Sky Tower every year over the next decade. Its proper- will be the first to be constructed. It will be ties will also be available to noncitizens of a mixed-use office, commercial, and residen- the United Arab Emirates on an extendable tial building, while the remaining buildings 99-year lease. will be residential. One of the three developers working on The suspended transom linking four of al-Reem Island is Sorouh, which is develop- the residential towers at their tops creates ing the Shams Abu Dhabi project. Ninety a portico arrangement and contains vari- percent of Shams Abu Dhabi’s built area ous recreational amenities. It is punctured will be devoted to residential properties ar- by three oculi placed between the towers. ranged according to themed neighborhoods. These are intended to take on the role of The remaining part will consist of commer- giant “skylights” that cast sculpted shadow cial, hotel, entertainment, and institutional and light effects on the structures below. facilities. The development will contain The towers also are linked by a podium that 22,000 residential units and house about includes shops and that functions as an 100,000 people. elevated green park.

248 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.8.1–13.8.5. The Gate complex is the first and primary development of Shams Abu Dhabi. It will include eight high-rise buildings, the tallest of which will be the 380 m Sky Tower. Central Market Master plan and architectural designs carried out by the facilities, retail outlets, a mosque designed British firm Foster + Partners. by Jordanian architect Jafar Tukan, a fire Redevelopment, Under construction. station, parking for over 5,000 vehicles, and Abu Dhabi City, bus and taxi interchange points. Abu Dhabi, The Central Market Redevelopment project A number of the retail outlets will feature is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi City, traditional Middle Eastern goods, including United Arab close to the Abu Dhabi Corniche. The $1.4 textiles, gold and jewelry, spices, perfumes, Emirates billion project is being developed by Aldar and carpets. These will form an air-condi- Properties, which received a 50-year con tioned suq intended to convey a traditional cession from the authorities to develop feel. the site. The project occupies a 5.7-hectare The project also will include three high- area where the Abu Dhabi central market rise buildings ranging from 58 to 88 stories used to stand. The market was demolished (255 to 375 m) in height. They will house in 2005 to make way for this new develop- hotel, apartment, and office facilities. The ment, which aims at rejuvenating this development also will include a town square central city area as a leisure and retail and landscaped areas. complex. Considering the project’s enormous size, The new development will have a total its building site has been described as the built-up area of 650,000 m2. It will include “largest hole in the ground in the Middle office space, restaurants, hotels, residential East.”

250 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.9.1–13.9.4. The Central Market Redevelopment project is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi City and replaces the city’s old central market. It is being developed as a retail and leisure center. In addition to shops, it will include restaurants, hotels, apartments, and office space. Dubai Marina, Master plan and architectural design for phases I and II areas, including more than 11 km of public developed by the American firm Hellmuth, Obata + walkways. In addition to residences, Dubai Dubai, United Kassabaum (HOK). The Canadian firm Core Architects is Marina features hotel, commercial, leisure, Arab Emirates responsible for overall site coordination and design of 4 and retail space. of the project’s 10 districts. The project is located just to the west of Phase I of the development was competed in 2003, Palm Jumeirah. It is built along the two with the remaining phases under various stages of sides of a carved-out, man-made 3.5 km construction. watercourse/marina area. The watercourse follows a curving path that fits within the Dubai Marina is being developed by the outline of a wide U-shaped arrangement publicly held Emaar Properties, which is and is linked to the Dubai shoreline at its the largest real estate development com- two ends. Upon completion, Dubai Marina pany in the Middle East and one of the is expected to become the world’s largest largest in the world. When completed, the man-made waterfront community, covering development will feature more than 200 an area of 4.5 km2. The developers present it high-rise buildings that will contain more as the “Middle East’s answer to the French than 20,000 apartments and house about Riviera” and the “Venice of Dubai.” 100,000 people distributed over 10 dis- Phase I of the project, which was com- tricts. The total built-up area of the project pleted in 2003, is a $200 million, 10-hectare is expected to reach 4.5 million m2. Twelve development that includes six high-rise percent of the project is devoted to public residential buildings containing 1,100 units.

252 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figures 13.10.1–13.10.4. Dubai Marina is intended as the world’s largest man-made waterfront community. Phase I of the project (figs. 13.10.3 and 13.10.4) includes six high-rise residential buildings containing 1,100 units. The whole development eventually will feature 200 high-rise buildings with a population of 100,000. Business Bay, Master plan developed by the American firm TVS opened its second headquarters in Dubai in (Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates). 2007. It now considers Dubai and its origi- Dubai, United Under construction. nal headquarters in Houston, Texas, as dual Arab Emirates headquarters. Business Bay is being developed by Dubai Business Bay, which is adjacent to the Properties Group, which is part of the Burj Khalifa District, involves extending the Dubai government-owned Dubai Holding. Dubai Creek by almost 10 km, up to Shaykh Dubai Holding owns about 20 companies Zayed Road, and will be located along that operating in various fields. extension. This will bring the creek’s total The multi-billion-dollar project covers length to more than 13 km. The extended an area of 600 hectares and is intended to creek will have an average width of 130 m. It become Dubai’s new business district. It will reach 500 m at its widest section, with a is being presented as the equivalent to the depth of about 6 m, allowing large yachts to districts of Manhattan in New York and navigate it. The Dubai Creek originally was Ginza in Tokyo. It is a basic component of dredged in the 1970s to accommodate the an overall strategy that aims at encouraging docking of larger ships as part of plans to international companies to strengthen their establish Dubai as a major regional com- presence in Dubai. Dubai also hopes that mercial center. some of these companies will establish their The development will include more than headquarters there, rather than only their 230 high-rises that will house office, hotel, regional offices. This already has begun to residential, and retail facilities. It is the happen as the oil services giant Halliburton largest project designed by TVS to date.

254 Master Plans for Urban Districts: The Prominence of Public-Private Partnerships Figure 13.11.1. Business Bay is intended as Dubai’s main financial district. It is part of an overall strategy that aims at encouraging multinational firms to strengthen their presence in the Emirate.