Before discussing some of Sharjah's planned neighborhoods it's worth taking a quick look at the city's history. Sharjah's urban form owes a lot to its
historic status as a modest port city. Prior to the
formation of the UAE in 1971 the city took the form of a linear
settlement along the creek opening up onto the Arabian Gulf. The outer limit of
the settlement was defined by a wall gated by Al-Hisn fort.
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| Renovated Al-Hisn Fort Source: http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/images/content/a_road_trip_to_every_emirate/gallery/2012_roadtrip_6_gallery.jpg |
The intermediate space between the creek and the wall formed the core of the settlement’s activities. Port dwellers took up residence in traditional Arabic residential complexes and merchants traded in the intricate souks that ran along the creek.
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| Partially reconstructed historic area of Sharjah Image source: http://www.e-flux.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/dc8ae_nov7_sharjah_img.jpg?b8c429 |
The discovery of oil in the early 1970s was
the major driver for the change in Sharjah’s urban form. The government needed
to expand the city beyond the wall in order to provide good quality modern
housing for its residents. As a result, the immediate desert outside the
boundaries of the wall was the natural direction for expansion. What I find
interesting however is not so much the direction of expansion but the form of
it. Sharjah’s planned neighborhoods, built at various periods since the 1970s,
reveal a lot about the changing trends in urban planning in the city. Below is a
closer look at two of Sharjah’s planned neighborhoods that capture these
trends.
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| Illustration of Sharjah's post 1970 expansion |
A note on Sharjah’s government housing
Before discussing the two neighborhoods
below it’s worth mentioning a few points about planned communities in Sharjah.
The government of the UAE is the main provider of housing for Emiratis by way
of subsidized house building programs (see Sheikh Zayed Housing Program for an example). One form of housing provision is for the
local government to carry out the entire planning and construction of
neighborhoods and then offer UAE nationals interest-free loans to buy a house.
Alternatively UAE nationals can opt to build their own houses elsewhere and are
given a free lot to do so.
Maysaloon: Sharjah’s first planned
neighborhood
Maysaloon was built in the mid-1970s
and was Sharjah’s first government planned neighborhood. The pioneering
development is a compact community of small villas with narrow tree-lined
streets loosely resembling what later became defined as New Urbanism in Western
urban planning. The neighborhood sits less than a mile from the historic outer
boundaries of the old city and starkly contrasts the traditional Emirati houses
of the city like Bait Serkal and Bait Shamsi. Maysaloon’s new houses were
modern detached villas with modest garden space. Individual lots were allocated
for each house and a setback ruling seemed to be applied in most cases. In
terms of facilities Maysaloon has a neighborhood park, three mosques, and a
school. Corner shops and other independent retail stores can also be found
throughout the neighborhood.
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| Illustration of Maysaloon's location |
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| Maysaloon: Strong corners with active frontages Image source: Here.com |
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| Maysaloon: Mosque opening up onto street Image source: Here.com |
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| Maysaloon: Narrow tree-lined streets Image source: Here.com |
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| Maysaloon: Compact houses (abandoned) Image source: Here.com |
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| Maysaloon: Accessible neighborhood park Image source: Here.com |
What’s great about Maysaloon is its walkability and human scale. Everything feels close. The streets are narrow and intimate, the houses are compact and cute, and branches of adjacent trees actually touch. For me, the novelty of Maysaloon’s design has not been replicated enough in Sharjah. This isn’t just an airy retro infatuation. I’m not asking for a patronizing pat on the back commending this neighborhood for its efforts. Maysaloon is still completely relevant.
What constitutes a good plan in contemporary
urban design and planning can no longer be explained in terms of land use and hectares per 1,000
people. We’re now more into finding inventive ways to meet loosely defined design
principles such as public realm, character, and pedestrianism. One example of this
is the city of Atlanta beltline in the US, where disused railway tracks surrounding the city have
been boldly transformed into paved walkways with programed activities. The
beltline is in every definition a park, an exhibition center and a transit corridor,
to name a few. Maysaloon may not be inventive in its approach, there are no
rooftop gardens or bicycle bridges with linear parks and art installations, but
this no-frills neighborhood is still awesome. Oh, and it does have a delightful
Indonesian restaurant where all the hipsters from Ajman flock to (jk, but there
is actually an Indonesian restaurant, and it doesn’t look that nice). |
| Maysaloon: Indonesian cafeteria Image source: Here.com |
Al Qarrayen: Contemporary planned
neighborhood
Enter the new millennium and we are now
seeing a new trend in planned neighborhoods. 7 miles West of Maysaloon and
billions of oil barrels later comes one of the newest additions to Sharjah’s
ongoing Western expansion, Al Qarrayen. Today most new planned neighborhoods are
built in blocks of 4-12. Al Qarrayen is actually 5 planned neighborhoods that are
being built over a short period of time. In contrast to the gritty Maysaloon the neighborhoods
of Al Qarrayen appear to be more of an assemblage of lavish villas on
excessively big lots. Here sidewalks are just an awkward formality lining the
streets funneling tinted Nissan Patrols. Trees, if any, are a blessing. Streetscape? (Crickets
perform herein).
So how has the quality of Sharjah's planned neighborhoods declined at a time when money is most available? The philosophy is not difficult, Al Qarrayen and the likes are a metaphor for what it is to live a better life in the Emirates and a cowardly embracing of vanity in lieu of sound urban planning principles. The houses may be nicer and newer, gardens may be greener and bigger, but the neighborhoods lack any real sense of place. It really is difficult to find any positives from Sharjah's newer planned neighborhoods.
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| Al Qarrayen: Lifeless streets Image source: Here.com |
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| Al Qarrayen: Dispersed facilities Image source: Here.com |
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| Al Qarrayen: Large separated houses Image source: Here.com |
So how has the quality of Sharjah's planned neighborhoods declined at a time when money is most available? The philosophy is not difficult, Al Qarrayen and the likes are a metaphor for what it is to live a better life in the Emirates and a cowardly embracing of vanity in lieu of sound urban planning principles. The houses may be nicer and newer, gardens may be greener and bigger, but the neighborhoods lack any real sense of place. It really is difficult to find any positives from Sharjah's newer planned neighborhoods.
Some thoughts on future trends
What then is next for Sharjah's planned neighborhoods? Firstly, there is definitely a case for harking back into the city's past and observing some fine urban planning, as seen in Maysaloon. Secondly, in terms of public realm, there is a need for a lot more inventiveness from the government of Sharjah's house building plans and programs. All of Sharjah's planned neighborhoods (old and new) distinctly lack pedestrian boulevards/high streets. It would be good to have designated retail lots lining the main streets of neighborhoods to activate dead spaces. Thirdly, in terms of urban form, there is a need to rethink lot sizes, setbacks, and build-to lines. It's understandable that it might be difficult to convince people to live in more compact neighborhoods, but there are compromises that can be made. For example, lots facing main streets can be reduced in size and buildings can be closely packed adjacent to each other. Such property can be built to target low-income families or young bachelors, university students, or expats. These are just some suggestions as to how Sharjah's planned neighborhoods can be improved.
