Lessons learned

Hisham Youssef is an architect at Gensler, responsible for the firm's projects in Egypt and North Africa.

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This is a great time to be in the GCC. Don’t get me wrong, for many professionals in our industry it is tough and disruptive, but this is the glass half empty view.

For many of us architects who experienced the pre-2008 frenzy in Dubai, and care about the successful evolution of GCC cities, the current slowdown and project cancellation could not have come at a better time – and let me explain why.

As the pace of construction reached a dizzying and seemingly unstoppable pace, no one had the time to consider or critique the viability of many projects. And why would anyone do so? ‘If you build it, they will come’ was almost the mantra in Dubai, and come they did, or so it appeared. We know better now, after the speculative buying ended. Now that we have time for introspection, there is an urgent need for it.

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I am sure many questioned why clients asked us to build one twisting and screaming tower after another just because we could. In Dubai, icon-itis led to a city full of buildings vying to stand out, and yet very few are memorable. Public space also suffered, buildings need to engage with their surroundings to create public activity areas instead of simply filling the leftover spaces in between buildings. An overall city plan was catching up with the developments rather than the other way around.

With projects cancelled, some deservedly so, and the speculative investment in real estate gone, we can now focus on the real issues: public space, cohesive vision, transit linkages. How can we emerge stronger, and smarter, to address the inherent needs, instead of imaginary ones? As a profession, we must regroup to emerge with a clearer vision about our cities. Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council’s Vision 2030 is a big step in the right direction.

Dubai set the standard to emulate, but we now need to learn from the pitfalls. We need to engage in a meaningful and coordinated dialogue with clients, the authorities, educational institutions, and the public to debate the relevant issues that will make our cities livable, beyond buildings.

Creation of space is what makes a city, while lack of public space leads to alienation. A dialogue about these issues could lead to initiatives that would set the course for the next phase.

Instead of parachuted generic designs, it would be more meaningful to develop an architectural identity which reflects the unique demographic mix of the place. We need to capture the essence of our region, what and who we are today. This can only lead to a new approach to design and planning, that is at once sustainable, relevant, and more meaningful.

This is an opportunity we must seize. We have the funds, we have the talent, and more importantly, we have the time. Dubai set the benchmark for the world. Let us now chart the course forward for the region.