The new cultural turn in urban development for the gulf state: Creativity, place promotion, and identity: Doha as a case study

Abstract

Urban theorists and policy makers have begun to re-evaluate the significance of integrating culture into urban development strategies. Within the present growing global interurban competition, a new approach to urban planning is required that takes into consideration the integration of the city into the global context and to highlight or create distinctive and livable cities to attract social and capital investment. With Doha as a case study, this study investigates cultural planning, the role of planners, its significance as an urban plan, and how it enhances city branding in Qatar. The study emphasizes that planners in Doha should supplement their traditional preoccupation with land-use issues using both tangible and intangible cultural resources as part of the city's overall strategic direction. It is suggested that cultural planning initiatives with a fairly broad policy scope will be effective positive changes in Qatar. These should include cultural development and management-related plans as the creation of cultural endowment funds, the development of public art strategies, and the construction of cultural institutions and performance spaces. Further, cultural mapping and inventory exercises, increased community awareness, as well as increased private sector investments are also essential. A cultural approach to policy and planning is required in Qatar that entails the incorporation of arts and culture into a variety of urban planning documents, such as downtown business plans, official plans, and urban design guidelines.