The Child in the City: Play, Architecture, and Urbanism in Modern Kuwait, 1957-1983
type: CreativeWork
description: From a humble port medina to the remarkable evolution of a modern metropolis, Kuwait underwent a captivating transformation (1950s-1980s) that encapsulated the spirit of progress and urbanization common to many other countries in the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. While historical narratives have predominantly focused on the impact of globalization and socio-political factors, this dissertation recognizes the role of the youngest citizens, the children, as key contributors to the country’s development. This facet has often escaped the spotlight of modern histories of city planning, prompting my efforts to revisit and redefine our understanding of how architectural and urban narratives were in fact shaped by a focus on the ‘child.’ This dissertation, focused on Kuwait, challenges conventional historical narratives by presenting a new interpretation of modernism— one that includes family, cultures of living, and environment.In the aftermath of the Second World War and Kuwait's attainment of independence from Britain’s protection, Western urban concepts pertaining to the family and the child became influential and were integrated into Kuwaiti urban planning practices. Despite their colonial origins, these concepts were embraced and integrated, the manifestation of which materialized in the form of neighborhood units, particularly the Kindergarten Community Unit, which placed the child at the center of urban living. The National Housing Authority of Kuwait adopted child-centered planning concepts and incorporated them into their “Community Development Manual,” which has served as the basis for designing all neighborhood units since 1951. This dissertation evaluates the manifestations of this approach through two case studies designed in the 1970s that were different from the traditional single-family housing units in having explored family life in experimental high-density neighborhood units. The first case study investigates the unrealized competition for the East …
abstract: From a humble port medina to the remarkable evolution of a modern metropolis, Kuwait underwent a captivating transformation (1950s-1980s) that encapsulated the spirit of progress and urbanization common to many other countries in the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. While historical narratives have predominantly focused on the impact of globalization and socio-political factors, this dissertation recognizes the role of the youngest citizens, the children, as key contributors to the country’s development. This facet has often escaped the spotlight of modern histories of city planning, prompting my efforts to revisit and redefine our understanding of how architectural and urban narratives were in fact shaped by a focus on the ‘child.’ This dissertation, focused on Kuwait, challenges conventional historical narratives by presenting a new interpretation of modernism— one that includes family, cultures of living, and environment.In the aftermath of the Second World War and Kuwait's attainment of independence from Britain’s protection, Western urban concepts pertaining to the family and the child became influential and were integrated into Kuwaiti urban planning practices. Despite their colonial origins, these concepts were embraced and integrated, the manifestation of which materialized in the form of neighborhood units, particularly the Kindergarten Community Unit, which placed the child at the center of urban living. The National Housing Authority of Kuwait adopted child-centered planning concepts and incorporated them into their “Community Development Manual,” which has served as the basis for designing all neighborhood units since 1951. This dissertation evaluates the manifestations of this approach through two case studies designed in the 1970s that were different from the traditional single-family housing units in having explored family life in experimental high-density neighborhood units. The first case study investigates the unrealized competition for the East …
author: Almutawa, Wadha
language: en
keywords: Architecture
date published: 2024
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:47:06Z
provider: University of Pennsylvania
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Pennsylvania