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Volume :34 Issue : 3 2006
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Street Furnishing in the City of Kuwait: A Fieldwork Study of Some Elements
Auther : Alaa Shaheen
Kuwait is a charming capital. Since the beginning of the 1950s it has undergone several successive urban schemes to become the beautiful modern city of today. The elements of street furnishing and decor are of great importance to the beauty of any city. Despite the undisputed charm of the city of Kuwait, there are some points to be made concerning the street furnishing. This research addresses these three elements regarding the street furnishing of Kuwait: art works in the open spaces, drinking fountains, and bus stations. Through fieldwork and the study of these elements, the following points are raised for discussion:
(1) The seeming conflict between modernism and heritage, and how most of the discussed elements are classified under these two categories.
(2) The need to maintain an indigenous identity for the city that combines the various elements of the street furnishings with specific coherent images.
(3) The need for a streamlined coordination between the different specializations that participate in planning the street furnishing elements, e.g. urban planners, architects, designers, landscapers, and artists.
(4) The basis that the city municipality is the pivotal authority that should have a comprehensive plan for street furnishing elements including aesthetic criteria for these elements and specific regulations for controlling them. It should also have effective supervision of the execution of the street furnishing elements to prevent any disorder or random interfering by subsidiary elements.
(5) The concept that people of the city have their own role in participating in the city furnishing plan; however, this role should follow certain aesthetic criteria and should be exercised through the specific regulations of the municipality.
Key words: Street furnishing, Decor, Street furnishing elements, City identity, Modernism and heritage, Landscape design, Art work designers, Aesthetic, Regulations.