IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

The UAE is often celebrated for its grand urbanism, defined by monumental projects and rapid construction. Yet, as urban scholar Jan Gehl observed, the human-centered design paradigm that reshaped European and North American cities in the 1960s reached the UAE only decades later. Cities such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai expanded through large buildings, extensive suburbs, and privatized public spaces, driven mainly by traffic engineering and real estate development. This growth often overlooked daily social life, human-scale experience, and the cultural heritage embedded in older neighborhoods and traditional urban forms. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, planning and architecture in the region had largely drifted from the idea that cities serve people and preserve collective memory. Systematic approaches that valued human scale, social cohesion, or the conservation of heritage landscapes were limited. Instead, urban design became closely tied to large architectural gestures, reinforcing a culture of “Bigness”, sometimes at the expense of historic continuity and place identity. This research asks: What forms of Bigness are recognized in urban design literature and practice, and how do they relate to the treatment—or neglect—of heritage and preservation? How might the definition of Bigness be expanded to include emerging or hybrid urban forms not yet documented, including those that interact with historic environments? Using Dubai as a case study, the research examines the morphological characteristics of different types of Bigness and considers which urban design ideals, including heritage-sensitive strategies, should shape future cities.