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The Institute holds the seventh meeting of the Cities in Action Webinar series on the journey of developing the sustainable city of Msheireb

29 Oct 2024

The Arab Urban Development Institute organized its seventh session of the Cities in Action webinar series on Tuesday evening, 26 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1446 AH, corresponding to October 29, 2024, in the presence of several specialists and professionals interested in urban development affairs.

Dr. Abdullah Dhaifallah, moderator of the webinar and Professor of Urban Planning, began the session with an overview of the webinar series and highlighted its importance in enriching the discussion on urban development across all Arab cities. He also stressed that the benefit of these sessions lies in identifying pioneering urban development projects and exchanging ideas on mechanisms and the elements of success. The meeting was opened with a presentation by engineer Fatima Mohammed Fawzi, architect, urban planner, and member of the Board of Directors of the Department of Architecture at Qatar University.

It reviewed the vision and objectives of the Msheireb Heart of Doha project, the principles of the city’s master plan, and the project’s experience in developing a modern country architectural Qatari identity based on sustainability principles.

Engineer Fatima explained that the development of Msheireb Sustainable City came with the efforts of Msheireb Real Estate Company, chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser’s Board of Directors. The company worked to strike a balance between innovation and the requirements of preserving culture and local heritage.

The engineer addressed the master plan of the suburb of Msheireb, which resulted from three years of research with the participation of a selection of major engineering companies and global houses of expertise. The blueprint combines traditional Qatari architecture with modern contemporary design to create a new architectural language. The project is distinguished by its buildings obtaining “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) Gold and Platinum certificates, reflecting its commitment to the highest sustainability standards. The project also entered the Guinness World Record for containing the world’s largest underground parking lot, with a capacity exceeding 10,000. Engineer Fatima asserted that the project “Msheireb Heart of Doha” aims to be a role model and a global benchmark for sustainable urban development.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Abdullah Dafiullah thanked the attendees for their interaction and valuable participation, commending the outstanding role of engineer Fatima Mohamed Fawzi in leading this exceptional presentation about the development journey of Msheireb. He stressed the importance of continuing these meetings to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange among specialists in urban development.