Middle East

One of Israel's most unconventional planning professors looks back on his career as an outsider.

Saudi Arabia may have overstated its crude oil reserves and may not be able to meet global demand says energy analyst and author Matthew R. Simmons.

Fallujah, once known as the "city of mosques", is still largely in ruins four months after major fighting in the city ended.

Bombings in Iraq have spawned a 'private fortifications industry' where concrete blast walls now surround many of the city's landmark buildings and lesser-known streets.

The Iraqi city of Falluja may require more than $1 billion to rebuild; the U.S. is promising a fraction of that.

Prague-based architect Michal Hron is close to obtaining approval from Iraqi authorities to begin work on Baghdad's new master plan.

Cairo, struggling for open space, builds a 74-acre park on a 500-year old garbage dump.

A feature length article explores life in The Green Zone -- the four-square mile, heavily secured "American bubble in Baghdad."

Baghdad's "International Zone," often known as the Green Zone, is a city unlike any other.

An Arab nation enters the biggest-and-tallest sweepstakes at this year's Expo Real.

Development in the Arab world is centering on tourism as the area attempts to diversify.

Blowing desert dust is a growing environmental problem, made worse by dust-spewing SUVs replacing camels for desert travel.

The Planners Network Steering Committee issues a statement opposing Israel's controversial barrier in the West Bank.

Tel Aviv planning commission grapples with issues of preservation, economic development, and private property rights.

Cairo's new 74-acre park, Al Azhar, is located on what was a centuries-old rubbish heap.

Israel has developed a practical and dispassionate approach to cleaning up after terror bombings.

Curtis Johnson explains the challenges in applying planning principles in Baghdad.

Israel is rapidly building new train lines to battle American-style automobile dependence.

Israel has over 10,000 pages of building regulations, construction standards and building guidelines-- often with contradictions between the laws and the regulations.

After years of war, Beirut proves that conflict can result in a rich urban restoration effort.