Designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, promises to spread knowledge and promote understanding against the backdrop of the kingdom's dismal record on human rights.
"Snøhetta’s challenge was to incorporate, under one roof, a series of institutions that in most cities would occupy landmark structures in their own right. Ithra has all the ambiguity of a presidential library, many of the functions of a college campus, and possibly no real precedent."
"Any exhilaration the project inspires must be tempered by the knowledge that Saudi Arabia’s social strictures still hang over the country like a veil. The center’s niceties—gift shops, screening rooms, and the promise of a knowledge-based economy—stand in sharp contrast to the kingdom’s reputation for human rights abuses. Are the center’s stylistic flourishes a celebration or a mea culpa? As with many things in the kingdom these days, it is probably both and neither."
"As impressive as Ithra is, it is still a bauble. As welcoming as Ithra is, it is still a barbed-wire-ringed compound. As cosmopolitan as Ithra is, it is still a tourist attraction in a country that does not admit tourists."
FULL STORY: Snøhetta's Saudi Arabian Wager
COP28: Will Developed Nations Reduce Emissions?
Tensions between developed and developing nations surfaced over emissions and energy, with the former focused on reducing fossil fuels and the latter pointing to unrealized emissions reductions from the nations most responsible for global warming.
Use or Misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
Rising gasoline prices prompted President Biden to announce on October 19 that he was authorizing the release of 15 million barrels of crude oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
OPEC Plus Decision to Reduce Oil Output Could Lead to Global Recession
A decision earlier this month by a group of the world's largest oil exporters to drastically reduce oil production to stem the decline in oil prices could be a ‘tipping point’ for a global recession, says the International Energy Agency.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
LA Parking Reform is Bearing Fruit
Changes to minimum parking requirements near transit lines are spurring more residential development with little or no on-site parking.
Amtrak Takes Lead on Texas Central Rail
The high-speed rail project isn’t a done deal, but if it moves forward, trains could begin operating in 2030.
Two California Motels Transformed into Transitional Housing
Unlike most transitional housing, which is aimed at individuals, a project in the Southern California desert caters to families.
San Francisco Right to Counsel Program Prevents Hundreds of Evictions
A city program that gives at-risk tenants the right to a lawyer helped over 90 percent of participants avoid eviction.
State Lawmakers Join Fight Against Wall Street Landlords
Pushback against hedge funds buying and renting out single-family houses grows as elected officials in a handful of state legislatures seek to curb the trend amid the housing affordability crisis.
San Joaquin County
University of California, San Diego
Heyer Gruel Associates
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
