Description:
Cities in the Arab world are too diverse and hybrid to be lumped together as a single, arbitrary group. Rather they make up the 'urban kaleidoscope' of the title, and the diversity of the six case-study cities here supports that contention. The authors, Arab scholars and architects local to the cities they describe, provide an authentic voice with an understanding no outsider could achieve.
Review Quotes:
This volume provides a nonspecialist audience with a thorough overview of issues and approaches to contemporary Middle Eastern urbanism. - Sophia Shwayri, Traditional Dewlling and Settlements Review, Spring 2005
'Will inspire further critical investigation on the sites and cities of the Middle East that have until now been marginalized in the debates regarding globalization and urban change.' - Journal of Architectural Education
This book is a very informative and lively read that certainly adds fresh perspectives to the study of Arab cities... This collection could be an interesting text for undergraduate and graduate courses in Middle East and urban/cultural studies. International Journal of Middle East Studies
A thorough overview of issues and approaches to contemporary Middle Eastern urbanism. Traditional Dwelling and Settlements Review
The essays collected by Elsheshtawy raise as many questions as they answer, but this is also a strength of the book, which provides insights into places often grounded in an idealized past, both in their architecture and their architectural history. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians
This is a laudable collective effort with an excellent choice of case-studies which make a compelling argument in favour of the 'urban kaleidoscope'. This certainly provides food for thought for architects, planners, urban specialists and historians working on and in the Middle East - Urban History Journal