Urban Form in the Arab World

Urban Form in the Arab World aims to raise awareness and understanding of traditional urban structures in the Arab-Islamic World, and provides a realistic insight into the problems that historic cities have faced since being confronted with modern development concepts and Western planning technologies.

Stefano Bianca, an architectural historian and practising urban designer, discusses a wide range of philosophical and technical issues, bridging past and present and basing his approach on a thorough knowledge of the field. In contrast to the plethora of books on Islamic architecture describing isolated historic monuments, Urban Form in the Arab World focuses on the morphology of the complete urban fabric, with its houses, mosques, public facilities, streets and markets. In Part I of the book, basic architectural forms are explained in relation to how they are used, as well as in terms of their general cultural background, and pre-Islamic precedents. Part II explores the conflicts between traditional Islamic models and Western planning methods. Finally in Part III, case studies covering Mecca, Baghdad, Fez, and Aleppo explain how practical solutions can be found to the problems faced by architects in the Middle East who want to keep a sense of local cultural identity intact and preserve the historic patterns of cities. These case studies deal with a range of contemporary issues from conservation to new developments. The author's argument is richly illustrated with maps, plans and photographs, with much of this material published for the first time.

Inspirational reading for architects and planners, this practical, informative book will appeal to anyone interested in the preservation of historic Middle Eastern cities.