Riyadh presents critical theoretical insights, personal observations, and serendipitous encounters to deftly demonstrate how the city thrives through the actions of its people. It is a vision of an urbanity where both the spectacular and the everyday co-exist, not just dedicated to the few, but one that serves the many.
- Fills a gap in the literature on Riyadh and Saudi Arabia
- Includes high-quality illustrative materials
- Written by an established scholar on the region's urban development with unique access to the city and its planners.
'Like Elsheshtawy's previous work, his methodological prowess is noteworthy ... the presentation of evidence remains foundational [and] the plethora of images help readers visualize the city he describes, a city that many will likely never see.'
-Andrew Gardner, Built Environment 47.4
Yasser Elsheshtawy is an independent scholar and an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, New York and Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, Washington, DC. He is author of Temporary Cities: Resisting Transience in Arabia and Dubai: Behind an Urban Spectacle and editor of Planning Middle Eastern Cities and The Evolving Arab City, all also published in the Planning, History and Environment series.
1. Introduction: Discovering Riyadh
Part 1: City Governance for the People
2. Mayors and the City
3. People-Centred Urbanism: Origins and Developments
Part 2: Contexualizing Riyadh
4. Scenes from Riyadh: Spaces of Encounter and Exchange
5. Riyadh's Urban Growth and Development: A Historical Overview
Part 3: Humanzing Riyadh
6. A Flaneur in Riyadh: The Transformation of Tahlia Street
7. Riyadh Drifting: Walking in the City
8. Green Dreams: Reviving the Gardens of Riyadh
9. Regulating Informality: Spaces of Everyday Consumption in Riyadh
10. Conclusion: The Future of Riyadh