Early in the twenty-first century, Abu Dhabi was the quintessential boom town as the proceeds from vast oil production transformed its traditional landscape. But since 2007, the Emirate has become a showcase where explosive piecemeal expansion was superseded by visionary planning and development management – with a deliberate focus on sustainability, livability, and cultural sensitivity.
Planning the Future of Abu Dhabi explains this dramatic transformation. Working with Abu Dhabi colleagues, Canadians led the founding of a progressive planning agency. Their rapid and comprehensive process resulted in state-of-the-art guidance for development, including thorough urban and regional plans, a development control system, transportation innovations, environmental stewardship, and training for handover to local management.
Larry Beasley, the overall project leader, and Michael White, the key in-country lead, bring together the Canadians to tell the story of how the Emirate was repositioned as a model in the Middle East for advanced, responsible growth.
About the Author :
Larry Beasley is the retired distinguished practice professor of planning at the University of British Columbia and the founding principal of Beasley and Associates, an international planning and urban design consultancy. He is a registered professional planner and the retired co-chief planner for the City of Vancouver. Beasley, a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a member of the Order of Canada, has also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is the author of Vancouverism and, with Jonathan Barnett, of Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs.
Michael White is the associate vice-president of Campus and Community Planning at the University of British Columbia. He is an urban planning professional with decades of experience in North America, the Middle East, and Asia. He specializes in strategic planning, major project implementation, transportation planning, partnership agreements, and community engagement.
Review :
"This remarkable book by twenty-two members of the Abu Dhabi planning team tells you in fascinating detail how they dealt with the questions facing international consultants working in rapidly transforming societies. Their personal accounts are full of useful information for all kinds of planning, urban design, and development."-- "From the foreword by Jonathan Barnett, Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania"
