Humanized Cities …
The paper was presented by Dr. Mishari Al-Naeem, commented on by Eng. Mohammed Al-Shehri and Eng. Khaled Al-Othman, and the debate was moderated Eng. Walid Al-Harithi. The paper talked about the idea that the term “humanized cities” is more meaningful than “human cities”, and that there are characteristics for humanizing cities. Such characteristics include encouraging a healthy mental and physical life, allowing walking, exercising, and practicing public life appropriately, and being economical, linked to its heritage and history and considers it an important source. Such cities encourage multiculturalism and they are inclusive and do not discriminate against its population at the level of race, sect and gender. They are open to public space for people with special needs, as well as encourage innovation and creativity. They create opportunities for social and cultural harmony. They are assumed to be smart cities that assist their dwellers. The realization of these characteristics has major economic ramifications related to urban regeneration, and has cultural and educational ramifications associated with rebuilding the moral system in society.
The paper acknowledged that the challenge is huge and costly, and requires an urban democracy that is not available, not even partially. Thus, talking about humanization is a kind of effective criticism of all current urbanization mechanisms and decision-making approaches. The paper added that humanization of cities can take place gradually, which is happening now in Riyadh, and the city does not necessarily turn at once into a humanized city.
The comments made on this paper indicated that the concept of humanization and effective planning to achieve the concept of life quality must take into account the different levels of planning and development in cities and urban areas. The appropriate spatial environment is the incubator for any urban and human development. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have the environmental elements in the city, and the appropriate planning and service elements, so that the person can exercise his/ her activity and the matters of his/ her daily life in a civilized and safe manner, and thus becomes a productive and effective element in the performance of his/ her human and developmental roles.
In addition to the fact that the real problem that Saudi cities suffer from is the management of local development in cities. Therefore, humanizing cities must be the main theme on which the concepts of managing local development of cities are based, including their quality. The role of civil society and community public opinion in urban planning issues must also be activated if we really want to reach humanized cities and achieve the concept of life quality.
The contributions made on the issue discussed that the goal of humanization must start with the culture of people before the place in which they reside. Humanizing cities as an idea is based on human behavior, but at the same time sees that there are better physical solutions than others that feed the positive behavior in the city.
The contributors discussed the importance of taking into account the customs and traditions of the population, and the pattern of their being close and their requirements, as it is not enough to entrust humanization to engineers despite the importance of their role. Rather, it is necessary to have social workers to benefit from their inputs in the humanization process. The issue of humanizing cities also needs unconventional solutions to harmonize the requirements of modern times with the requirements of a healthy human life. Therefore, architects have a very big role in this process, and in building cities in general.
On the economic returns for humanizing cities, the contributors indicated that the existence of good infrastructure in the city and the abundance of facilities would make the city more attractive. The city would appear to be a suitable place for a large number of investments promoted by legislation. Its flexibility would make it possible to work away from the bureaucracy of cities in the Arab world.
The contributors indicated that part of the change is the sense of responsibility when designing structures. An important aspect of humanizing cities relates to the behavior of the population, the extent to which they follow traffic and municipal systems, and the preservation of the spatial environment; therefore, one of the obstacles that stand in the way of humanizing cities is the general culture, values, customs, traditions, and organizational, administrative and social practices they contain, as well as the terrain, weather conditions of cities.
Among the most important recommendations were the following:
- Attending to appropriate urban planning, and suggesting environmentally friendly urban models in new housing that enhance the concept of humanization.
- Establishing local committees for the friends of the city, through civil society institutions, under the name of “Friends of the City”, and they have local branches in cities and villages.
- Civil society institutions should be involved in city humanization projects, to ensure the sustainability of these projects and their link to local community.
- Launching initiatives to improve and decorate cities in partnership with the private the sectors, aimed at reviving these places.
- Creating a long-term strategy that aims at building environments whose output is due to the emergence of environmental data in the sense of human and real humanization.
- Including city humanization in the concepts of some textbooks, and involving the faculties of architecture and planning in Saudi universities, to build environmental projects that contribute to building a humanization and institutionalization system.
- Activating the concept of integrated local management in cities to improve the life quality, and achieving the highest levels of integration for the social and spatial development of the dwellers of these cities.
