Shikha Patel

Rapid urbanization in Gulf cities has driven significant land cover changes, influencing outdoor thermal comfort and land surface temperatures (LST). This study investigates land cover dynamics from 1998 to 2023 across six cities – Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, and Riyadh – using Landsat imagery to assess LST, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and approximated wet-bulb globe temperature (AWGBT). Results reveal an increase in urban areas, with Manama and Kuwait City experiencing the largest expansions (47.50% and 47.02%). Vegetation patterns varied, with cities like Duba

Historically, urban development has always been centered on coastal areas, with access to waterbodies—seas, rivers and canals—being a significant advantage for movement and trade. With most of the world’s megapolises located on coasts, land reclamation offers a solution for the expansion of city centers which are otherwise restricted by the coastline. This study aims to define the current understanding of urban regeneration and development on reclaimed lands, addressing the basic questions of what, why and how. This study aims to assess urban regeneration on reclaimed coastal land based on the

This socio physical phenomenon deals with a residential environment whose physical characteristics - building layout and site plan - functions to allow inhabitants themselves to become key agents in ensuring their health and security. In context of Shivaji Nagar, these defensible spaces have been formed with time as the blocks morphed leaving the small courtyards, now facilitating the daily functions of the residents. These open spaces have lost its purpose due to unplanned organic development and lack of provisions to preserve and maintain the environment.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
*Shikha Patel
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, BMS School of Architecture, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT
The paper offers a new spatial arrangement which guides the development of New Hampi, which presently accommodates the displaced people of Hampi. Being a world heritage site, Hampi has an overlap of many jurisdictions which becomes necessary to study in order to propose new planning strategies. While planning a new layout, it is...

It was a cold January morning in Delhi when my best friend Reshmi, who also happens to work with me, and I were on an architectural trip with our “z generation” students. I never thought travelling to beautiful places could be such a pain in the ass until I decided to take 40 unusual kids along. This trip to the North Indian region was 16 days long and that was the fourth day when we were exploring the monuments of Delhi which are supposed to be of great architectural significance. So, we all...

Abstract
In the past two decades, Doha, the capital city of the State of Qatar, has undergone a rapid urban transformation. In 2013 and 2014, the State of Qatar, respectively, initiated the construction of Doha Metro and launched the Qatar National Development Framework (QNDF), an action plan for managing sustainable urban development at national level. Namely, QNDF emphasizes the importance of linking Doha Metro system with urban growth through transit-oriented developments (TODs), a model m...

During ancient times, cycling was advocated as a cheaper and more practical mode of transportation over a horse or bullock cart. After the first world war, cycles were present on every street and every house. After the second world war, however, cycles were replaced with motor vehicles and the demand for cycles experienced an all-time low demand. Later, in the 1970s, the health and environmental benefits of cycling were highlighted by activists through movements and public campaigns. In recen...

Tactical urbanism is not new. People have used tactics in their communities to survive better since ages. Around Indian context, these tactics were also observed on the streets of the civilization, as old as Mohenjadaro. This bottom – up approach has helped people live peacefully in their communities. While urban planners work to plan the tactics that would work best for the urban fabric, an Old town in a large city of South India, bordered by urbanization flawlessly dictates tactics through ...

When you walk on a busy street, with wide range of smell and noise grades, you probably are walking through an Indian market street. Vegetable vendors whooping to sell their produce before it dies, fruit vendors enticing you by displaying fancy cut fruits, the noise of scooters honking at everyone and suddenly that awful smell of waste produce garbage(d) at the end of the street; such is the stage as you walk pass Sethu Rao road, on the west side of Krishna Rajendra Market building in Bangalo...

The last decade witnessed a return to traditional ways of farming that were, for decades, braced by technological advancement. Along with many countries around the world, Qatar manifests an interest in urban farming, encouraged by a strong political will to achieve food security. The plans set and implemented by the Qatari government, on both micro and macro levels, raised awareness around urban farming and inspired many urban households. In this study, a survey of 70 households practising backyard farming was performed to explore their particular challenges.

Introduction
As a developing country, India has an economy that is best considered by distinguishing agricultural and nonagricultural primary sectors. Over the past two decades, the latter’s contribution to the nation’s economy and productivity has increased steadily, making it the dominant contributor and, as a result, attracting the attention of national economists. This attention has in turn shed light on the increasing share of the “informal” or “unorganized” sector of the nonagricultural...