Fig 16- Retractable Roof of Al Janoub Stadium

ADULTERATED LIVES AND LANDSCAPES

Harvey puts forward his concern with conceptual problems of urban planning, which result partly from the lack of an interdisciplinary approach taken by sociologists, urban planners, and others.

The problem starts right at the beginning of the approach where geographical and sociological aspects are regarded as unrelated and are treated independently.

Social behavior can not be excluded from geography. Harvey urges to recognize that the creation of spatial form would influence the future development of the social process.

Each society’s culture is defined by its manifestations of language, art, and architecture. Architecture shall represent culture in every community, intertwining structural, historical, political, economic, and social characteristics. In today’s age of globalization and internationalism, architecture that reflects culture helps to build or sustain identity. It also contributes to society’s integrity. Thriving communities require a culturally responsive architecture.

In Kenneth Frampton’s book Studies in Tectonic Culture, he talks about Postscriptum: The Tectonic Trajectory wherein he talks about the poetics, the tectonics associated with the buildings, and how they are related to other attributes which give identity to a space. According to Frampton, “We may claim that the built invariably comes into existence out of the constantly evolving interplay of three converging vectors- the topo, the typos, and the tectonics” (Frampton, 1996). This highlights the crucial role of spaces, structure, and technological innovations in shaping the new cities. Sporting stadiums have an impact on the socioeconomic capabilities of the regions in which they are located. Some have a positive impact since they are able to fully integrate into the urban environment and aid the community in areas like economy, walkability, and transit (Borgen, 2016). However, many fail to do this as well. They essentially become massive concrete or steel constructions surrounded by thousands of asphalt-filled parking places that solely serve the community on the days that the sporting team is in town, which is normally once or twice a week.

Fig 2- Framework for Thesis Proposition Source- Author

“The correct framework for understanding the city is one which encompasses and builds upon both the sociological and the geographical imaginations.”

-David Harvey (Social Justice and the City, 2009)

PUBLICNESS OF URBAN SPACE

SEARCH QUESTION

How can we revitalize and activate one of the world’s most expensive typologies by layering it with other functions that contribute to make a much more inclusive and urban environment? Public money is indeed a way that helps the existence of stadium typologies yet, the general public can use these stadiums majorly on the game-days. Mixed-use buildings are a design type that has had a lot of success in generating vibrant and effective urban areas. They can meet many of the needs in the surrounding area, such as residential, office, and retail spaces, ensuring that the building is continually in use. This is all done with a single building’s worth of space, which is extremely advantageous in dense, urban situations. Mixeduse structures mix old and new design strategies to produce highly walkable communities. What if these mixed-use design components were combined with the stadium’s typology and philosophy?