- Master Planning for Heritage Conservation in Al Ain Oasis, UAE    click here to open paper content2048 kb
by    Yildirim, Ege & El-Masri, Sami | ege@adach.ae   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
This paper will present the Al Ain Oasis Master Plan initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in the city of Al Ain, aimed at conserving the local tangible heritage within the accelerating urban development process.
Abstract
Although being a high-income country located in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates is
experiencing an extremely high pace of development that is as threatening as in any developing
country where the irreversible urbanization process is taking place. This paper will focus on
master planning efforts of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in the city
of Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which are aimed at conserving local tangible cultural heritage
within the accelerating urban development process, namely the Al Ain Oasis Master Plan. This
ongoing effort, currently being advanced from concept design to detailed planning phase,
involves the development of a cultural quarter in the heart of Al Ain that connects the historic
oasis with the modern fabric of the city. It is also connected with the bid for Al Ain’s nomination
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with the Plan Al Ain 2030 Urban Structure Framework
Plan- which won the 2009 ISoCaRP Award for Excellence- through interagency coordination with
Al Ain Municipality and the Urban Planning Council, among other stakeholders. The Al Ain Oasis
Master Plan is a significant experience for Abu Dhabi, in terms of building on the Emirate-wide
planning initiatives with a heritage and detailed spatial planning component; of exploring the
environmental issues of a cultural landscape set in an urban context that also relies on
sustainable management of water; of developing a new governance system that will succeed
within a constantly evolving cultural and administrative planning context; and of preserving the
character of the Emirate’s foremost historic city as a resource of cultural identity for future
generations.
Keywords
Oasis, heritage, conservation, master planning, Al Ain
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2010: Sustainable City - Developing World
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