A short 5 minute video that looks at Kuwait and how it was designed around cars instead of people and how that’s contributing to issues like pollution, asthma and diabetes. It’s pretty accurate especially the bit where she mentions how cars are parked in the shade occupying what in other countries would be the sidewalk, while pedestrians are in the sun walking on the street.
7 replies on “Kuwait: is it a good place for humans or cars?”
I agree with what she said. With Kuwait’s heat, i do not think sidewalk would be appropriate especially in summer. Places with somehow closed ceiling / partially like Mubarkiya would work
I think you misunderstood what she said. She didn’t say sidewalks wouldn’t be appropriate, she said because of the heat design needs to come into play. For example in old salmiya the buildings that were designed in the 70s have a shaded area to walk under while browsing shops. The new complexes that popped up over the last few years don’t have shade so in the summer it’s too hot to walk and shop there.
Kuwait is neither car centric nor pedestrian friendly. It’s just badly planned at almost every level. A car centric country (which happens to be the hottest in the world) would have more shaded parking than cars. Instead you have a situation where maybe 10% of parking is shaded. That’s not car centric.
Do you think Kuwait is walkable? If you need a car to get from point A to B then it’s heavily car centric, which is the case with this place.
This is what irks me the most. You can’t just leave the house and walk to a place, you NEED an automobile. I feel like expat-populated areas like Salmiya have somewhat more places within walking distance but still there are no sidewalks to do so. There needs to be more mixed-use development where there’s more potential to be on foot. More playgrounds need to be scattered through out neighborhoods for kids. Some European countries have car-free school streets for an hour before and after school, rather than have it congested like crazy. I agree that Kuwait is heavily car-centric to the point it’s becoming a nuisance. The amount of cars parked in front of houses is also an eyesore, some residential areas need more organisation and beautification.
Agree with almost everything she said except the part where she mentions why most people don’t take buses. A certain segment of the population will never take buses, even if they improve roads or services or frequency. It’s an unwritten rule that buses are for middle to lower income expats from certain countries. It’s not like Europe where everyone uses public transport.
Kuwait has excellent road networks, but improving public spaces and pedestrian access should be the next priority.