Spirit of Cities : The Significance of the Old Cities Spirit Existence within the New Urban Settlements in Bahrain

Abstract

Abstract : Due to the demands of human life, new urban housing settlements have appeared rapidly in Bahrain, resulting in a significant gap between the old cities and new urban housing settlements. The gap affects family relations and creates a crack in the social fabric of the new urban settlements. The thesis explained that each city has its unique spirit. Unique city spirits connect directly with the sense of place idea, which connects with the human being's senses and experiences. However, cities have several indicators and immaterial aspects that identify their spirits. The city spirit indicators are given less consideration in the new urban settlements as compared to Bahrain's old city spirit. This thesis aims to investigate the spirit of the new urban settlements and identify several ways to enhance and develop the quality of the new urban settlements and the quality of life for the residents in the new urban settlements in Bahrain with the power of the old city spirit. Based on the literature review about the city spirit, in-person interviews, and focus group discussions were held for the data collection process. The samples were selected non-probably from Bahrain residents for in-person interviews, and experts in Bahrain‘s heritage and old city as a focus group. Twenty participants were involved in in-person interviews, and thirteen participants were in the focus group. Thematic qualitative data analysis extracted themes from the in-person interviews and focus group data. Illustrative case studies were used to discuss the themes extracted. Case studies selected new urban settlements or cities considering old city spirit indicators. Analysis of the in-person interviews, focus groups, and case studies demonstrated that the old city spirit was distinctive and better quality than the spirit of the new urban settlements in Bahrain. The thematic qualitative data analysis highlighted the current situation of the new urban settlements and identified several ways to bring the old city spirit to the new urban settlements. The findings highlighted that the old city spirit's existence improves the residents' quality of life and helps develop the new urban settlements in Bahrain. The findings indicate that the old city spirit is of better quality than the spirit of new urban settlements. The old city spirit's existence positively affects and develops the quality of the new urban settlements. Consequently, it is recommended to consider old city spirit power in planning and designing new urban settlements in Bahrain. The old city spirit should be a source of inspiration rather than plainly copying it. The thesis contributes to knowledge and develops the idea of the spirit of place. Moreover, it contributes to the practice as it produces a set of recommendations for several organizations in Bahrain to follow, such as the Urban Planning Authority and Real Estate Developers, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication, and academics and university faculty. Further research is needed to use a more comprehensive sampling range and other methods that could generalize the findings