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Ajman Urban Planning Conference begins

His Highness Shaikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman, inaugurated the conference.

Being held at Ajman University by the Ajman Department of Municipality and Planning under the slogan ‘City Identity in the 21^st Century: Challenges and Opportunities’, planning experts, architects and engineers are presenting papers on topics like ‘Urban Aesthetics and Architecture’, ‘Space and Ecology’, ‘Globalisation, Virtualisation and Identity’, ‘Urban Culture and Urban Codes’, and ‘Urban Management and Infrastructure’.

Addressing the conference on Monday, Shaikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Ajman Department of Municipality and Planning, said the urban growth is described as a continuous and natural process.

The last decade of this century was marked by significant economic and political changes provoking some irreversible transformations in the socio-cultural organisation and physical structure of the city.

“These changes have altered the city’s shape and have given rise to questions about the impact of these changes on the image of the city in terms of size and cultural values. So the concept of urban space becomes a determinant of the ability of planners, architects, engineers and administrators to provide an environment which is adequately structured to avoid chaos and to maintain an acceptable quality of life,” he said.

In parallel with the socio-economic changes, new technologies have been developed or imported mainly in the form of new construction techniques, building materials and the methods of construction management.

The sweep of development, segregation of land uses and the reliance on private cars in the absence of public transport are the main issues illustrating the imbalanced development of Ajman, which have a huge impact on the environment and sewage and sanitation needs. These reasons have prompted the municipality to organise the conference every year. — afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

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