Don't Walk in Doha

If there's one thing I love, it's exploring new places. Whether it's a new neighborhood or a new city, I'm all about figuring out what nuggets of interesting-ness I can find in a new locale. And the best way to start is usually a simple walk around. But a walk around in Doha is not so simple.

This morning, being still quite jet lagged from my long trip from Portland to DC to Toronto to Frankfurt to Doha, I woke up early to see what I could discover before having to attend my first class at 11am. My mission was to make it from my hotel in the West Bay cluster of towers to the Corniche, a pedestrian area that loops around the horseshoe-shaped bay of Doha's main developed coastline, essentially connecting the old downtown Doha to the newer development that is the skyscrapers of the West Bay.

Doha West Bay towers

On a map, it's not far at all. But we all know how maps can make places look deceptively simple and so easily navigable. I decided to take the more scenic route to the Corniche, making my way toward the diplomatic road lined with embassies. Perhaps this was my first mistake--not taking the most direct route, and therefore wearing myself out, giving myself more road to navigate and thus more road that is likely not to have ample or any sidewalk area. Within the first two "blocks" (I'm not sure if this is the proper word, since this area is not set up in a traditional block-style), I encountered my first where-the-sidewalk-ends moment. Construction is so commonplace in Doha, and little thought seems to be given to preserving what sidewalks there are around construction areas. I had to climb over cement blocks placed every so often to hold up a metal fence surrounding a new building's construction areas. Upon getting to the diplomatic road, the sidewalk was also scarce, often transforming into sand or road. I chose the sand, since on the road giant cars were barreling towards me at very high speeds. At least on the diplomatic road I had the opportunity to admire the different architecture of various embassies, including the Egyptian, Korean, Jordanian, Moroccan, Pakistani, and Japanese. My favorite was the Iranian embassy, whose architecture and decoration is styled to match the blue iwans of Isfahan.

The Iranian embassy in Doha

Another shot of the Iranian embassy in Doha

A narrow sidewalk. And my shadow.

Here's an interesting sloped sidewalk

A no-sidewalk-sand-lot

 After looping around the diplomatic street, I reached the Four Seasons hotel, Ooredoo (Qatar's mobile company) headquarters, and the Sheraton. The pyramid-shaped Sheraton, built in the late 1970s, was for a long time the most recognizable building in Doha. But now perhaps that hotel has been overshadowed in notoriety by the West Bay's newer skyline, especially the "condom building," which just so happens to look like a giant phallus. Which I suppose is quite appropriate for the GCC countries' race-to-the-top and their vigorous attempts to out-do each other with the most spectacular architecture (e.g. Dubai's Burj Khalifa--the world's tallest building, and Saudi Arabia's more recent announcement regarding its ambitions to build an even taller building, the Kingdom Tower). But I guess size doesn't matter so much, at least in this case, for the "condom tower," (or Doha Tower as is its official name) recently won an award for the Best Tall Building in the world by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Doha's Sheraton Hotel

The (in?)famous "condom" building of Doha

Upon reaching the Sheraton, I knew I must be getting close to the Corniche, but couldn't see a great way to actually get to it. The park next to the park was closed for construction, inconveniently (and absurdly) once again blocking off any semblance of a sidewalk. I decided at this point I better give up on the Corniche and turn towards my hotel again, because I had already been walking almost an hour, it was hot and I couldn't see what lay too far ahead. But in order to turn back to my hotel, I had to cross a couple roundabouts that didn't offer anything in the way of a crosswalk. So I waited for a lull in traffic and sprinted across the roadway. Eventually I made my way back to the hotel, after really not going very far, not making my destination, sweating profusely from the hot sun and having to walk on sand or a narrow curb.

The lack of pedestrian infrastructure in Qatar, to me, is a big issue. People love their cars, especially their big gas-guzzling cars, and gas is cheaper than water.  Coming from Portland, where I've lived for five years without a car, relying on my bus pass, bicycle and own two feet, this is outrageous. But really, who wouldn't drive in such an atmosphere as Qatar? People don't--and really can't--walk as their main mode of transportation, because the city is simply not set up for it. And it seems to be taking a toll on the country, as around 71% of all residents (and 75% of Qataris) are obese. Granted, walking outside can be difficult not just for lack of infrastructure, but also the harsh desert climate, in which temperatures can climb well over 100 degrees during the summer months. As I made my way back to the hotel, balancing on narrow curbsides and dashing across the roadways, I wondered at how unfortunate it was that the city wasn't more walkable, and at what it would take to make changes in the city to make it more pedestrian-friendly.

My concerns were quite directly addressed during an afternoon field trip our group took to the Msheireb education center, which is a barge set up on the West Bay side of the horseshoe-bay to house a museum/educational facility about a brand-new development being built in downtown Doha. It really is a spectacular project, and the sustainability certification side of it is wonderfully headed up by a Portland native. He gave us an extensive run-down of the project, and then we got to tour the beautiful exhibit showcasing the plans.

The Msheireb educational exhibit. It's floating.

The exhibit introduction shows the beginnings of Doha, then moves through the present and future.

Msheireb Downtown Doha is a property development chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah, the founder of the Qatar Foundation and wife of the previous emir. It is a cluster of 100 buildings that will all aspire to be LEED gold certified, making it the highest concentration of LEED-certified green buildings in the world. It is a mixed-use area that is designed to bring Qataris and expats alike "back to their roots" and to "rediscover a sense of community and togetherness." The streets will be narrow and pedestrian- and bike-friendly and naturally cooled. The area includes apartments, offices, town homes, a school, mosques, museums, entertainment, leisure activities and a hub for the new metro system. This project largely seems to be a response to the criticism that the country has shouldered for the certainly less-sustainable West Bay area of solar-sucking curtain glass skyscrapers that don't speak to the country's traditional values or architecture, nor promote sustainability or walkability. Overall, the presentation of the project was extremely impressive and optimistic, and I'll be excited to see the project once it's complete.

A spectacular scale model of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project.

Another shot of the Msheireb model.

An impressive light-up 3D model of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project. You can press buttons on a touchscreen that activate different parts of the light on the big screen to highlight certain elements of the project.

After the Msheireb presentation, some of us made our way to what is currently the most vibrant leisure area of Doha, Souq Waqif. We ate a dinner of traditional Qatari foods, none of which I can remember the name except harees, a porridge-like dish. We also got a glimpse of the construction so far on the Msheireb project, which is being built right next to the old Souq.

Current construction on the Msheireb Downtown Doha project.

I'll leave you with a few night shots of Doha.

And a Christmas tree in case you didn't think Christmas happened in Doha.

A Doha Christmas tree