The way we design and build our cities, buildings, and public spaces takes on critical importance in the face of critical issues such as climate change, social inequality, and rapid urbanization. Architecture and design not only shape the environments in which we live but also influence energy use, natural resource management, and social inclusion. These disciplines have the potential to play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development, yet their contributions are often overlooked....

As cities evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century, the concept of "smart cities" has gained significant traction. While much of the discourse focuses on digitalization and the role of information and communication technology (ICT), the fundamental impact of architecture and design in shaping sustainable and user-friendly environments is often overlooked. The built environment, which includes its structures, interiors, and public spaces, plays a crucial role in determining how livabl...

Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies, like virtual reality (VR), the metaverse, neuroarchitecture, and nanotechnology are rapidly reshaping the fields of architecture and design. These innovations offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance sustainability, human well-being, and energy efficiency in these domains. However, alongside these developments come pressing questions about authorship, ethical responsibility, and the broader impact of AI-driven tools on the...

Design AI applications that inspire trust, solve real problems, and put people firstMaking AI Work for People: A Framework for Designing and Building Impactful AI-Powered Applications by Asmaa Ibrahim offers software engineers, product managers, and app designers a comprehensive framework for creating AI-powered applications that truly serve humanity. Ibrahim, Product Lead at Aleph Alpha, experienced ML team leader, AI-driven transformation expert, and lea...

Against a backdrop of environmental and societal concerns, best captured by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this book brings together the leading voices on Mosque architecture to make a case for its role as a purveyor of culture, heritage, and sustainability in the modern world. The Mosque, as an institution, continues to serve as the epicenter of spiritual, moral, and cultural life in Muslim societies. Recognizing that the popular understanding of Muslim culture and archety...

This book is a result of the 1st ARCH and DESN International Conference (previously Memaryat) Conference held at Effat university on the 8th and 9th of February 2023, and includes chapters dealing with the critical manifestation of “Man and Place” to accommodate and embrace social, economic, and environmental needs within a balanced, integrated system.The book is groundbreaking in that it brings together some of the brightest minds in academia and industry. The book includes a dive...

This book seeks to address the key challenges and opportunities of "future cities" embracing novel approaches and grounded technologies in pursuing a vision for smart, inclusive cities. The objective of this book is to discuss multiple areas at the local, national, and international levels and how these challenges can hinder the development objectives planned to be achieved by the cities of the future. The chapters featured in this collection were presented at the 6th Memaryat Internationa...

This volume provides visionary approaches within the multi-disciplines engaged with informal settlements covering three main themes; ‘Innovative Policies and Strategies to Informal Urbanism’; ‘Production, Operation and the Life-World of Urban Space’ and finally ‘The Dynamics of Informal Settlements’.The book reflects multi-disciplinary experiences dealing with informality, where authors from a number of global regions present cases, practices and ideologies related to their respect...

This book seeks to push forward the boundaries of current practices and knowledge to embrace innovative solutions, novel approaches, and grounded technologies within realistic comprehension of economic risks and environmental implications. It investigates different scales and situations, various urban forms and morphology, and various localities and totalities. The book presents a platform of recent research, findings, and answers to pressing issues of building new cities and expanding exi...

Who makes our cities, and what part do everyday users have in the design of cities? This book powerfully shows that city-making is a social process and examines the close relationship between the social and physical shaping of urban environments.With cities taking a growing share of the global population, urban forms and urban experience are crucial for understanding social injustice, economic inequality and environmental challenges. Current processes of urbanization too often cont...

International development interventions often fail because development experts assume that our world is linear and straightforward when in reality it is complex, highly dynamic and unpredictable. Things rarely happen in the way that they were planned. The dominance of logical planning models in international development therefore needs to be challenged and replaced by a complexity-based understanding of how change happens. Navigating Complexity in International Development describes three ...

The crisis of global capitalism that has unfolded since 2008 is more than an economic crisis. It is structural and multidimensional. The sequence of events that have taken place in its aftermath show that we are entering a world that is very different from the social and economic conditions that characterized the rise of global, informational capitalism in the preceding three decades. The policies and strategies that intended to manage the crisis-with mixed results depending on the country...