Planning development towns in Kuwait

Kuwait has been characterised by the emergence of a dominating metropolitan center in the last two decades. The new phenomenon led to severe regional imbalance because investments and development programs concentrated around the metropolitan center of Kuwait. To alleviate problems associated with such a phenomenon, to improve urban life, and to achieve regional balance, the country must plan for establishing new towns.This paper is divided into three sections. The first section identifies and discusses the major factors which contributed to the phenomenon of metropolitan dominance. The identified factors are: oil wealth, immigration and population growth, sectoral expansion, i.e. governmental services, the housing sector, commercial activities, industrial growth, and the road network. Discussions in the second section emphasized the different patterns of urban growth and expansion in Kuwait. Four patterns of urban development are identified in this section. The third sections deals with the necessity of town development in Kuwait in light of the growing phenomenon of metropolitan dominance. To evaluate the potentials of town development in the country, four major factors are stressed in this study. They are: planning, size and location, cultural aspirations, and leadership.This is a revised version of an original paper presented at the 77th Meeting of the Association of American Geographers held in Los Angeles, April 1981