Kuwait has no option but to create new towns outside the existing 810-square kilometre metropolitan area where more than 90 per cent of Kuwait’s present population of 4m now lives, the annual Arabian World Construction Summit (AWCS) in Dubai was told this morning.
Masterplanning deprtment director at Kuwait Municipality Saad Muhailbi told the AWCS that the rate of population growth in Kuwait was higher than forecast.
“We must provide adequate housing for the population increase,” Muhailbi said.
He said it was no longer possible to meet the needs of Kuwaitis within the existing built-up zone. Muhailbi said that Kuwaitis demand low-density housing.
Muhailbi said that that Kuwait needs to build almost 250,000 low-density homes for Kuwaitis outside the metropolitan area.
Plans developed by Kuwait Municipality call for the construction of two urban centres in the south of Kuwait: the Sabah al-Ahmad new town and the Al-Kheiran new town. They also call for the creation of a new town on Subiya, a settlement that is also known as Silk City.
The AWCS opened on 12 May.
Supporters of the AWCS 2014
- HSBC and CPC are strategic event partners.
- Hyder and Six Construct are gold partners.
- Agis, Mashreq and Projacs are silver sponsors.
- Deloitte is knowledge partner.
- EC Harris Built Asset Consultancy is lunch sponsor on day one and Bentley is CEO Forum sponsor.
- Aksa, Drake & Scull, Hill International and Zurich are conference sponsors.