Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Over the past few decades, Qatar has undergone remarkable transformation in terms of economic growth and the development of its built environment, these changes can be attributed to the discovery of petroleum resources among other factors.
Before the 20th century, Qatar’s economy was primarily characterised by fishing and pearling. However, the discovery of oil reserves in the 1940s has led to its development into one of the biggest multifaceted economies in the world.
The decades following the oil discovery saw Qatar behold its major urbanisation period, posing a challenge to planners and policy makers to ensure social and environmental sustainability (El Mallakh, 2015).
The state has experienced such a rapid economic growth that has transformed its physical, social, cultural and demographic status.
Besides, over the next decade, Qatar plans to dedicate a considerable amount of funds towards the development of its built environment especially in its metropolitan centers.
This research provides a review of Qatar’s development journey over the past few decades, outlining the economic, social and cultural changes that have occurred in the development process.
Economic Development
Before the discovery of carbon resources in the1940s, the state of Qatar, which is part of the Gulf Coo-operation Council region, was characterised by local farms and fishing villages spread along the water basins and the gulf respectively.
According to El Mallakh (2015), the state’s economy primarily depended on fishing, pearling and trading activities. Although oil extraction and trading began in 1940, the state’s economy did not experience any remarkable growth until the 1950s. the occurrence of the World War II and its aftermath stalled development from 1942 to 1947.Between the 1960s and the 1970s, the revenue from the oil exports skyrocketed Qatar economy to a great extent. This growth led to massive infrastructural development and massive urban growth, for instance the radical development of the built environment in Doha. The decades following this economic boom has seen the state go through a substantial transformation of its demographic makeup.
Qatar’s consistent economic growth over the past few decades can be attributed to various other factors in addition to the bountiful carbon resources.
The effective development of the resources was enabled by the commitment of the country’s visionary national leadership coupled with stable and mutual relationships with its international partners.
Other factors that have been instrumental in this development process include the Arabian gulf geopolitics as well as the dynamic trends in the energy demands in the global market (Qatar National Development Strategy, 2011).
The success of Qatar has called for its leadership to take critical decisions involving major risks.
For instance, it took the huge North Field 20 years to fulfil its full potential since its initial implementation. The reservoir was discovered in 1971, but its profitable exploitation was hindered by such factors as the distance between Qatar and its potential markets, funding challenges, faulty assessment of value and technical feasibility.
Despite such challenges, Qatar has risen to become the world’s largest exporter of LNG and GLT.
To develop its low-cost feed stock, Qatar is currently building its new industries like the polythene industry. Although oil remains the primary earner of fiscal and export revenues, gas seems to take over the Qatar’s economic reins (Ibrahim & Harrigan, 2012).
It is no doubt that Qatar currently dominates the global energy market and since 2000, the country has emerged as the fastest growing economy in terms of income per capita.
Urban Development
One of the most significant effects of the discovery of the bountiful carbon resources in Qatar is the transformation of its social and cultural patterns.
From the first half of the 1970s, urban planning was initiated with the aim of pursuing a framework for the country’s wholesome development. In an effort to modernise Doha, the income from oil trading was directed towards major urban development projects which would host government ministries and other governance agencies.
A British Urban Planning firm known as Llewellyn-Davies was contracted in 1972 to carry out the design and plan the development of the urban centers. Top on the urban planner’s agenda was the decentralisation of the urban centers surrounding the Doha’s A ring through the implementation of a demolition program which would give way for infrastructural development. At the same time, a plan to reclaim the shallow waters around the Northern part of Doha was initiated to host major government and financial buildings.
Another American firm, Pereira Architects designed the waterfront of Doha in to its current convex shaped profile.
According to the Qatar National Development Strategy (2011), from the 1970s to date, Qatar has taken significant strides in managing its urban development processes in a sustainable manner. For instance, the Qatar National Masterplan, which was developed by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban planning in 2009, provides an appropriate strategy for the management of the country’s urban planning and development with a two-decade planning horizon.
It is aimed at guiding the country towards the achievement of its vision 2030 which forms the basis for Qatar’s long-term development plan that revolves around the four pillars of sustainable development namely social, human, economic and environmental development.
Social Development
The growth in gas and oil revenues has led to an improvement in the social patterns of the lives of Qataris and its immigrants. Since the 1970’s, a great proportion of the income received from the export of petroleum products has been directed towards the development and expansion of social infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.as a result of the large financial dividends and improved social infrastructure, the Qatar residents enjoy high standards of living and increased consumer spending. the country’s generous surpluses are used to fund a wide range of investments all aimed at catering for the economic and social needs of its citizens.
Upholding high standards of living for its citizens has been a top priority for the Qatar government since the beginning of the development of its economy to date.
The Qatar National Vision 2030 which was launched at the end of 2008 was aimed at advancing the country in all its spheres to ensure sustainable development and high living standards for all its residents and their future generations (Ibrahim & Harrigan, 2012).
The implementation of the plan reflects a vibrant and prosperous future characterised by economic prosperity and social justice for all the members of the Qatar society. Moreover, it calls on all Qataris to combine their efforts in the collective pursuit of a prosperous future.
To support this vision, the Qatar government has been using a significant amount of its resources to safeguard the country against any uncertainty and establish a legacy of stability for its future generations.
With the recognition of risk of concentrating all its efforts on one sector of the economy, Qatar has made remarkable strides in establishing diversity in its economy.
By the year 2013, the country had invested more than $100bn in global economic players such as the Shard, Harrods, Siemens, Volkswagen, Barclays Bank, the Heathrow Airport, Paris Saint-Germain FC and Royal Dutch Shell.
To ensure stability and predictability of funding for its social services such as health and educational services, Qatar has established substantial financial endowments.
The writer is a student of Northwestern University in Qatar
