Souq Waqif and the Corniche, the heart of the city
It is undoubtedly the lively heart of the city where Qataris come to meet after work or on weekends to smoke shisha, drink tea, and go shopping with their families in the narrow galleries lined with craftsmen's shops. This human-scale city center tends to expand with its neighbor the Gold Souk. Not far away, the Islamic cultural center (Fanar), which points its minaret high into the sky, looks like a fantastic castle tower. This ensemble is completed by the Qatar National Museum, a building in the shape of a sand rose designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. With its destiny as a cultural area, this part of central Doha is also seeing the emergence of new hotels and restaurants.
The corniche or waterfront, located between West Bay and the old airport, forming a circle 5 km in diameter, has now been transformed into a pedestrian promenade with trees. It has become the favorite walk of Qataris. With palm trees and wide sidewalks, it is bordered on the inside by the new Al Bidda Park which creates a remarkable and refreshing green corridor in the center. The Park Hotel around the Sheraton near West Bay is also a small green lung in the heart of the city where families come to picnic in the cool evenings, as is the arched park on the water of the remarkable MIA
Msheireb, the new eco-neighborhood, heart of Doha
This new heart of Doha is located between the corniche, the Souq Watqif and the new Al Bidda urban park. It takes its place where, in the 1970s, Art Deco buildings were linked by wild electrical cables and anarchy of cars turning in the dust to feed themselves in the local stores. Abandoned by the wealthy classes and populated by the working poor, it fell into insalubrity. Today, this completely razed neighborhood has been redesigned as a human-sized city center, with squares, fountains, mosques, human-sized streets. No skyscrapers here, but harmonious architecture in beige tones of buildings with Islamic shapes and patterns, all of which have obtained LEED certification, i.e. eco-friendly, favoring reduced resource consumption, waste control, lower operating costs and a reduced carbon footprint, notably through the use of natural light and ventilation and the use of advanced technologies and methods that guarantee more efficient and sustainable use of water and electricity.
West Bay and Katara, by the sea
West Bay starts at the end of the Corniche and goes all the way to Katara, covering what is known as Downtown in the United States, i.e. the business sector with its high towers. New skyscrapers are constantly being built in this financial and economic area. Toponymic acrobatics in the Qatari style: West Bay is the "commercial" name used by the hotels, restaurants and stores located in the Business Diplomatic District, which will soon no longer be diplomatic since the embassies have been asked to move to the Pearl. Between West Bay and The Pearl, Kata is THE leisure and beach area of Doha. Everything is centered around the Katara Cultural Center where there are cafes, restaurants, family beaches, amphitheater, large plazas for outdoor events, art galleries, etc. There is plenty of room for family fun. It can be reached from the Lusail Express, the highway that leaves the center, by taking the Katara exit. Next door, a children's amusement park has just been inaugurated and comes alive every evening in the cool of the night
The Pearl, the artificial island almost completed
North of Doha, the "pearl" of Pharaonic, or rather Qatari, architectural follies houses three marinas on three artificial islands linked by breakwaters. Brand new, it is orchestrated for nautical activities and luxury shopping. Two circular centers, each with a recreational island in the middle, the first one, Porto Arabia, has nearly 31 identical towers, with the famous Croisette and its multiple moored yachts in the middle, and the second one, Viva Bahryia, has 20 towers. Everything is studied here: beautiful walks or bike rides, malls, restaurants... Driving around, you feel like in a giant Playmobil city that you would have assembled at the foot of the Christmas tree on the 25th morning. Curiosity: the Qanat district is a small Venice replicated here, with colored buildings rather low compared to the adjacent towers, with canals, Venetian bridges and even gondolas! You can do stand-up paddle in the canals.
Lusail, the new "smart and green city
Lusail is intended to be a connected and ecological city, including 4 new islands and 19 neighborhoods mixing residential, recreational and commercial. This new city has 22 new hotels, a golf course, a local tramway connected to the metro that leads to Doha center and the airport, companies grouped in technological hubs especially in the renewable energy economy, a marina, a media hub and a lot of entertainment, especially in sports and water leisure. A residential area called Petit Paris is a copy of Haussmannian streets in the architectural style of the buildings, the cobblestones, the interior of the houses. And this area is centered on the Place Vendôme shopping center, which faithfully reproduces the Vendôme column as a bonus. Care is taken with pedestrian areas, bicycle paths, water cabs, marinas and promenades, vegetation and parks to make the urban ensemble pleasant.
Aspire Zone and Education City, conceptual entities
Aspire Zone or Sport City is a large park that houses the new Olympic Museum and the large hotel tower The Torch dedicated to sports with large fields. Its international reputation and its importance in the strategy of influence of Qatar, to the shores of PSG. Education City owes its name to the Qatar Foundation that it houses. A non-profit organization chaired by Sheikha Mozah. It also aims to improve the lives of Qataris through community development initiatives such as Doha Debates, Reach out To Asia and Al Jazeera Childrens Channel.
