The Kabul - City of Light Development is an urban reconstruction plan first conceived in 2004 by urban planner and architect Hisham N. Ashkouri to revitalize Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The plan proposes to redevelop the Old City section, an area just South of the Kabul River. This area, approximately 3.5km long and 1.75 km wide, still hosts residences, commercial and retail activity, despite the fact that it has been largely reduced to rubble after years of occupation and civil war, and many of the collapsed structures have become temporary shelters constructed of whatever is available and without building codes and standards. The plan centers on the revitalization of Jade Meywand Avenue[1], one of the main avenues of commerce in the city and part of the historic Silk Route, between the Shah Do Shamshera Mosque and the Id Gah Mosque. The intent is to reestablish infrastructure and basic services to the area, and to establish proper retail, business and residential areas, while also preserving and restoring structures of historic and religious value. Also incorporated into this project is the new Afghan National Museum. Hisham N. Ashkouri Portrait Hisham N. Ashkouri (born August 15, 1948, Baghdad, Iraq) is a Boston and New York-based architect. ... Kabul, Kâbl (locally: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population close to 3 million. ... The Kabul River is a river than originates Sanglakh Range of Afghanistan and flows 700km to join the Indus River in Pakistan. ... A building code is a set of laws that specify how buildings should be constructed. ... The Silk Road (Traditional Chinese: 絲綢之路; Simplified Chinese: 丝绸之路; pinyin: sī chóu zhī lù) was an interconnected series of routes through Southern Asia traversed by caravan and ocean vessel, and connecting Changan, China with Antioch, Syria, as well as other... Id Gah Mosque is thew biggest mosque in Kabul where hundreds and Thousands of people offer the EID prayers twice a year. ... Founded in the 1920s, the Afghan National Museum is a place for storage and appreciation of old Afghan items of interest. ...

Three elevations for the Kabul - City of Light Development.

Design

The design of the City of Light is based on an "Arid Region Design Technique" that has proven itself over the past decades on small scale buildings in cities such as Istanbul, Baghdad, Isfahan, and Kabul. The project will rely on extensive use of concrete, in high-rise and national structures including all-exterior solar screen work. in addition, the design will use brick, glass and other local or recycled materials that are abundant in Afghanistan. The design will employ higher architectural density and ventilated facades, to cut cooling energy costs in summer and winter. This development represents also a quantum leap in life cycle costing, maintenance and long term environmental responsibility. Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Isfahan or Esfahān can refer to either a city or a province in Iran (Persia): Isfahan (city) Isfahan (province) Isfahan (rugs) Isfahan is the name of a song by the Jazzist Duke Ellington Ispahan a kind of rose and an older pronunciation of the citys name. ... Kabul, Kâbl (locally: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population close to 3 million. ...

The purchase of land for development will also result in about a 50% reduction of the construction cost for low-income housing. In addition, 10% of the development's profit will be set aside for seed money to encourage refurbishment of nearby homes and businesses, encouraging further investment and catalyzing more improvements. Seed money is money invested in a company to begin new projects, which it initially was not capable of creating. ...

The overall area plan for Kabul's nine billion dollar urban development project, the proposed Kabul - City of Light Development.

The bases of the aesthetic designs to be used are rooted in the rich history of Afghan jewelry and rug designs. The buildings assembled in this project are most adaptable to various design themes, especially with the exterior glass skin being set within an outside screen of colored concrete in the shape of women's jewelry and rug patterns, extrapolated from culturally significant Afghan images. Green space in the plan is also incorporated in the shape of Necklace Park, a greenway running through the development.

Progress

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad for greater development of this plan, and the concept has been presented to Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai. [2] A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a legal document describing an agreement between parties. ... Hamid Karzai (Pushtu: حامد کرزي, Persian: حامد کرزی) (born December 24, 1957) is the current and first democratically elected President of Afghanistan (since December 7, 2004). ...

The Mezzanine level of the Jade Meywand Development.

Elevation along Jade Meywand.

See also

• Kabul
• Hisham N. Ashkouri
• Afghan National Museum

Kabul, Kâbl (locally: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population close to 3 million. ... Hisham N. Ashkouri Portrait Hisham N. Ashkouri (born August 15, 1948, Baghdad, Iraq) is a Boston and New York-based architect. ... Founded in the 1920s, the Afghan National Museum is a place for storage and appreciation of old Afghan items of interest. ...

External links

• Kabul, City of Light
• Jade Meywand Avenue Plans
• ARCADD, Inc.