Khor plan envisions floating picnic areas

Al Khor’s ‘Pearl of the Oasis’ promises to become a vibrant mix of traditional souqs, outdoor dining areas, pedestrian malls and shopping centres

Poised to become a utility corridor by 2030, the Al Khor City’s Downtown redevelopment plan includes such innovations as floating picnic areas by the Al Khor bay.

The Downtown, or the ‘Pearl of the Oasis’ as master-plan owners Urban Planning & Development Authority (UPDA) have labelled it, will become a vibrant mix of traditional souqs, outdoor dining areas, pedestrian malls, and shopping centres.

Launched in May 2008 by UPDA, the plan will take 25 years to be completed and envisions a headcount of 170,000 by 2032. Work on certain aspects like the Downtown in Al Khor was also started at the launch, the authority had said then.

The floating picnic areas by the Al Khor bay form part of the Family District that also includes a Fountain Park, Platform Parks, a Grand Fountain, jogging paths, playgrounds and mixed-used buildings.

The core of the Downtown will be the Civic District featuring a Grand Civic Plaza and the Grand promenade, and redevelops the existing town centre of Al Khor. This district will house the government offices and a public parking facility and will be linked with the Heritage Walk.

The attractive Heritage Walk will be made a vehicle-free pathway through the past for visitors, lining nine heritage sites within the Downtown and will be near the Souq precinct.

The Souq District recreates a historic area in the Downtown that will be based on the year 1959’s orthographic map of the area and features the historic Bin Abdul Wahab Mosque and a traditional market.

Also included in the master plan, is provision for the Arts and Culture District that includes public parks, and an amphitheatre by the bay, along with the Al Khor Museum.

In order to get to the bay, visitors will use the Al Khor Steps; an ivorycoloured steps-like structure that will serve as a transition from land to the sea transporting visitors from the “heritage sites to the turquoise sea”.

“This district will be near the beach, the Al Khor Tower, the Youth Park, the Mural Wall, and the Old Fish Market,” the master plan noted.

Towards the eastern corner of the bay will be the Port and Marina District featuring the existing fi shing port with a fi shing village, fishermen’s wharf, and leisure boating facilities named the Dhow Park.

Additionally, there is a Mixed-use District that was incorporated in the plan with a view to revitalise the commercial streets along the city’s main road and the Ehlaitan Road.

There will also be water taxi stations, a Sculpture Park, an iconic Arabic Arts and Cultural Centre, and a Desert Botanical City Park (in the north) in the ‘Pearl of the Oasis’.

“The Al Khor Master Plan, of which the Downtown is part of, comes in response to the rapid development of Qatar, and in light of vital role played by Al Khor as an economic hub and regional centre for northern Qatar,” the authority’s redesign noted.