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Rethinking cities with people in mind: the case of Kuwait

What happens to a city when there are only roads and no pavements? How is the design of some modern cities that were built for cars, not people, now affecting the people living there? In this video, Dr Alexandra Gomes takes a look at how the Gulf Cities of Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were designed to fail climate change.
What happens to a city when there are only roads and no pavements? How is the design of some modern cities that were built for cars, not people, now affecting the people living there? In this video, Dr Alexandra Gomes takes a look at how the Gulf Cities of Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were designed to fail climate change.
Tuesday 10 February 2026 | 5 minutes 17 seconds
Watch on YouTubeDownload File | 598.27MB

What happens to a city when there are only roads and no pavements? How has the design of some modern cities that were built for cars, not people, now affecting the people living there?
In this video, Dr Alexandra Gomes (LSE Cities) takes a look at how the Gulf Cities of #AbuDhabi and #Kuwait were designed to fail climate change.

But also how the mistakes they made in the past can be used to build a more sustainable city in the future. One where asthma, diabetes and pollution aren’t as prevalent in the population.
In 2026, our Future Proof series goes behind the scenes with some of LSE’s sustainability experts to understand more about what a sustainable and resilient future looks like, and how the social sciences will help us build it.

New episode every month, on the first Tuesday: • Future Proof ▶️

Photography and videos: Alexandra Gomes, Apostolos Kyriazis and Peter Schwinger