From Doxiadis Class Communities’ Model to “Doxiadis Pattern”.

Variations of Doxiadis neighborhood design ideas

Abstract

Doxiadis urban planning ideas have been implemented from 1950ies until the 80ies in a number of Middle East and Asian cities. In 1957 he introduced a model for neighbourhood design which was first implemented in the National Housing Program of Iraq. The model seems to have been adopted in other countries and cities where fast urbanization created urgent need for rapid urban expansions.  Variations of the original pattern have been created and have been used as basic units for building new residential areas.  This paper will analyse similarities and differences between the original Doxiadis class community models and the “Doxiadis pattern” which has been used for the development of the northern part of Najran city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the early 80ies. It will try to associate the transformation of the original pattern with the cultural context of the specific society.