Todd Reisz
Todd Reisz is an architect and writer currently focusing on the cities of the Gulf region, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. He is the editor of Al Manakh 2: Gulf Continued, which analyzes the recent developments of cities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. He is completing a book about the early modernization of Dubai and how that era's convictions determined the city we know today. (Read Full Bio)
‘Doha is a colosseum’ (PHOTOS)
There is no city that has generated such a complex and multi-faceted public campaign for itself. Real-time Doha, however, cannot compete with the city’s media frenzy.
From Dubai to Amsterdam, There Is No Divide
Leaving my house earlier than normal this morning, I found the nearby shopping street eerily quiet. Amsterdam’s center wakes up late because it’s more about entertainment than general commerce. Opposite Rembrandt’s house were three Latin American men occupying sidewalk benches usually claimed by tourists. Each had an overpacked duffle bag and work boots. The men [...]
Making Sense of the City
There must be some kind of infectious fantasy which makes us think: if we could just get to their DNA, we could understand and therefore change cities. (Review of Living in the Endless City)
Bahrain: A Roundabout Way to Signifying Nothing
Within an afternoon, a political place and symbol of the uprising were removed.
Presentation on Al Manakh 2, Columbia University (VIDEO)
Presentation of the Al Manakh project.
Asleep in Oman, Dreaming Dubai
During a trip to Oman I learned something about the consequences of Dubai’s development appetite, namely that it extends beyond the city’s own borders.
Beyond Dubai: Urban Development Trends in the Middle East (INTERVIEW)
A recent interview which explores the reasons behind the Al Manakh project.
Deira Modern, Notes from Dubai (PHOTOS)
Deira was Dubai’s most modern quarter. In some ways, it still is.
Pipe Dreams and Real Deals: New Cities in Saudi Arabia (VIDEO)
The new cities built in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s investigated as predecessors to the current ‘Economic Cities’ in Saudi Arabia.
Making Dubai: A Process in Crisis
Dubai’s crisis is not about urbanism or architecture. No model of development, or as some would say the lack thereof, has been proven a failure. If there ever was a model, it is still being pursued…
Recent pictures of Dubai, October, 2010 (PHOTOS)
My visit to the Cityscape real estate show inspired me, well, gave me the idea, to go out to the edges of Dubai’s development to see what was happening. Dubailand had been pretty quiet. Of course, many projects lie still, many more unstarted. But there was also some unexpected activity, and even recent inhabitation. A [...]
Reclaim Bahrain – A Review
…If any country has learned from the last several decades what architecture can do, Bahrain, as most other Gulf countries, could tell the story of how just a few decades of development can transform a country’s shape and its people….
Photographs of Libyan Sahara featured in 2010 Venice Biennale
For the 2010 Venice Biennale, the architecture firm OMA gathered ideas for an exhibition on preservation. It included OMA’s tourism vision for the Libyan, including my photographs.
Intro to Al Manakh 2: Gulf Continued
Excerpt of introduction written for 2010 publication.
Rank My City: The Singles Charts of the City-Building Business
The rankers aspire to be more than taste makers. They can formulate economic policies, foreign policies and the physical shapes of cities. …
Thoughts on Jeddah
Saudi Arabia’s city of the Red Sea, like no other city I’ve visited before, continuously makes it clear – perhaps deliberately – that it’s not about me nor for that matter anything that might be connected to me. …
Pictures of Jeddah
A strange mixture of stillness and incessant activity…
As a Matter of Fact, the Legend of Dubai
Excerpt from article about Dubai’s modernization, published in Log 13/14, Fall 2008
Dubai from atop Burj Khalifa
Photos from Dubai
The Pride of Pitch: Pakistan Plays Cricket in Dubai
Originally published at almanakh.org. Last Wednesday, the Pakistan national team played its first matches since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan
Two Idols, a Song and Some Money Transfers
For a few sweltering weeks of a Dubai summer, Ms. Chandramohan and her jury pare down the number of men who have a chance at breaking from the crowd…
The Architect as a City Critic
The architect, perhaps more than other professionals, is a mythical figure. He projects a marriage of expertise with panache. Seductive imagery with poignant words.
Beirut: Transnational Tides and the Future of the Arab City
In October 2009, Todd led a panel at the Yale Arab Alumni Association’s conference in Beirut to discover the ideas and companies that are determining the contemporary Arab city.
Cityscape Abu Dhabi: A Review
Last week’s Cityscape Abu Dhabi was the first significant real estate show in the UAE since crisis was considered a force to be reckoned with in the Gulf economic landscape. Abu Dhabi’s Cityscape has never been competition for Cityscape Dubai in terms of glitz and entertainment. Rather, one expects a soberer show from Abu Dhabi, [...]