Inner Cities

In the world of urbanism and architecture, the term "flâneur" is used to describe those who wander through urban spaces and public areas with a specific consciousness and architectural analysis, experiencing psychological and phenomenological experiences influenced by the design of the spaces. The contemporary Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji, in his many books and articles, narrated numerous journeys where he "walked aimlessly," either by car or on foot, contemplating the facades of buildings in Baghdad and the cities he visited and lived in, both in the Arab world and the West. Surely, he would have used the term "flâneur" if it had been within his intellectual realm, but he understood it intuitively and used it as a tool for framing, analysis, and theorization. Since I first encountered this term in my contemporary architecture class, I have held the Sufi view: "He who tastes knows, and he who knows scoops." I love that act of wandering, spending time with no specific purpose, strolling through streets and public spaces, remaining wide-eyed in wonder at the phenomena of the city. I consider wandering an extension of my specialization and its practical application. Since I have been a "flâneur" wandering over the past years in Manama, Paris, and Minneapolis, without knowing the term, its history, or its affiliations, I can say that this intuition, like Chadirji’s, is something that brings joy.

Author : Ghadeer Alkhenaizi