A Home For Every Family

The old town of Kuwait, although located in a harsh desert climate, opened onto an excellent sheltered harbour. Kuwait developed in the 18th and 19th centuries as a trading city, relying on the pearl banks of the gulf as well as on long-distance sea and caravan traffic. The old city-oriented toward the sea and bounded landward from 1918 to 1954 by a mud wall, with gates that led out only into the endless desert was compact, only five square miles in area; its typical dwelling was a courtyard house.

Following the discovery of oil in the 1930s, Kuwait city underwent a transformation. With the urban explosion of the years after 1951, the semicircular city wall was demolished (its gates were preserved as a reminder of the early years), and new suburbs were formally laid out. The government invested large portions of the oil revenues in infrastructure and urban development, creating in the process a modern, air-conditioned metropolis.

The housing problem of Kuwait lies in the desire of every citizen to own a private house. There are no homeless Kuwaitis and the country does not have a problem with immigration into the towns. By the beginning of 1985, some 60,000 housing units had been built and distributed. In addition around 40,000 housing units are still under construction at a cost of more than KD.900 million. These units will house over 600,000 citizens. Kuwaitis are now scattered at a relatively low density throughout the urban area, with minor concentrations in the suburbs of Dasmah, Shamiyah, and Adayliyah. Non-Kuwaitis, excluded from the restricted suburbs, live at higher densities in the old city and in the suburbs of Hawalli and Salmiyah, mostly in apartments. The Ministry of Housing announced in 2003 that the housing issue in the country will be solved within the next decade. The Ministry has also distributed plots to about 77, 000 individuals with development contracts to be handled by the private sector. Some 150 odd companies will bid for the projects under supervision of an International consulting firm.