Visual power and urban prospective: Doha’s post – 2022 stadiums
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2026.26376Abstract
This paper examines the FIFA 2022 World Cup stadiums, understanding their role as urban artifacts that extend beyond sports infrastructure. It aims to evaluate whether these mega-structures function as active urban nodes or as symbolic objects within Doha’s horizontal, car-oriented, and polycentric urban fabric. The methodology combines spatial analysis, including figure–ground mapping and buffer analysis, with interpretive architectural theory drawing on Norberg-Schulz’s genius loci, Pallasmaa’s phenomenology, and Venturi et al.’s (1988) duck–shed typology. Findings indicate that although inactive between events, the stadiums remain visually and symbolically operative, indicating that their power lies in territorial presence rather than urban integration.
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Doha, megaprojects, stadiums, sculptural mega-objects, sport architecture, urban catalystHow to Cite
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Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
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Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
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