What makes a place?

Doha is being built faster than almost any city in the region, which raises an urgent question: who shapes its public spaces, and how?

Between Space and Place brings together cultural, heritage, and planning voices to explore how art, design, and civic intention turn spaces into places, and places into community.

The session closes with the announcement of the four winners of Doha Design District’s Public Art Open Call.

Shaikha Reem Al Thani

Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art & Rubaiya, Qatar Museums

15+ years shaping Doha’s cultural life through public art and exhibition-making, from Forever Valentino to the Rubaiya Qatar quadrennial. First Qatari to earn a Master’s in Adaptive Reuse Interior Architecture from RISD.

Dr. Samie Kayani

Sustainable Urbanism Specialist, at the Earthna Center for Sustainability working on Sustainable Urbanism, Qatar Foundation.

The focus of his work is the international partnerships to develop capacity for traditional knowledge approaches, urbanism, and master-planning. His research explores how cities can grow thoughtfully while remaining rooted in their own histories and cultures. He holds an MEng in Architecture and Environmental Design from the University of Nottingham and a PhD in Heritage from the University of Liverpool. His work spans some of the most significant urban and heritage projects in Spain, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Hameda Yousef Janahi

Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Qatar University

An architect and academic whose research explores how the built environment shapes health, wellbeing, and everyday life in Qatar and the wider Gulf region. Her work engages with urban design and planning through an evidence-based lens, examining how neighbourhood form, spatial configuration, and public environments can support healthier, more inclusive, and socially responsive cities.

AbdulRahman Al-Mana (Moderator)

City/Regional Planner, Ministry of Municipality

Reviews master plans and zoning from inside the Ministry, with a focus on heritage sites. Cornell graduate working to bring Khaleeji city-building principles back into how Doha grows.