Background
Katsuhiko Takahashi was a descendant of samurai and a long line of politicians. He was born in 1937, in Japan.
As part of celebrating the 38th National Day, GASCO organized a lecture by Dr. Katsuhiko Takahashi. The lecture was titled “Grand Vision of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan: Abu Dhabi and beyond” and was held at the SKEC on November 16, 2009.
Takahashi in a group photo with a number of dignitaries and ADNOC Group management members on November 16, 2009.
ADNOC Deputy CEO honoring Dr. Takahashi on November 16, 2009.
Katsuhiko Takahashi was a descendant of samurai and a long line of politicians. He was born in 1937, in Japan.
Katsuhiko Takahashi completed his master's degree at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, in New York.
Upon his graduation, Takahashi arrived in Abu Dhabi to work on planning projects for Sheikh Zayed in 1967. The Japanese ambassador in Kuwait had recommended him, as there was limited representation of world governments in Abu Dhabi. At that time, Abu Dhabi was a town of 40,000. For the next year, Takahashi had daily meetings with Sheikh Zayed, who had become Ruler of Abu Dhabi only the previous year. They discussed a vision of how Abu Dhabi should and could progress. The relationship was such that the young planner, whose career was just starting, was able to speak frankly with the Sheikh when they had differences of opinion. Competing with Dubai for positioning as a global city was not his immediate concern. Sheikh Zayed's priorities at that time were for peace, security, progress, responsibility and welfare for the people of Abu Dhabi and its sister emirates, including Dubai.
Takahashi worked with the founder of the UAE and many other people engaged in building Abu Dhabi for more than four decades, laying out plans, making sketches and drawings of buildings, open spaces, circulation networks, with pencils, water colours, sometimes drawing in the sand with Sheikh Zayed using camel sticks. Takahashi planned wide roads and the spaces in between, the greenery for the service centres, market places and commercial entities.
One of Takahashi's ideas was to leave Abu Dhabi island as a natural habitat, "with just a few tourist resorts on the beach side", and start development of the new town extending from the Mafraq Hospital area towards Sweihan. He cited many reasons for that, mainly that Abu Dhabi island would need to be developed and would need a lot of refilling as it was a low-lying area and didn't have the potential for heavy construction. He was of the conviction that with further expansion, Abu Dhabi island would not have been big enough to cope with an influx of population. He cited a lot of reasons, which were all correct and very feasible. Unfortunately, the authorities overruled him. The island did need refilling and the Government had to pay a lot of money for it.
Takahashi's last tasks as an Abu Dhabi city planner was to give out the plots of land granted by the Sheikh to the people. Some were satisfied, while others complained that their plots were in a central area or too close to a main road, but according to Dr Takahashi, these very plots were the prime real estate in town and were valuable for future use either residentially or commercially. Sheikh Zayed agreed with him.
Upon leaving Abu Dhabi, Takahashi began a planning career with the United Nations. He left, partly because the authorities wanted a planner who spoke Arabic, so they could discuss everything without translators. He joined the UN Centre for Housing, Building and Planning, where he remained for 10 years.
He was known as an eminent city planner and government adviser. His career has spanned the globe and has included ambitious projects for the UN, the private sector and financial institutions.
Quotations:
Dr Katsuhiko Takahashi said: "He (Sheikh Zayed ) told me, 'I want trees and green', and so I gave him trees and green".
"I stepped into Abu Dhabi in the middle of its transformation from a fishing village to a modern city".
"I am quite sure that building several hundred million square feet of commercial buildings, millions of hotel rooms and luxurious condos will not kill the spirit of Abu Dhabi, but it may kill the spirit, vision and aspiration of the 'old palace courtyard people'," he says. "My goal would be to find a timely blend to mesh the two driving forces into the 21st century and beyond. I believe it to be highly achievable and most interesting and challenging".