Abu Dhabi - Planning For a Healthy City

QUESTION:

You are part of an independent consulting firm with a specific focus on the health and built environment sectors. You have been hired by the city authority. This city is bidding for the WHO’s coveted Healthy City award for the 2022 round. Looking at various factors including the future ambitions of the city and how it ‘successfully’ dealt with the pandemic, you are required to write a report that would become the basis of the bid.

This should include an evaluation of the current state of health and built environment of the city/town along with a set of steps that can help the city lead a successful bid.

WORD LIMIT: 4000 words (+/- 250 Words)

TASKS:

(1) An Abstract or an Executive summary

(2) Introduction

(3) Methodology

(5) strategies and policy proposals

(5) Conclusion

Word count in the paper – 4600

Excluding- summary and appendix.

Executive summary

Abu Dhabi as a city has always prioritized a healthy lifestyle, but it still falls short in several areas. Our organization will utilize its knowledge to identify these areas of concern and assist in finding solutions.

Our research strategy begins with a review of the past, since we are always learning from our history and correcting past mistakes in order to achieve a better future. To begin, we must first comprehend what the WHO wants and what criteria are used to identify a healthy city. Then we learn about the town's history, a brief overview of how the city developed, and key elements that are still vital to the city's urban infrastructure.

We begin with Abu Dhabi's history before moving on to the city's current status, then move to government's response to the epidemic, and the steps being done to combat the covid-19 outbreak. Then we look at the city's present health difficulties and how other communities have come up with innovative solutions to these problems and been successful in doing so. As we discuss a few of our own personal encounters with the city's public areas, personal experience provides a much clearer view on the present status of the city. The next step in our research will be to understand the future vision and efforts that the government of Abu Dhabi has planned to implement for a healthier environment and amore pedestrian-friendly one. Finally, after evaluating the above criteria, we then develop the best strategies and policies for solving the issues faced by the city and its people and further helping the city chase its dream of becoming an active, healthy city.

1 Introduction

A healthy city is a significant catalyzing and reforming sector, giving a framework for the city to function in the most optimum and sustainable way possible. We, as consultants of healthcare, have chosen the city of Abu Dhabi, and it would be an honor to compete for the award of ‘WHO’s healthy cityaward2022’. Also, as consultants,we need to understand the core values and expectations of a healthy city from the perspective of WHO.

Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the UAE and has a fascinating and contrasting nature compared to its neighboring city Dubai (Hashim and Reem, 2022). The city of Abu Dhabi has been more pedestrian-friendly to its users, yet it faces some challenges that still need to be addressed as soon as possible. The government of Abu Dhabi has put in a lot of effort to encourage its residents and citizens to maintain a healthier lifestyle and a sustainable one.

Hospitals and clinics are only one aspect of health (Pinoncely, 2014). The physical nature of locations andthesocial contextofcommunitiesin which we live, work, and spend our leisure time haveahugeinfluenceon ourhealthandwellbeing (Pinoncely, 2014). Obesity, chronic heart disease, stress, and mental health problems are all closely connected to the surroundings in which individuals live and work (Pinoncely, 2014)

1.1 Aim

As a consulting firm, we compete for the WHO’s healthy city award of 2022.

Figure 1 image overlooking the Etihad towers (source: WallpaperDog, 2022)

1.2 An understanding of WHO’s a healthy city

WHO defines a healthy city as an active one; this European healthy city program was established in 1986, which provided a base for setting out new principles for the city’s healthy lifestyle (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008).

A healthy city is a city that prioritizes its people by creating an active lifestyle (pedestrian friendly). It balances a healthy relationship between the people and the city by creating a healthy lifestyle keeping in mind the people with unique abilities (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008). It further tries to reduce health issues faced by the people by creating innovative strategies and policies and learning from cities that have already successfully created healthy cities. Finally, the city worries about its future as it makes a more sustainable and healthy infrastructure for its people (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008)

Figure 2 chart showing an understanding of a healthy city (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008).

Figure 3 transportation's function in encouraging physical activity (source: Walker, 2012)

1.3 Health analysis of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Emirate has one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world during the year 2007 (AbuDhabi urbanstreet designmanual,2009) Between2008and2010,about1,260traffic-related deaths in AbuDhabi, of which15%werepedestrians (Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009) Diabetes and obesity are connected to cardiovascular disease which is Abu Dhabi's top cause of mortality (Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009)

Increased public transportation usage, walking, and cycling might alleviate these health-related difficulties (Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009). Increased levels of walking and cycling result in less automobile use, which reduces carbon emissions and air pollution (Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009). Improving the urban environment to promote more walkable communities helps long-term behavior change, reducing the incidence of major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009).

Very less physical activity

• One of the highest road fatalities

• High rate of cardiovascular diseases

• High rate of diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

Figure 4 physical activity among UAE (source: Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2009)

Figure 5 Checklist for WHO's healthy city program.

1.4 Planning history of Abu Dhabi

The first observation when it comes to the city of Abu Dhabi is that it sharply contrasts with its neighbouring city, Dubai. Abu Dhabi has been designed by prioritizing pedestrians over vehicles. The government of Abu Dhabi has a different set of goals compared to the other cities in UAE. As Alamira Reem puts it, Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates since 1971, ‘has been quietly devising its own plans ... to manifest its role and stature as a capital city’ (Hashim and Reem, 2022). The City of Abu Dhabi is known as the modern city built twice (Hashim and Reem, 2022). The reason being the two different phases of the town where it first started as a city of fishermen and later progressed very quickly when oil was discovered. As of today, Abu Dhabi is the largest city in the UAE.

1.4.1 Stages of Abu Dhabi and its contributions

Abu Dhabi has been divided into two stages. We will discuss a few critical interventions that benefit a healthy city during the planning stages. This can also act as a model for the other cities to follow during their planning stages.

1.4.1.1 The pre-oil era of Abu Dhabi (the Arab Islamic city)

The Harris plan was one of the first urban plans developed for Abu Dhabi in its early stages. There were two important features of this plan related to a healthy city. The city was designed with the concept of boundaries where the extension was limited, which would help people get easy access and improve the social aspect of the town (Hashim and Reem, 2015). The second one was the planting of trees where the city was recommended to plant as many palm trees along the principal axes of the town in the central spaces (plazas) and palaces (Hashim and Reem, 2015).

1.4.1.2 Discovery of oil

The city’s entire economy changed after the oil was discovered When the rule of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan started, one of the best visionaries led the city towards a sustainable future (Hashim and Reem, 2015); during this phase, the city went through three stages: the modernist city, the new urbanist city, and the sustainability city (Hashim and Reem, 2015). In this transition, there were few urban planning strategies that promoted the healthy nature of the city.

• Arabicon plan – designed multiuse superblocks along with inner landscaped courtyards (Hashim and Reem, 2015)

• Maklouf’s plan – this plan designed housing focused more on social interaction and social cohesion among the inhabitants (Hashim and Reem, 2015).

• Takashi’s plan – he focused more on creating green routes and also designed the urban wind acceleration system, which used the tall building to create a wind tunnel effect that led to the acceleration of wind inside the streets and created shading for the pedestrians (Hashim and Reem, 2015).

Figure 6 Residential unit, designed by Makhlouf (Hashim & Reem, 2015)

2 Methodology

Figure 7 shows the methodology of the research paper.

2.1 Current Scenario of Abu Dhabi

2.1.1 Handling the covid-19 outbreak

The government of the UAE took unique and rigorous steps to curb the spread of the pandemic whilekeepingacheckon thementalhealthofthepeople.Wewilltalkabout afewofthesignificant efforts made by the government of UAE to maintain control the outbreak of covid-19 and, most importantly, keep a healthy and safe environment at the same time.

• Telemedicine

The health authority came up with online platforms to support the covid-affected people by giving them online support from doctors. Also, they came up with a smart service called ‘doctors for every citizen,’ which provided call and video call support with physicians 24/7 and free of cost (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022).

• Special attention to people of determination

The health authority came up with new initiatives such as the rest assured initiative, which supported people of determination by extending special care and attention directly to their homes. One of the exciting initiatives is to help children by using simple visuals to educate them about safety measures to prevent covid 19 (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022). It also issued home-schooling guides for the children and sign languages for people facing hearing issues (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022). They also encouraged children to help and participate in household work and activities at home to keep them (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022)

It is advised not to expose the children to daily news about the virus, which will help stress control the children (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022).

• Smart solutions (al hosn app)

The government of Abu Dhabi was one of the first to develop an intelligent app that helped track covid positive people and contained all the information related to testing vaccination and previous infections (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak,2022).Theapp hadvariouscolor-coded passes used to show their status about the covid 19 (green colour for vaccinated/recently tested). This app is used by the authorities to determine entries in public spaces. This app holds all the information in a single place, making it hasslefree for the authorities to verify people. Abu Dhabi used this app severely where it is mandatory to show the pass before entering any public space. When the covid cases had risen, this app was compulsory and had to be displayed while entering the city.

Figure 8 al hosn app colour coding (source: gulftoday, 2021).

• A law to regulate strategic food commodity stocks

The health authority started allocating AED 5 billion for water and electricity subsidies for citizens and the commercial and industrial sectors to lower living costs, support businesses, and subsidize electricity connection fees for start-ups until the end of 2020 (Handling the COVID19 outbreak, 2022).

• Other efforts made by the health authority

In addition, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) launched the Virtual Doctor chatbot service for COVID-19 (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022). People can use the service to determinewhethertheirsymptoms arecausedbythenovel coronavirusCOVID-19.During Covid19, the government covered the costs of stem cell therapy for critical patients (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022) The Go Safe Certification is launched by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and endorsed by the Government, aiming to elevate and standardize hygiene and cleanliness levels across tourism and retail establishments in the emirate (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022).

• Mental health

The 'Employees Assistance Programme,' also known as Hayat (Arabic for "Life"), is a psychological and moral support program designed to assist federal government employees in dealing with the circumstances and anxiety associated with COVID-19 (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022). The Nationwide Program for Happiness and Wellbeing has started an online national effort to help the UAE community cope with the psychological effects of the COVID-19 epidemic (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022) The program, dubbed 'The National Campaign for Mental Support,' entails providing counselling via recorded videos uploaded on the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing's official social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (HandlingtheCOVID-19 outbreak,2022).#DontWorryis thehashtagused to promote the campaign (Handling the COVID-19 outbreak, 2022).

PRO’S

Control over the rate of infection.

Keeping a check on people of determination.

Smart solutions to keep a track

Virtual support.

Keeping a check on mental health.

CON’S

People struggles in times of emergency due to strict rules.

Figure 9 Checklist for WHO's healthy city program.

2.2 The Air quality of Abu Dhabi

The present PM2.5 concentration in Abu Dhabi air is 7.2 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline value (Abu Dhabi Air Quality Index (Abu Dhabi Air Quality Index (AQI), 2022). Except for Abu Dhabi, all areas saw a drop in PM2.5 levels in 2020. (Air Quality Annual Summary Report 2020, 2020).

Corresponding to the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) research, air pollution was responsible for approximately 850 fatalities in 2009 due to respiratory and cardiovascular disorders (Abu Dhabi Urban Design Street Manual, 2009). Motor vehicle irritants have been linked to various health concerns in healthy persons and those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses (Abu Dhabi Urban Design Street Manual, 2009). As a result of these pollutants, there are more emergency department visits and hospitalizations and a higher incidence and severity of respiratory complaints (Abu Dhabi Urban Design Street Manual, 2009).

PRO’S

Equipped air monitoring system has been fitted all over Abu Dhabi

CON’S

Poor air quality.

Respiratory and cardiovascular issues due to pollution. Lack of well-designed public transport system.

Figure 10 chart showing PM2.5 concentration in cities of Abu Dhabi (source: Air quality annual summary report 2020, 2020)

Figure 11 Checklist for WHO's healthy city program.

2.3 Musaffah, a contrasting area within Abu Dhabi

Musaffah played a significant role in the economic development of Abu Dhabi. The place has two different stories to tell, one being thegood sidewhereit has spacious housing, good access to public buses, and a remarkable diversity in areas. The other contrasting nature of Musaffah is that it does not have the same level of infrastructure compared to the other cities of Abu Dhabi, which leads to a sense of inequality in which low-income people dominate.

Musaffah's light industrial area might easily be mistaken for a city slum (Habboush, 2008). Low-rise buildings are in terrible condition,withscrapsandrepairbusinesseslitteringthearea (Habboush,2008).Oneofthe market places in Musaffah (area 11) has deplorable hygiene, and the visitors are greeted by excessive waste and deplorable conditions (Suhail, 2015). As Fatima Suhail said, “it was shocking to see men having their beards trimmed on roadsides, very close to where the food was being cooked.”

▪ Musaffah labour camps

Musaffah has more than 1000 labour camps and has been increasing ever since, raising health concerns for the laborers (Haider, 2015). The conditions of the workers began deteriorating as the population of these camps grew, and the companies sponsoring them were least bothered about giving them proper living conditions (Haider, 2015). People, when asked, complained about poor housing conditions (10-20 people in a room) where they lacked a place even to keep their commodities and poor ventilation (Haider, 2015). They said they were given poor quality food and raised concerns about the authorities (ministry of labour and social affair) ignoring such living conditions (Haider, 2015). The people are suffering from depression due to lack of quality food, poor housing, and lack of belongingness as their only aim was to earn in any condition due to their lower incomes (Haider, 2015).

INEQUALITY

• Poor mental health

• Bad living conditions

• Very less social interaction and green spaces.

Figure 12 image showing a street in Musaffah (source: Abu Dhabi film commission, n.d.)

Figure 13 Checklist for WHO's healthy city program.

2.4 Personal experience allows for a comparison of super blocks.

The city of Abu Dhabi has been designed based on a grid system where each grid consists of a groupofapartments and housingalongwithpublicservicessuchasparking,utilities,andmosques. We will compare two different grids in the city, which are not very far apart but have a contrasting nature between the two.

The image on the right (see figure 6) depicts the Abu Dhabi city corniche, which provides enough parking space between grids. In contrast, the image on the left (see figure 6) shows the capital park, one of Abu Dhabi's significant parks, spanning four grids.

▪ The Abu Dhabi city corniche

The central parking spot on the Abu City Corniche creates safety issues for walkers and those with special needs. Within the grid, there are no playgrounds for children. It has no green areas and little flora, making it difficult for pedestrians to stroll on a bright day, contributing to the bad air quality in the region. This location also tends to produce a sense of unrest for the occupants.

▪ Capital Park Hamdan Street Abu Dhabi

This grid comprises a central park surrounded by four separate grids, resulting in shorter pedestrian paths, more safety, and more breathing room for its occupants. More significantly, this location provides an opportunity for social contact among people and a fun atmosphere for children.

Figure 14 image comparing two grids of Abu Dhabi.

3 Strategies and policy development

3.1 Strategies and policies by the government’s vision

3.1.1 Abu Dhabi block retrofitting (grids)

Existing super blocks face issues relating to having big parking spaces causing difficulties for the pedestrians (2.5 Personal experience allows for a comparison of super blocks). These issues can be solved by the government’s latest vision for retrofitting existing superblocks.

These superblocks must be redeveloped with new structures (underground parking), open spaces, parks, and public domains, resulting in increased pedestrian traffic, a safer environment, and greater possibilities for social interaction (Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, 2007).

Conversion of parking spaces and development of underground parking or structures to free up space for the pedestrians can be carried out by private construction companies and generate their investment and revenues through tickets and commercial means (advertisement, retail, etc.).

3.1.2 Housing

As we have seen in the past, the usual independent dwelling plan was created with social considerations in mind, and we have lost sight of such arrangements as time has gone. The city planning authority has devised a new strategy to alter dwelling typologies and adopt designs that prioritize social interactions, green areas, and resident safety (Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021).

Figure 15 sketches showing the courtyard approach for housing (source: Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021)

3.1.3 The multi-modal transport system

The city of Abu Dhabi now relies only on bus and automobile services as its significant modes of transportation, which makes them highly reliant on the bus system due to the expensive taxi costs. Temperatures also have a considerable influence in this context since individuals prefer to commute by automobile in hot weather. The city planning department has developed a strategy for creating a multi-modal transportation system that will complete by 2030 (Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, 2007). To help realize this aim, the government created a concept known as entire streets (Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, 2007). This vision emphasizes people of determination and includes all modes of transportation within 15 minutes of reach (Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, 2007)

3.1.4 Parks and public spaces

The government's 2030 aim is to develop and establish public parks. Creating spaces of interaction linked to public transportation, this concept will assist improve air quality and encourage a healthy lifestyle (Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021). Anyone walking to a park should aim for a distance of 350 meters (Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021)

Figure 16 sketch of complete streets concept (source: Plan Abu Dhabi, 2030, 2007)

Figure 17 vision of a public space (source: Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021)

3.2 Firm’s strategies

3.2.1 Inequality

Following our discussion of the difficulties in Musaffah, we will devise solutions to address these concerns and promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle for the area's low-income residents. The ideal method is to follow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a framework for reducing inequality in a given location.

Education as a long-time investment is one of the key and effective methods to close inequality gaps. It provides an incentive for people to stay healthy and reap the benefits of such an investment. Increasing the education level also helps reduce the number of chronic conditions in the city (Lundborg and Petter, 2008). Another essential aspect is that people’s mental health is compromised due to poor living conditions and a lack of social and public spaces. Again, this can be tackled by helping them with equal opportunities, identifying these pockets, and providing them with a healthy infrastructure (Single Equality Framework Policy Statement, 2017).

Abu Dhabi has come up with sustainable cities known as the Masdar city and a few upcoming cities, one of which is known as the capital city; instead of focusing on new cities, if these visions can be applied to a town like Musaffah, that would help the people with a new and updated infrastructure creating more public spaces and parks for better social interactions between people and having a sound transport system to Abu Dhabi.

• Supporting case study – Trent city council plans

Trent's city council devised a series of rules to address the city's inequity. They closed disparities in educational achievement, worked towards eliminating discrimination, promoted equal opportunities, then identified and addressed problem areas (Single Equality Framework Policy Statement, 2017). They worked with communities to make towns more dynamic and healthier (Single Equality Framework Policy Statement, 2017).

Figure 18 sketch showing the capital city (source: Abu Dhabi urban street design manual, 2015)

3.2.2 Creating awareness

Abu Dhabi's pedestrian-friendly environment is underutilized for various reasons, and the city is more reliant on automobiles. As previously stated, the government's vision will take care of the physical attributes of the location and ensure that it is still accessible and convenient for people to use; the other challenge will be to raise public awareness and communicate a message to them through the city about the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle.

One method is to dedicate a whole week to campaigns, such as cycle day, which will feature bike-related campaigns. Another strategy will be to raise awareness about the importance of driving less, with a car-free day campaign in Spain being one of the greatest examples (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008). These measures would aid us in obtaining improved air quality, educate people on a healthy lifestyle, inform them about environmental concerns, and, most crucially, solicit public comment.

▪ Supporting case studies

• Spain

San Fernando de Henares, Spain, dedicates one week to a sustainable mobility week, during which the city town centers are closed to vehicles for one day, and bicycle campaigns are held throughout the week (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008). People explore, discover, and help assess locations for local governments to take action in these projects (Caballero, 2021).

• Odense Denmark, Numerous projects to promote and enable cycling were adopted in the early years. The city has come up with lanes such as cycling super highways (Bitterfeld, 2015). The cycling paths havecollaboratedwith the transportation system of the city (Bitterfeld, 2015). Bicycles are owned by nine out of 10persons in Denmark (Bitterfeld, 2015).

Cyclists in Copenhagen cut CO2 emissions by 20000 tones every year, while residents who pedal in Copenhagen seek 1.1 million fewer sick days (Bitterfeld, 2015).

Figure 19 shows Copenhagen cyclists (source: Bitterfeld, 2015).

3.3 Policies

Policy 1 –

The central parking spaces of super blocks must be converted into public spaces and green spaces by developing separate structures or creating an underground parking system. The urban planning authority can allot this work to the private sector.

WHO checklist – improves social interaction, promotes physical activity, and improves air quality which helps reduce health problems.

Policy 2 -

The upcoming and future housing typologies must follow the latest vision of design that was once used in the past, such as courtyard planning. The design must be made mandatory for private consultancies to follow.

Who checklist – improves social interaction, focused on a healthy lifestyle and having a vision.

Policy 3 -

The transport department of Abu Dhabi must start the multi-modal transport system by the year 2023, along with the completion of the vision for streets known as the complete street.

Who checklist – Active transport and public transport for the city.

Policy 4 -

The urban planning authority must start the work of achieving the vision of having a park with a radius of 350 meters for the residents by 2023. This will further quicken achieving the public realm’s vision by 2030.

WHO’s checklist – helps achieve an active city and improves social and physical interactions between the city.

Policy 5 -

The Ministry of human resources must develop educational schemes to benefit the city’s lowincome families, which will help as a future investment to reduce inequality and create awareness.

WHO’s checklist - help reduce inequality

Policy 6 -

The health and transport authority must collaborate to create campaigns and close down central regions of the city for cars for a day to bring people on the streets for these campaigns (car-free day).

WHO’s checklist – involving people, social interactions, creating awareness, and reducing CO2 emissions.

Policy 7 –

Re-urbanizing of Musaffah should be done based on the vision of the upcoming cities, such as the capital city; the urban planning authority must identify these pockets in Musaffah and implement the idea to benefit the people and improve their living conditions.

WHO’s checklist – reduces inequality which in turn helps improve mental health.

Policy 8 -

The urban planning authority should focus on developing and improving dedicated cycling paths and networks and also make sure to have shading plans for these pathways.

WHO’s checklist promotes cycling, an active lifestyle, and will reduce the use of cars, which will help better the air quality.

4 Conclusion

While the current cities in the world have been striving toward a healthier lifestyle and contending forthehealthy city award,AbuDhabi is preparingto competeforthe WHO's healthycityaward for the year 2022 for the first time.

Abu Dhabi has always worked towards an active lifestyle, as we have seen in the past, where the city’s roots (history) have been directed towards operational planning of the city. The government of Abu Dhabi faced the biggest challenge of covid-19 in a very strategic manner that focused on keeping the people safe and checking on their mental health, especially for people of determination.

The city has excellent infrastructure, but it falls short in some regions and is needed to encourage people to be more active since its health analysis is alarming. The city is still working to improve its air quality, and the government has begun developing initiatives to address the problem. Another issue we discovered in the city is the contrasted character of Musaffah, Abu Dhabi, where certain sections have been victimized by inequity. Personal encounters are the most excellent way to learn about a city. This paper has highlighted my experiences and presented a comparison of blocks, highlighting both the smart layout of superblocks and the green areas in between, and made a comparison of blocks that have the potential for a change

The paper's last section focuses on addressing issues of inequality by implementing educational programs that assist low-income families and enhance Musaffah's living conditions, which will boost their mental health. The essential component of the paper is to raise public awareness and assist people in understanding the risks of living a sedentary lifestyle and how it affects their health. Every year, a week is dedicated to raising awareness by engaging people in activities such as cycling and soliciting their thoughts for improving the city in the best possible way for the city's residents.

The above-explained methods have been used to explain best why the city is competing for the award of the healthy city 2022. The city is not only focused on becoming a healthy city but also on becoming a symbol and a landmark for other cities to follow.

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6 Appendix

6.1 Public realm network vision

Figure 20 map showing the public realm network of Abu Dhabi (source: Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, 2021)

6.2 Multi-modal transport system

Different modes of transport for a city.

Figure 21 map showing the multi-modal transport system of Abu Dhabi (source: Plan Abu Dhabi, 2030, 2007).

6.4 WHO’s checklist covered

• Understanding of an inactive city.

• Solving inequality.

• Creating a vision.

• Help create an active city.

• Active transport and public transport.

• Influence between social and physical interactions of the city.

• Mental health.

• Public health.

• Cultural heritage.

• Sustainable community.