2 Methodology

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.