Abu Dhabi CBD Public Realm Plan by jonathan fogelson

University of Pennsylvania Department of City and Regional Planning CPLN 677 Urban Design Studio Spring 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

2. Vision and Design Principles

3. Urban Systems

4. Streetcape Design

5. Neighborhood Development

108

6. Waterfront Alternatives

138

7. Metropolitan Housing

164

8. Conclusions

202

Bibliography

216

Image Citations

217

University of Pennsylvania

220

Studio Participants

221

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Abu Dhabi Central Business District Public Realm Plan was prepared by students in a PennPlanning Urban Design Studio at the University of Pennsylvania during Spring Semester 2009. Students in the Departments of City Planning, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Historic Preservation were involved in the production of the studio work. A team of students and recent graduates under the guidance of Professors Michael Larice and Jonathan Fogelson was largely responsible for producing this document: Ben Bryant, Jack Conviser, Sally Foster, Sarah Marks, Kristin Michael, and Jack Robinson. The studio was jointly funded by the Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi and PennDesign at the University of Pennsylvania. We are grateful to these institutions and their respective staffs for their generous support of the studio, as well as their assistance at client meetings, site visits, and the Housing Workshop. We are particularly thankful for the tireless work of Ali Alzahid and Val Zillig of the UPC, without whose help the logistics of the studio would not have been possible. We are appreciative of the large number of Abu Dhabi residents who took the time to engage us in site conversation in early 2009.

The students and faculty would like to thank the following people and organizations who contributed time, effort and encouragement through the months of the studio:

ABU DHABI URBAN PLANNING COUNCIL AND LOCAL PARTICIPANTS: H.E. Falah Mohammed Al Ahbabi............................... General Manager Larry Beasley.......................................... Special Advisor to the UPC Sandy Logan......................Senior Project Manager, Beasley & Associates Michael White......................... Senior Planning Manager, Planning Policy John Madden................... Senior Planning Manager, Development Review Val Zillig............................................................ Planning Manager Ali Alzahid..................... Associate Planner / Architect / Urban Designer Atsushi Inoue..................................................... Associate Planner Majed Arbid...................................... Assistant Procurement Manager The Staff of the Urban Planning Council Ahmed Al-Ali............. President, the Architectural Association of the UAE

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

PENNDESIGN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Marilyn Taylor ..................................................Dean of PennDesign Pat Woldar ......................................... Assisstant Dean of PennDesign Christopher Cataldo .................................................... PennDesign Kate Daniel ............................................................ PennPlanning

STUDIO CRITICS Mami Hara ............................................................ Principal, WRT Dennis McGlade ........................................... President/Partner, Olin Lucinda Sanders ................................................. CEO/Partner, Olin Trevor Lee ....................................... Senior Landscape Designer, Olin Molly O’Neill . .......................................................... Planner, Olin John Landis . ................................... Department Chair, PennPlanning Tom Daniels ...............................................Professor, PennPlanning David Gouverneur ............................... Adjuct Professor, PennPlanning Domenic Vitiello .............................. Assistant Professor, PennPlanning Laura Wolf-Powers ........................... Assistant Professor, PennPlanning Frank Matero .......................... Department Chair, Historic Preservation Randy Mason ........................ Associate Professor, Historic Preservation Michael Nairn ............................................. Lecturer, Urban Studies Vukan Vuchic ................................. Foundation Professor, Engineering SeungAh Byun ......................................PhD Candidate, PennPlanning Amanda Johnson ..................................PhD Candidate, PennPlanning Stephanie Ryberg .................................PhD Candidate, PennPlanning Khaled Tarabieh ..................................... PhD Candidate, PennDesign The Students of PennPlanning and Simon

NOTICE: The information contained in The Abu Dhabi Central Business Distrct Public Realm Plan is intended and has been prepared for information only and does not constitute an offer or commitment. This information does not constitute planning, investment, financial or any other form of advice. Please note that the UPC makes no warranty or representation, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information hereto. Copyright of the information, photos, statistics, studies, maps, layouts, network maps, scripts and intellectual property are solely held by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (“UPC”). Any unauthorized disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in reliance of the contents of this document is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. UPC shall in no circumstances be liable for any loss or damage caused due to error, delay, omission, or inaccuracy of any information contained hereto.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As a result of economic and population growth, the City of Abu Dhabi has rapidly transformed from a coastal gulf coast fort and nomadic settlement into a developed city of complex systems. In light of significant anticipated development, the Urban Planning Council seeks to guide the evolving shape of the Emirate. Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 sets out a shared vision in order to provide a framework for evaluating future growth. Based on this framework, the Abu Dhabi Central Business District Public Realm Plan defines a vision for the Central Business District’s role. As the core of the city, the Central Business District should welcome the broad spectrum of Abu Dhabi’s residents and visitors. The public realm – an aggregation of parks, plazas, roadways and pedestrian paths – presents unique opportunities to achieve this objective as it is truly common ground. As a result, the public realm serves as the foundation of the Central Business District’s evolving identity.

VISION Four vision statements guide the Public Realm Plan’s vision for the Central Business District:

1. Contemporary Emirati Urbanism: While Emirati urbanism is an emergent phenomenon, the collective Arab and Islamic experience provides a long history of cultural and climatic urban responses to inspire contemporary interventions. Rooted in cultural values, these contemporary expressions promote continued economic vitality and multicultural interaction through investment in a quality public realm. Simultaneously serene and vibrant, the resulting forms evoke this society’s desert heritage amidst an innovative metropolis.

2. Sustainable Systems: Rapid development in a harsh climate has strained Abu Dhabi’s relationship with its unique surrounding ecosystem. A holistic approach to sustainability introduces appropriate technologies and materials at a human scale while concurrently addressing resource consumption regionally. The innovative urban landscapes proposed in the Public Realm Plan seek to provide human comfort with minimal use of natural resources.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3. Cultural Crossroads: Due to Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic location, the city has a diverse demographic mix fueled by the influx of both international trade and expatriate guest workers. Within the city, the Central Business District sits at a natural meeting point between the waterfront, palace district, future island developments and the proposed Capital City district. A redesigned public realm allows paths to cross in the Central Business District, a place where cultural, religious, economic and interpersonal mixing thrives.

4. Vibrant, Livable Neighborhood: Due to its residential base, the Central Business District already functions as a neighborhood. However, it must confront a new future in light of the significant changes proposed in the districts surrounding it. The re-imagined CBD neighborhood promotes livability by enabling easy connectivity, providing intimate public spaces, addressing parking challenges, and offering increased housing choice. Each of these vision statements is supported by several related design principles. The Public Realm Plan applies these four vision statements and their associated design principles to the various urban components that make up the Central Business District. Urban systems proposals at metropolitan and district scales set a framework for change. Detailed design proposals for the CBDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major streets, superblock interiors, and the waterfront explore the physical manifestations of these principles in several key contexts. New housing typology development, with specific attention paid to the needs of Emirati households, offers innovative housing solutions applicable to the Central Business District as well as the metropolitan area at large. Having explored the possibilities for transformation, the Public Realm Plan concludes with a series of discussion points, decisions, and action points to guide development of a detailed policy and strategy for the Central Business District.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

URBAN SYSTEMS Transit, vehicular circulation, open space, and housing systems organize cities both physically and conceptually. They dictate imageability and livability from the island-wide scale down to human experience. In the past, these systems were engineered for rationality and built to universal standards rather than tailored to Abu Dhabi’s unique climatological, cultural, and social context. However, Plan 2030 and the Surface Transport Master Plan mark a distinct departure from past plans and planning theory. Rooted in this framework, the Public Realm Plan structures urban systems so as to transform the public spaces of the CBD.

Metropolitan Transportation: The Surface Transport Master Plan proposes radical changes to the region’s transportation options by introducing high-speed rail, a regional metro system and an extensive local tram network. As a result, Abu Dhabi’s residents and visitors will have substantially more sustainable options to move around the region.

Serving the CBD and the Corniche with Transit: The Public Realm Plan operates within the parameters of the Surface Transport Master Plan, which provides extensive service coverage to most of the CBD. It fleshes out this proposal by detailing locations of tram stops and proposing tram service to the waterfront.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Vehicular Circulation: This proposal transforms the existing grid of high speed arterials into a finer-grained circulation network of pacified arterials, connector streets and internal loop roads. This hierarchy creates clear and effective vehicular circulation patterns that have fewer negative impacts on other modes of transportation.

Open Space Network: In addition to many smaller informal plazas throughout the Central Business District, Abu Dhabi has extensive formal park spaces along the waterfront. The Public Realm Plan introduces a “Green Ladder” that combines formal parks, retrofitted neighborhood plazas and multimodal streets to address issues of open space distribution and quality. North-south bike and pedestrian connectors combine with a recreational bicycle loop to create a comprehensive CBD cycling network. Primary and secondary paths through built areas and parks compliment an extensive network of redesigned streets. Finally, the Public Realm Plan ensures that all residents of the CBD have access to parks and plazas and that those spaces function well in Abu Dhabi’s cultural and climatic context.

Metropolitan Housing: To address issues of undersupply, climatic unresponsiveness, lack of choice and limited land availability, the Public Realm Plan introduces three new housing type groups targeted at suburban, mid-rise, and high-rise densities. The detailed design of housing typologies responds to the specific needs of the diverse set of households that make up Abu Dhabi’s demographic composition.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Portion of Vehicular Circulation Proposal: An engineered system of urban arterials is designed as a fine grain network. 500m Arterial Passified Arterial North South Connector Loop Road Existing Intersection Proposed Intersection

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

STREETSCAPE DESIGN Streets accommodate vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. In Abu Dhabi, the prioritization of the automobile has created inhospitable environments for all other modes. However, streets continue to change as the city evolves. Plans for new development on either side of the CBD will necessitate that streets continue to carry significant capacity. The introduction of transit to these streets requires mode realignments that offer a significant opportunity to transform the public realm.

Urban Arterial Design: The Public Realm Plan explores two alternative frameworks for arterial street design: side-loading and center-loading transit. By buffering the sidewalk from urban arterial traffic, side-loaded transit connects the public realm with streetside retail. Removal of surface parking results in lively spaces full of cafes, shading structures, and trees. By contrast, the center-loaded strategy relies on building entries and mass transit stations to activate the space. By breaking up traffic flows and the width of the street with a wide median, center-loaded transit pacifies the arterial and incorporates the automobile as part of a unified, multimodal and human-scaled street system.

Multi-modal Greenway Proposal: While the main function of the arterials is to transport auto traffic, the Public Realm Plan introduces new north-south connectors to prioritize pedestrian and bicycle mobility. They provide a multi-modal link between vibrant superblock centers and the Corniche Park and waterfront, functioning both as movement corridors and as linear parks. Designated rights-of-way allow the pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist to move freely without conflict between modes. Static programming, like sidewalk cafes and shaded pocket plazas, border the pathways. Streetscape elements such as vegetation, shading structures, and paving materials rescale these high-density blocks, provide a sense of enclosure, and identify these special places for pedestrian passage and shelter.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CBD NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT The mixing of business and residential uses both defines and challenges Abu Dhabi’s CBD. The four block study area contains a range of smaller neighborhoods. To ensure their livability, these neighborhoods must be connected to one another, their deteriorating building stock must be replaced, and thousands of surface parking spots must be redistributed to free the public realm for pedestrian use.

Circulation and Parking: To simplify circulation and parking access and improve the public realm within the superblocks, the Public Ream Plan offers two proposed interventions to the circulation and parking network. First, loop roads and north-south connector streets create a clear and imageable circulation network. Second, underground parking garages accessed from the loop roads free existing surface lots for new development.

Pedestrian Shadeway and Sikka Proposals: The proposed Pedestrian Shadeway connects the Al Hosn Cultural Center to the eastern Crescent along a pedestrian spine through the heart of the four superblocks, intersecting at many of the district’s mosques along the way. Employing a set of small buildings, vegetation, and innovative shading structures, the Shadeway’s uniquely Emirati urban expression accommodates people’s travels, moments of rest, and social gatherings. It is the heart of the cultural crossroads. The Public Realm Plan reconsiders sikkas as part of a secondary pedestrian path system that provide opportunities for retail, recreation and service access to enhance urban amenity.

Interior Block Housing Clusters: On the sites of currently underutilized surface parking lots, clusters of mid-rise housing should define public space. Their more public facades reinforce the Plan’s interior circulation system. Private facades shelter shaded semi-public plazas that provide social space and define a lower-order pedestrian circulation system that connects with the Shadeway.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES Abu Dhabi’s waterfront consists of Corniche Park and the Corniche Waterfront Promenade, which are separated by Corniche Road. While waterfront views and unique park conditions make the area a great amenity for the city, the waterfront’s functionality is limited by the conflict between Corniche Road’s transportation function and the necessity for pedestrians to cross it to access the Promenade. The Public Realm Plan provides several alternative proposals that complement each other but could be implemented independently. By connecting to the proposed “Green Ladder,” they strengthen existing and potential connections to and through the waterfront area from the CBD.

At-Grade Crossings along Corniche Road: This minimal intervention increases access to the waterfront by introducing several additional at grade crossings along Corniche Road.

Transforming Corniche Road into a Multi-Lane Boulevard: A moderate intervention intended to increase pedestrian amenity, this alternative realigns Corniche Road into a boulevard featuring access lanes and on-street parking.

A Spine Connecting the Different Pieces of Corniche Park: This low intensity intervention introduces a regularized east-west pedestrian path connecting the disparate components of Corniche Park into a continuous, imageable experience.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Surface Parking Infill Development: The proposal suggests moderate development along the southern edge of Corniche Park in areas currently used for surface parking in order to activate Corniche Park and the Waterfront Promenade.

Splitting Corniche Road: To increase vehicular and pedestrian capacity along the waterfront, this high intensity alternative explores splitting Corniche Road into two separate multi-lane roadways on both sides of Corniche Park. The existing Corniche Road is pacified and realigned to accommodate side-loading light rail. A second, continuous boulevard is created by connecting fragments of the existing Corniche Road East along the southern edge of Corniche Park.

Corniche Road Realignments Provide New Pedestrian Spaces: As part of the Corniche Road Boulevard strategy, new pedestrian spaces are created along Corniche Road.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

METROPOLITAN HOUSING Throughout the region, housing choice is currently dominated by multifamily towers and suburban villas. The Public Realm Plan introduces housing typologies for suburban, moderate, and high-rise densities that increase choice while responding to unique programmatic requirements of Emirati culture and challenges of Abu Dhabi’s desert climate.

Housing Program Needs for Emirati Households: Emirati housing includes several unique program components that accommodate family privacy, gender separation, and extended-family living arrangements. By enumerating space allocations for these program requirements, the Public Realm Plan offers parcel size options for extended and nuclear family households. These demonstrate that current Emirati villa plot allocations exceed the land necessary to accommodate the housing program for typical Emirati households.

Suburban Densification: If developed using current standards, Abu Dhabi’s available land will be consumed in 36 years. The Public Realm Plan proposes more efficient land allocation by reducing the land used for infrastructure and by reducing plot sizes.

The Contemporary Fareej: Suburban densification strategies afford opportunities to reconsider new residential development, particularly when linked to transit. The extensive transit proposals in place for Abu Dhabi’s mainland offer opportunity for denser mixed-use development near major transit stops with moderate densities in other areas. By incorporating higher density infill typologies with new courtyard housing typologies, the Public Realm Plan creates a framework for new development in Abu Dhabi. It clusters private spaces around central gathering areas at multiple scales ranging from the courtyard house to a 10,000 person residential district.

CBD Mid-rise Infill Housing Clusters: Mid-rise typologies create new clusters of apartment buildings around common open plazas. They are appropriate for infill strategies to replace deteriorating buildings within the Central Business District, but also could be used in new development, particularly on mainland sites near transit hubs. Three varieties of midrise

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

buildings target a variety of socio-economic populations to promote affordability and livability within the CBD. Slab style buildings house efficiency apartments, while stand-alone buildings target a middle-income range, and terrace apartments cater to large, affluent households.

Premium High Rises: This group of typologies seeks to adapt multifamily, high-rise living to Emirati cultural practices. Each unit has ample private outdoor space and a defined sequence of rooms that indicates varying levels of public and private nature. This type group is ideal for parcels near the Corniche, where residents would enjoy views of the water. The Public Realm Plan introduces six different high-rise apartment typologies. These typologies are designed to respond to either corner or mid-block parcels, and each typology sits on top of a podium with first-floor retail, two floors of office space, and a fourth floor of building amenities, such as gyms, community rooms and day care centers.

The Contemporary Fareeej: The Contemporary Fareej framework offers new development strategies that incorporate housing typologies from the suburban, mid-rise, and high-rise densities.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

100m

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CONCLUSIONS As a relatively new agency, the Urban Planning Council has a number of decisions and projects to consider in mapping out an implementation strategy. Coordinating these efforts is a mammoth task, but implementing them in a phased and path-dependent manner is even more daunting. To ensure that public realm discussion and design implementation progresses, a number of questions, attitudes, and priorities should be assessed. 1. There is a need to understand the future of the CBD in light of new development to the east. This future uncertainty calls attention to the fact that the CBD is well-positioned to become a district of residential neighborhoods focused on the local rather than the global. 2. The UPC must determine the priority of the public realm, discerning the level of commitment and investment necessary to implement the repurposing envisioned in the Public Realm Plan. 3. City Agencies should sequence the catalytic moves, beginning with infrastructure, parking and transit before moving to other components. 4. With catalytic moves in place, the CBDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabric should be restitched by establishing a clear circulation system and linking disparate areas. 5. The government should implement the Framework Development Regulations being developed separately to ensure quality development throughout the city, including in the CBD.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6. Over time, it will be necesssary to redevelop the CBD’s central neighborhood by removing unsafe buildings and creating sites for new development. 7. The UPC should prioritize and implement discrete design moves that add significant public realm value without encountering significant obstacles. 8. Government and developers should select “easy” interventions to implement quickly and early on to make visible changes in the CBD. 9. The UPC should communicate the pucblic realm vision often to build support among the community and public officials. A renewed public realm for Abu Dhabi depends on more than good design implemented at one particular time. Its future depends on the willingness of city leaders, professional staff, and residents to improve it over time. This will ensure a public realm unique to place – grounded in history – and paralleling the environmental, cultural and social aspirations of its people.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION THE PUBLIC REALM OF ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PRESENTS GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE – A PLACE OF CONTRADICTIONS AND CONTRASTS. SIDE BY SIDE IN THE CBD ONE SEES BOTH LUXURY TOURIST HOTELS AND OVERCROWDED WORKER HOUSING – EXPENSIVE JEWELRY STORES RUB SHOULDERS WITH LOCAL GROCERS. THE PUBLIC REALM OF THE CBD IS ALIVE WITH CONTRASTS. SERENE MOSQUES SHARE SPACE WITH ILL-SITED ELECTRIC SUBSTATIONS AND PARKING LOTS. QUIET GREEN SPACES JOSTLE FOR ATTENTION WITH CONGESTED AND NOISY URBAN ARTERIALS. WHILE THE SEEDS OF OPPORTUNITY HAVE LONG BEEN PLANTED IN THIS LIVELY RETAIL DISTRICT, THE PUBLIC REALM CHALLENGES ARE JUST AS DAUNTING. AS NEW DISTRICTS ARE CONSTRUCTED ON THE EASTERN ISLANDS OF AL REEM AND AL SUWWAH AND IN AL MINA, THE EXISTING CBD WILL NEED TO REINVENT ITSELF BASED ON ITS STRENGTHS AND VITALITY. THIS CHAPTER PROVIDES AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, THE PUBLIC REALM PLAN AND THE STUDIO COLLABORATION THAT CREATED IT. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY A POINTED DISCUSSION OF CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THE CBD. THESE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES TO BE CONSIDERED BY DECISION MAKERS, PLANNERS AND DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, AS WELL AS THE LARGER URBAN COMMUNITY IN IMPROVING THE PUBLIC REALM.

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT Abu Dhabi’s Central Business District (CBD) is located at the northeast corner of Abu Dhabi Island on the Arabian Gulf. Ecologically the island is situated on a sabkha salt flat surrounded by mangroves and the shoreline of the Gulf. It has both a desert and maritime climate with prevailing winds coming off the water from the northwest, contributing to humid conditions in the summer. Winter months are relatively temperate, while summer months are generally beyond the acceptable human comfort zone. Established initially as a coastal fishing and pearling center, the city had an early history of low-scale impermanent development. Founded by families that split their time between Abu Dhabi’s coastal zone and inland Abu Dhabi, 1959: Development of the fort along the Arabian Gulf. The city is in its infancy and has no urban structure at mid-century.

farming areas, the city continues to be shaped culturally by strong family ties, clustered residential units (the fareej) and religious practice. The area came of age in the mid-20th Century subsequent to the discovery and production of petroleum products after 1958. It continued to grow steadily for the last half-century, densifying and adding new development projects at a relatively fast pace. The physical image of the city is associated with its high density CBD, the relatively recent development of the Corniche, the date palm lined boulevards that lead into and through the city, and the Emirates Palace overlooking the water. New business precincts on Al Suwwah and Al Reem Islands, as well as the Al Mina District, will expand the existing boundaries of the CBD to the east and force a reconsideration of its future role and function.

Abu Dhabi Today: In just 50 years, Abu Dhabi has evolved from a nomadic beachside village with few permanent structures to a bustling metropolis, playing a significant role in the global economy.

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INTRODUCTION

The CBD itself is a mixed-use district containing numerous commercial uses, government and cultural institutions, open space and residential areas. The CBD is structured by a superblock system divided by large, fast-paced urban arterials. The district is visually dominated by walls of twenty story buildings at the periphery of the superblocks, with lower scale development in mid-block areas. Several large multi-block residential neighborhoods exist within the CBD, dominated by lower-income guest workers and professional expatriate employees. Buildings in the area range in quality from deteriorating mid-rise structures to new high-end towers. While CBD buildings are diverse in design, the district is unified by nearly continuous ground floor retail and mid-block street life. In addition to its commercial role, the CBD is widely understood as the densest residential

Abu Dhabi Urbanization 1970: Urban

development is limited to the the island’s northern shore along the Arabian Gulf.

neighborhood in the city, with more than 10,000 residents on some blocks. Given the important role and function of the CBD in the life of Abu Dhabi, the CBD’s public realm (the shared streets, parks, plazas, and parking areas) has lagged in improvement as the city has developed. While some areas such as the Corniche and a few city parks have been updated over time, the bulk of the CBD’s public realm has languished with little design attention or place-making efforts. This public realm plan begins to conceptually address the physical challenges and urban design of the CBD’s public environment. This plan is but one of many steps in realizing a more walkable, sustainable and ecologically relevant Central Business District – a place that will continue to evolve as the great example of Emirati urbanism, a cultural crossroads of the region and a livable place for all its

Abu Dhabi Urbanization 1994: Abu Dhabi

Island is almost fully urbanized. Initial leapfrog development can be seen on the mainland.

people.

Abu Dhabi Urbanization 2009: These maps

show Abu Dhabi’s urban growth and morphology over time. In 1970 little urbanization existed. By 1994, development filled Abu Dhabi Island, according to Takahatshi’s plan. By 2009, leapfrog development spreads into the desert and along the roads to Al Ain and Dubai.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

INTRODUCTION

A PUBLIC REALM PLAN FOR THE CBD Since the establishment of the Urban Planning Council at the beginning of the 21st Century, a new Urban Structure Framework Plan (Abu Dhabi Plan 2030) has guided development of the city. This structure plan lays out a vision for the metro area of Abu Dhabi, including an expanded CBD. Within Plan 2030, a few basic actions are suggested to direct future action in the CBD, including statements on parking consolidation, improved Plan 2030 Vision for Al Suwwah Island: Al

Suwwah Island will become part of the new central business district, according to Plan 2030. The Public Realm Plan seeks to minimize possible impacts of new development on the vitality of the current CBD.

street connectivity, and the need for a coherent public realm. (Plan 2030, p. 130). Since the advent of Plan 2030, the Urban Planning Council has doubled its efforts in sectoral and strategic planning for the city and CBD. Ongoing planning exercises will impact the future of the public realm and the content of this plan, including: transit development plans, open space planning and an island development framework. This Public Realm Plan has been developed within the framework of Plan 2030. Within the pages of this plan can be found alternative ideas for the CBD that might spark debate about its physical evolution. Desired deliverables for the Public Realm Plan included: district visioning and design principles, streetscape studies, neighborhood infill development, open space improvements, cycling and pedestrian networks, parking options, housing typologies, and urban place-making. This public realm plan covers the existing CBD that extends roughly from the Corniche at the north – to Al Falah Street at the south; from Tourist Club Road and the Eastern Corniche at the east – to King Khalid Bin Abdel Aziz Street at the west. Within the CBD, the client identified an additional four block sub-area as a special focus of design activity within the report. This area

Plan 2030 Fareej Illustration: The urban form

of the fareej stems from a desire for protected communal space at the heart of a set of clustered homes. This may have precendent in the historic practices of inidigenous peoples who set up tent shelters together for protection and privacy in the desert.

is bounded by Hamdan Bid Mohammed, Zayed the First and Al Maktoun Streets and Tourist Club Road. A key concern throughout the plan is a focus on urban place-making and improving the physical identity of Abu Dhabi’s CBD through the filters of environmental sustainability and neighborhood livability.

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INTRODUCTION

Saadiyat

Al Mina

Lulu

Al Suwwah

r yA

Al Reem

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Abu Dhabi Island

Emirates Palace

Al Bateen Wharf

Plan 2030 Land Use Map with Central Business District and Study Area Delineated

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2km

INTRODUCTION

Land Use and Structure of Abu Dhabi: The

cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current land use patterns present a gradient of high density residential and commercial development in the Central Business District to low density residential development on the mainland. Unchecked development in the last ten years has resulted in suburbanization and leapfrog development. Plan 2030 proposes to use concepts of a Sand Belt and Desert Fingers to constrain development. Plan 2030 then seeks to focus new development within these parameters, creating urban mixed-use nodes. Two central cores will organize the island: the new Capitol City CBD and the existing CBD.

Abu Dhabi Land Use 2009

Plan 2030 Concept

Proposed Land Use 2030

Above: concept for Sand Belt and Desert Fingers Below: Dual Core concept

Plan 2030 Concept for Dual Cores

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INTRODUCTION

PUBLIC REALM STUDIO COLLABORATION This plan is the result of an urban design studio collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and the Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi. The primary objectives of the studio were educational: to expose and engage students in public realm issues, to teach skills in collaboration, and to prepare them for careers in urban design and planning. As such this effort is less a professional consultancy than it is an opportunity for discussion of the city’s public realm.

Students Tour the CBD with UPC Staff

Two instructors and eighteen graduate students took part in the preparation of this plan during the first half of 2009. They traveled to Abu Dhabi for site reconnaissance and place-based learning for a week in February 2009, returning to Philadelphia to complete their studio work through May 2009. Site analysis in Abu Dhabi during February consisted of several days of visual analysis, place recording, data collection and meetings with the client. Studio participants met with UPC staff for direction and discussion during the seven days in Abu Dhabi, including a housing workshop and site tours of key cities in the UAE, as well as the

Students Gather at Dubai’s Gold Souk

CBD itself. Upon return to the University, the studio undertook six weeks of existing conditions analysis to better understand CBD challenges, followed by seven weeks of conceptual and illustrative design. The final course review took place on 12 May 2009 before a panel of professional and academic designers and planners from the Philadelphia region – some with considerable experience in Abu Dhabi. At the time of this writing, a few course participants were in the midst of packaging the final studio work. They returned to Abu Dhabi in early June 2009 to present the findings of the studio to the Urban Planning Council.

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INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW OF OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES The following opportunities and challenges emerged through analysis of existing conditions. They provide a snapshot of the issues confronting public realm improvement in Abu Dhabi’s CBD.

GENERAL DISTRICTWIDE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

•

The existing character of the CBD is largely undistinguished and generic – calling for the construction of a new physical identity and the reinforcement of local place-based character. Few traces of local

Typical Abu Dhabi Streetwall: CBD parcels in Abu Dhabi are typically the same as the building footprints located on the parcel. The built form of the CBD is characterized by tightly packed highrise buildings at the perimeter of superblocks with small sikkas separating them.

heritage exist in the CBD, and visual place-based history is weak. Aside from the presence of mosques, little evidence exists of either traditional Arab or Islamic urbanism;

•

While much attention has been paid to establishing visions and developing new areas of the city, little focus has been applied to the existing CBD. Currently this area functions as the commercial hub of Abu Dhabi and provides opportunities for social reinvention. Establishing a vision for the CBD’s public realm might provide a new physical identity for the larger city and contribute to a more sustainable CBD;

•

What does the future hold for the current CBD? The establishment of new business, financial and residential districts on Al Reem and Al Suwwah Islands may threaten the current business and street vitality of the CBD. Because of the establishment of these new business areas, the function of the current CBD may need reconceptualization. The area’s identity will be in flux over the next several years and may evolve in unexpected ways;

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The physical character of the CBD has several strengths and weaknesses. The district exhibits a strong building edge along

High-rises Frame a Neighborhood Mosque:

Mosques are the key visual and social organizing elements for superblock interiors. The interplay between religion and commerce is a unique aspect of the CBD’s character.

urban arterials, desirable median planting areas, and a humanly scaled mid-block form. At the same time, the area is dominated by vehicular traffic (congested at times, fast-moving and dangerous at others), extensive surface parking, an incoherent public realm, and uncoordinated business signage;

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

INTRODUCTION

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The often inhospitable regional climate suggests the need for conscious shading and air circulation strategies. Many streets, midblock areas, parks, and open spaces are not designed with the climatological context in mind;

CIRCULATION OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

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Abu Dhabi’s public transit system is early in its life, but exhibits promise as a means of traversing long CBD distances and escaping the heat. Further development of both tram and underground metro systems will depend on the successful location of transit stops at convenient multi-modal transfer locations in the CBD. Along with public realm furniture, vegetation and surface materials, transit

The New Public Bus System Provides a Necessary Piece of the Transport Hierarchy:

Instituted only recently, the high level of passenger use suggests a great need for transit expansion in the near future to distribute workers at jobsites and help to decongest the CBD of constant traffic.

design can provide an avenue to streetscape identity. Passively cooled transit stations and curbside shelters will be a key component of streetscape strategies;

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Street experience in the CBD is dominated by vehicular traffic at the expense of other modes of transportation, including: public transit, cycling and pedestrians. Urban arterials can be excessively wide, congestion-prone and unpleasant places for walking. Arterials are often over-designed with too many lanes that are frequently too wide for the type of traffic they support. Little district specific character is established through streetscapes. Pedestrian shading, tree cover, and other comfort strategies for sidewalk areas are under-developed;

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Both north-south and east-west pedestrian navigability in the CBD is difficult. Wayfinding and pedestrian connectivity through the district are not readily evident. Direct access to the waterfront, Corniche Park, and other city parks is desired but confusing;

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Because of the configuration of urban arterials, uncrossable medians and lack of left turn movements, vehicular and pedestrian circulation often results in much longer routes than are necessary. Connectivity between mid-block areas is currently limited. Mid-block pedestrian crossings are rare;

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

INTRODUCTION

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In addition to vehicular traffic, the amount of surface parking at the periphery and center of superblocks weakens the public realm of the CBD. Access road parking on arterials disrupts the pedestrian experience into a series of level changes, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts, and multiple driveway crossings. Surface parking at mid-block areas impairs the public realm experience of these lively neighborhoods;

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Pedestrian safety is a priority issue in the re-engineering of roads and streetscapes. Intersections, traffic signal phasing, and crosswalk designs are unfriendly and difficult to maneuver. Jaywalking is made

Typical Superblock Interior: Surface parking and prominent rubbish bins crowd the public realm, creating an unpleasant atmosphere for pedestrians.

more dangerous than necessary through fenced medians;

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Bicyclists have inadequate route designations and arrival parking. No formalized bike network exists and the legality of cycling along urban arterials is in question. Both commuter and recreational cycling can be dangerous and unnerving;

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Access and usability of the waterfront is compromised by Corniche Road. This multi-lane roadway functions largely as a bypass and has limited role in the life of the CBD. Even with underpasses, it effectively blocks direct access to the waterfront for pedestrians and cyclists. The shape and existence of Corniche Road should be put on

Pedestrians Crossing Wide Arterials: Pedestrian

the table for larger discussion to determine its value versus what is

safety and comfort are compromised when crossing wide arterials, with short signal timings, and narrow medians.

being lost by its existing configuration;

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The location of underground infrastructure is an impediment to streetscape improvements. Horizontal stacking of infrastructure under sidewalks makes tree planting at curbside unworkable – where shading is needed the most. A strategy for underground infrastructure relocation should be addressed as streets are re-engineered for transit and streetscaped for pedestrian priority;

The Corniche Road: This major arterial acts as a barrier between the CBD and the waterfront.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

INTRODUCTION

NEIGHBORHOOD OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

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Abu Dhabi’s CBD exhibits a rich vitality with many local-serving businesses, retail sub-districts, considerable mid-block activity, and a dense residential base, which provides housing for lower and middleincome earners. The area caters to both non-Emirati nationals in local mid-block areas, and an Emirati / business clientele in district hotels, offices, government buildings, and mall areas;

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Above ground utility substructures and service areas are an additional impairment to the public realm, including: electric substations,

Men Socializing in Interstitial Spaces: Despite a general lack of public realm amenities, superblock interiors maintain vitality.

external building air conditioners, loading zones and service entrances. A particular concern for CBD neighborhoods is the location and buffering of trash dumpsters and recycling areas, which are generally located in the center of public realm areas as visual foci;

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Vehicular circulation in mid-block areas has been likened to a labyrinth of confusion. Drivers encounter a tangle of through roads, access driveways, parking ramps, double-parked surface lots, and curb-height islands. The logic of movement and directionality for vehicles is unclear. Access into mid-block areas and underground parking lacks signage and natural wayfinding;

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Rubbish Bins Crowd Potential Plaza Space:

Rubbish bin placement in the public realm may provide easy access by refuse trucks, but causes problems with the usability of the space and urban livability. Space for recycling programs also needs to be considered in addition to rubbish removal.

Neighborhood open space around community institutions such as mosques and schools remains underdeveloped. Residential plazas and courtyards suffer the same lack of attention. What could be valued neighborhood meeting grounds are ill-conceived interstitial spaces that lack public amenity, furnishing, adequate nighttime lighting, and shade coverings;

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Residential areas in the CBD have a general lack of vegetation and greening, in particular, canopy trees which could help to ameliorate the hot desert climate. A proliferation of unattractive sidewalk materials, surface scarification, and vehicular asphalt exists throughout the public realm, at the expense of natural landscape materials. Within CBD neighborhoods, little respite from the bustle, noise and stresses of the city exists for residents;

Scarred and Uneven Paving: Detracts from the CBD’s aesthetic appeal.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

INTRODUCTION

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The visual quality of CBD neighborhoods is challenged by the vast amount and size of retail signage applied to buildings. The uncoordinated nature of graphics, sign lighting, and materials at times creates a chaotic and over-commodified urban image, rather than an exciting and valued urban place. In general signage is oriented to drivers rather than pedestrians, even in areas dominated by pedestrian activity;

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Mid-block sidewalks, café areas, and sikkas are particularly poor in quality. Cafes are sometimes situated within banks of parked cars in surface lots, and at other times on undersized sidewalks. No coherent sidewalk and sikka design strategy is apparent;

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Although not directly a public realm challenge, housing type choices are limited in the CBD. The under-supply of appropriate housing for expatriate and guest worker populations is exacerbating affordability issues. Infill that helps to shape the neighborhood public realm would

Urban Signage in the CBD: No standards

be a welcome change to the CBD. Affordable housing is a debate-

exist to regulate signage in the CBD. Future signage strategies may present opportunities for placemaking in the future.

inducing issue that deserves thought in the process of neighborhood redevelopment;

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A number of vulnerable and deteriorating buildings are evident throughout the CBD. The lifespan and construction quality of some of these buildings brings them to their natural end. Building replacement and infill should target these as opportunity sites. New building design might better focus on character qualities that support larger placemaking efforts.

Vulnerable Building in the CBD: Poor

construction techniques have resulted in the need to replace a generation of CBD buildings that may fail structurally in the near future.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

INTRODUCTION

OPEN SPACE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

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An uneven distribution of open space exists in the CBD, with much of it located in citywide parks along the waterfront. Other than the Corniche, only a few city parks are located in the CBD: Elektra, Khalidiya, and Capitol Parks. A better and finer grain distribution of open space is needed to provide compensatory open space for dense city living;

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City parks suffer from access problems at their periphery. They are

Gating and Fencing: Limit access to formal parks and force park users to expend undue energies in finding entrances.

often fenced with few entrances, which makes entry to these parks difficult. Alternatively, several citywide parks are poorly programmed for synergistic leisure activities, such as seating, shade covering, picnic facilities, vending, cafes, comfort stations, and potable water. The large expanses of Corniche Park and the Corniche Waterfront in particular could benefit from better linkages between segments, as well as activation with park appropriate venues and services;

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The most iconic elements of Abu Dhabi and its open space network are the planted date palm boulevards and medians along urban arterials. These create a strong visual image for visitors entering the city but could be planned more sensitively to incorporate pedestrian functions

Iconic Date Palms Line Arterial Medians: The

planting of boulevards and medians with local tree species has created one of the more iconic and memorable images of Abu Dhabi.

and linkages;

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CBD landscape materials tend to be dominated by species that require constant irrigation and protection from the desert heat. Non-native floral plantings often require constant maintenance to survive. A more regionally appropriate landscape palette could reinforce larger sustainability goals;

Non-Native Landscapes Require Irrigation:

The selection of western planting styles and the use of exogenous species is unsustainable over the long term, both in terms of water use and labor required for maintenance.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

CHAPTER 2

VISION and DESIGN PRINCIPLES PUBLIC REALM VISIONS DEPICT A NARRATIVE FUTURE THAT EMBODY THE SPIRIT AND DESIRED DIRECTION OF A PLACE BY ITS PEOPLE. THEY MUST BE FIRMLY ROOTED IN PLACE-BASED REALISM – THE CULTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IDENTITIES OF THE CITY AND NATION. VISIONS MUST BE CLEAR AND UNAMBIGUOUS – MEMORABLE AND INSPIRATIONAL. TO BE SUCCESSFUL A VISION MUST BE EASILY ARTICULATED, COMMUNICATED REGULARLY, AND CREATIVELY ILLUSTRATED TO DEMONSTRATE HOW IT MIGHT BE REALIZED. FOR VISIONS TO BE ACHIEVED THEY NEED TO BE CARRIED FORWARD AND OWNED BY THOSE WITH POWER TO AFFECT CHANGE – WHILE BRINGING ALONG THOSE WHO WOULD ADOPT AND CRAFT THE VISION THROUGH THEIR PERSONAL INTERPRETATION. VISION BUILDING IS INSPIRED UNDERSTANDING, ENLIGHTENED MARKETING AND INNOVATIVE PLACE-MAKING. CREATING A PUBLIC REALM VISION FOR ABU DHABI’S CBD MUST INCORPORATE INSIGHT INTO ITS FUTURE ROLE – WHILE NOT FORGETTING CURRENT CHALLENGES. THIS VISION IS BASED ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CBD CAN BE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF EMIRATI URBANISM – THAT IT SHOULD BE GROUNDED IN SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS – THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CULTURAL CROSSROADS FOR THE REGION – AND THAT LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE IMPORTANT. CHAPTER TWO PRESENTS THESE FOUR VISIONS, EACH FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES THAT FURTHER EXPLAIN HOW THEY MIGHT BE ACHIEVED.

an interplay of natural and urban systems the confluence of context and creativity a legible hierarchy of paths and experience

CONTEMPORARY EMIRATI URBANISM

ABU DHABI’S CBD WILL COMBINE THE SPIRIT OF TRADITIONAL ARAB CITIES WITH INNOVATIVE PUBLIC REALM DESIGN TO CREATE A CONTEMPORARY EMIRATI URBANISM. We are witnessing the birth of a contemporary Emirati urbanism. While Arab and Islamic urbanism have flourished for over a thousand years, Emirati urbanism has largely emerged during the last several decades. The history, culture and demographic composition of Abu Dhabi give it a unique social character in the Middle East. The city’s role in the life and governance of the UAE also makes it special. But the CBD’s physical identity is not nearly as inspired. The current image of its downtown public realm has depended too much on generic, engineered infrastucture systems and placeless modernism – at the expense of place-based design and human comfort in a desert context. The public realm of Abu Dhabi’s CBD should draw upon the best of traditional Arab Urbanism to reinforce a sense of cultural heritage and an appropriate environmental sensibility. At the same time, the CBD should respond to the contemporary needs and character of a modern capital city. In essence, Abu Dhabi will be a new manifestation of contemporary placebased Emirati urbanism. The collective Arab and Islamic urban experience offers insights into Emirati urbanism. Domestic privacy, compact residential density, places of religious gathering, and lively retail trade inform spaces in the traditional Arab city. These traditions can help inspire new spaces in Abu Dhabi’s CBD without replicating a non-existent and outmoded past. Its population draws from long standing Bedouin traditions now mixed with a melting pot of Asian cultures, setting Abu Dhabi’s CBD in a recent and future development context. Natural resources have brought unprecedented levels of wealth, development, opportunity and immigration. The CBD continues to grow and evolve. New eye-popping developments are taking shape at its perifery. These phenomena are creating an urban experience rooted in multi-culturalism and international influence. Religion and family have balanced this economic and cultural explosion. A contemporary Emirati urbanism then is defined by a cosmopolitan modernism that is rooted in a respect for tradition, religion, and context. Its public realm will incorporate the best of Arab urbanism and blend it with its own sense of society, culture, and environment. The contemporary Emirati public realm is a place where religious and cultural values are interwoven with economic vitality and multi-cultural interaction. It is a desert-based urbanism that is at once serene and vibrant, and at times, provocatively cutting edge.

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1 – REINTERPRETION OF TRADITIONAL ARAB URBAN FORM: Urban form in the Arab world is a direct response to various climates, culture, domestic life, markets, and religion. Developed in a pre-industrial and hand-crafted era, it provided a sustainable level of urban amenity to deal innovatively with often inhospitable landscapes. Modern Abu Dhabi can learn much from the lessons of historic Arab urbanism, but not without reinterpretation to embrace the requirements of modern urban life. Traditional urban forms, such as souks, urban plazas, courtyard housing, paradise gardens and higher density compact development are the hallmarks of Arab urbanism. These are the public realm elements unique to this culture and should not Historic Plan of a Paradise Garden: The for-

mality of the four-square Paradise Garden provides a culturally relevant urban form that helps to cool the city through the use of vegetatioin and water. Its use in the Middle East and South Asia will help to reinforce local traditions in Abu Dhabi and provide meaning for residents from throughout the region.

be sacrficed for western notions of a public realm that are foreign to the region and desert ecosystem. While irrigation hungry parks, greenways and lush landscapes are common in temperate areas with heavier rainfall, they are not indicative of Arab and Islamic urbanism. The tissues of Arab urban fabric can provide the inspiration for building a more contextually-based and sustainable urban form today. The public realm should evolve to take advantage of these precedents, while not losing the contemporary edge of modern design.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 2 – A REGIONALLY-BASED PUBLIC REALM IDENTITY: Abu Dhabi’s island location and desert ecosystems can provide the inspiration for constructing a contextually-based physical identity. Building and plant materials from within the region can begin to reinforce a sense of place that is unique to the city and environmentally sustainable. Historic building methods, decorative heritage, and urban design traditions can be used for public realm structures and landscape patterning. The careful selection of a handful of visually memorable tree species can serve as one aspect of this identity. Importantly, the public realm should be reoriented to the city’s chief asset – its waterfront. The presence of water in the city could be a theme used as the basis for public realm design and place-making. The physical identity of Abu Dhabi should be grounded within a critical regionalism derived from the local scene.

The Precedent of the Oasis: The Al Ain Oasis provides a palette of native tree and undergrowth species that are relevant for CBD placemaking. The three layered structure of classic oasis form can also provide a guide to the landscape design of the city.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3 - A PUBLIC REALM FOR LOCAL CULTURAL PRACTICE: Even though the CBD exhibits all the characteristics of a modern western city, its socio-cultural reality continues to be embedded in an Islamic sensibility. In remaking the CBD’s public realm, designers need to pay close attention to: the need for gender and family privacy, the rhythms of religious practice in public space use, the domination of the public realm by men and guestworkers in some precincts, and retail practices that spill into public space. Cultural traditions asociated with religion, socializing and gathering can become the basis for public realm programming and furnishing of open spaces. Mosque spaces should be designed for the call to prayer and human comfort at different times of day. Sidewalks and plazas should

Nighttime Activity in Doha, Qatar: The rhythms of public realm use differ greatly in the Middle East from more temperate climates. Park and waterfront spaces in Abu Dhabi are well used and suggest different design features than might be needed during hot and humid daytimes.

be programmed for an active public realm that values café society, small group gathering, and heavier use at night when temperatures are cooler. These spaces should be well lighted for nighttime social activity. The public realm should be designed to provide relief from both daytime climate exposure and the pressures of dense urban living.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4 – DESIGN INNOVATION FOR MEMORABLE PLACES: The public realm of the CBD should be a memorable place that draws Abu Dhabians, other Emiratis, regional visitors and foreign tourists. One means of achieving a memorable public realm is through innovative and distinctive design imagery. This can occur through both a districtwide strategy of imageable systems, as well as the design of special moments in the city. Resonant design of street and transportation networks is key to creating this memorable character. Unique and cutting edge design of parks, plazas, shadeways and retail areas is also important. Abu Dhabi’s public realm should capitalize on the wealth of the nation to create a place of pride, memorability, and value in the capital city.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Atelier Jean Nouvel:

Abu Dhabi’s natural landscapes, Islamic tracery, and pearling history inspired Jean Nouvel’s innovative design for the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Here is a great example of how historic references can be used to reinforce place-making while remaining relevant to the region and local culture.

an interplay of natural and urban systems the confluence of context and creativity a legible hierarchy of paths and experiences

SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

FOR VIABILITY OVER THE LONGTERM, THE PUBLIC REALM WILL BE COMPRISED OF SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE LOCAL CONTEXT.

The CBD’s urban ecology strains under the weight of unsustainable practices. At the edge between saltwater conditions and a harsh desert ecosystem, Abu Dhabi faces immense environmental pressures with respect to energy, freshwater resources, and human comfort. Rapid physical development, population growth and over-consumptive irrigation exhaust natural water resources and require significant energy expenditures for desalinization. A majority of the fresh water supply is used to irrigate public realm landscapes. At current consumption rates, Abu Dhabi’s water table will be depleted by 2030. The city’s vehicular circulation and transport systems are auto dominated, traffic-choked, pollution producing, and uninviting for social use. Transportation of goods and people is marked by confusing and dangerous traffic patterns, requiring longer than necessary routes through the city. The pedestrian realm is illegible, disconnected and covered in surface parking. The large amount of unshaded and hardscaped public realm space exacerbates heat and exposure impacts on people—resulting in a socially unsustainable public realm throughout much of the year. To create a more sustainable environment for Abu Dhabi’s CBD, natural and urban ecologies must be supported with climatalogically appropriate technologies that suit the environmental context. The public realm should be defined by infrastructure systems that minimize environmental impact and forestall resource threats for future generations. Landscapes should be designed for longterm survival with little drain on natural systems, while maximizing human comfort and social use of space. Public realm interventions should create a contextbased CBD that is imageable and memorable – one that is synchronous with the natural environment through urban innovation. The ‘ecology’ of the CBD should reinforce a new interplay between people, nature, and urban systems. To attain efficient transport functions, the public realm should move away from auto domination and toward a balanced, multi-modal system for pedestrians, transit, bikes and cars. Public open space should evolve from large lawns and inaccessible spaces to a legible hierarchy of experiences and pathways designed for people. Pedestrian space should be imageable, distinct and protected from the negative impacts of auto use. Native and drought resistant species are used in landscaping. Shading, climate comfort and public space programming should activate public spaces. Abu Dhabi’s public realm can be sustained over time for the benefit of its people.

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 5 - RESOURCE CONSERVING TECHNOLOGIES: Abu Dhabi’s desert climate poses particular resource challenges with respect to continued and expected urban growth. To ensure the city’s sustainability into the future, ecologically-based urban design pratices will help to conserve water and energy resources over time. High performance buildings, water conservation and reuse, renewable energy sources and waste recycling should be at the heart of public realm planning. New transit systems should be implemented and ridership incentivized to reduce fossil fuel consumption associated with vehicle use. Walkability should be encouraged through streetscape design to get people out of personal vehicles and into a more comfortable public Traditional Windtower- Bastakiya, Dubai:

These locally relevant structures help to cool buildings by drawing hot air up and out of living spaces.

realm. Water should be conserved through new grey water systems for landscape irrigation and climatologically responsive plantings.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 6 - CONTEXT APPROPRIATE LANDSCAPE MATERIALS: To help conserve freshwater resources, urban landscapes should be designed with plant and tree species native to the region, or conversely with drought resistant species that provide desired imagery. Continued use of iconic plant materials should be based on their appropriateness within the environmental and water contexts of Abu Dhabi. Where programmed recreation and social spaces are desired, these could be designed with some expense of water resources for lawns, playfields and tree canopies. Where no human interaction is expected with the visual landscape, all efforts should be made to provide xeriscaped

Non-native Species require Exorbitant Irrigation, Dubai: Extensive irrigation of planted

areas exhausts limited water resources and represents an unsustainable model for designing urban landscapes.

plantings to avoid excessive water use. These areas should be planted with drought resistant species that require little maintenance and upkeep. The use of a well-defined landscape palette in the CBD will help to build a sense of place based in local ecosystems and vegetation.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 7 – MORE COMPACT AND EFFICIENT LAND DEVELOPMENT: In line with Plan 2030, land consumption patterns in Abu Dhabi should seek to become more efficient through more compact development patterns. Land policies might be adjusted to ensure continued Emirati access to suburban land, while adjusting lot proportions and reducing public rights-of-way for streets and infrastructure. Infrastructure and utility lines should be planned more efficiently by bundling systems together in compact cofigurations, rather than dedicating separate easements for each system. Along with land policy adjustments, traditional housing types might be reintroduced that consume less land area and conserve energy through passive cooling systems.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 8 – A FINER GRAIN STREET NETWORK TO REDUCE DRIVING DISTANCES: The CBD’s super-block structure makes it very difficult for visitors and residents to get to their destinations directly. Instead, the blocks are long and require drivers to go out of their way to enter mid-block areas. Introducing more signalized intersections and connector streets at mid-block locations will create a more flexible route system that can get drivers to their destinations more directly and potentially diminish arterial traffic. These interventions are also important for pedestrians – allowing safer and more frequent street crossings.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 9 – HUMAN COMFORT IN A DESERT CLIMATE: For the CBD to reach its potential, the public realm needs to

Central Business District Street Network Diagram: The superblock structure of Abu Dhabi’s

CBD funnels traffic to urban arterials rather than distributing it more evenly across the city. Because urban street networks are disconnected, this often causes longer driving distances because route choice is limited.

be made more comfortable in response to the hot & humid desert climate. While the CBD’s building fabric provides a good deal of shade at certain spots and times, a more holistic strategy is needed to protect those areas that have little protection from the elements, especially during summer months when the sun is more directly overhead. Sidewalks, parks, plazas and other pedestrian areas will require shading strategies to help people avoid sun exposure and encourage public realm use. These strategies might include formal shade structures, simple canvas coverings, umbrellas and awnings, as well as tightly spaced tree canopies. A focus of any shading strategy should be the provision of shade structures at transit stops.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 10 – WALKABLE DISTANCES TO OPEN SPACE: Given the difficulty, discomfort and walking distances in Abu Dhabi’s CBD, the open space network should be based on a distribution of spaces that encourages access and human comfort. As a standard, city parks, shadeways and other open spaces should be less than a quarter mile (approx. 350 m) walk from any point in the CBD. Areas of the CBD

Abu Dhabi Library and Cultural Center: The

Cultural Center’s orientation channels wind while this arcade creates a cool indoor/outdoor space in the hot desert climate.

that are underserved by public open spaces should be targeted for new interventions and public realm programming. In addition to more formal spaces, more modest sikkas, courtyards and mosque areas should be considered part of this network. To offset the effects of crowding and lack of private exterior space in high density housing areas, compensatory public realm space should be provided. Residents should have direct access to the public realm immediately adjacent to their buildings.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

a model of Arab and Muslim unity a meeting point between east and west a marketplace of ideas

CULTURAL CROSSROADS

ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CULTURAL CROSSROADS FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Over the last 50 years, Abu Dhabi has become an important cultural mixing ground, bringing people together worldwide for work and relaxation. The tapping of Abu Dhabi’s considerable natural resources has resulted in tremendous economic growth. Because of this, Abu Dhabi has become a gateway to the Arabian Peninsula for those within the region and beyond. Two parallel international phenomena have encouraged a diverse demograhic mix in the city: (1) the rise of a global business community associated with international trade; and, (2) a rapid influx of expatriate guest workers to support the economic boom of the last few decades. These phenomena have engendered two distinct patterns of multi-cultural experience in Abu Dhabi. On the one hand, Abu Dhabi is home to prominent government, business, and tourism industries that attract educated and affluent visitors. Many professional level expatriates are employed by Abu Dhabi’s business and government organizations. On the other hand, a large population of less-affluent guest workers supports the industries that cater to the city’s retail and professional class. Abu Dhabi manages to be a vibrant and comfortable home to both of these groups. The CBD’s geographic location makes it a natural meeting point in the city and figuratively within the region. It is located at the crossroads of important urban functions within Abu Dhabi – between the waterfront to the north and palace district to the west, the new island developments to the east and government functions to the south. In addition to its role as a service center for these neighboring districts, the CBD has become a marketplace of ideas, business and culture. The CBD’s ability to remain a viable cultural crossroads is important to its continued success. The district’s public realm should provide more legible and inviting places for tourists and business people. It should offer public space programming and improved places for different groups to come together socially and professionally. It should enhance the centers of religious activity as gathering places where Emiratis and non-nationals can come together. The city’s CBD is a peaceful model for Arab, Islamic and Western unity, bridging cultural and ethnic diffferences – this should continue. Abu Dhabi’s CBD should continue to be a place where paths cross: a place where cultural, religious, economic, and inter-personal mixing thrives.

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 11 – THE PUBLIC REALM AS A SOCIAL MIXING GROUND: The public realm throughout the CBD should be considered as a means for people of diverse ethnic and economic background to mix in shared space. Social mixing helps to break down demographic barriers and allow people to learn about each other through exposure and familiarity. Pre-conceived notions can be dispelled. Intolerance and alterity can be diminished. The public realm includes not just parks and plazas, but also the street network, residential courtyards, public retail corridors and religious spaces. Together these should be programmed to provide ample places for sitting, gathering, eating, socializing and recreating together. Because of this great mixing ground CBD Cafe Activity at Night: Cooler nighttime temparatures encourage active use of the public realm around the clock. Cafes are one of the few spots in the city where you can see people of various backgrounds mixing and socializing.

of people, choice in public realm programming should be stressed. The public realm needs to be considered as more than abstract volumetric space, measured according to some type of minimum spatial standard. Rather, it needs to be conceived as a fabric that provides opportunity to bind society together in a shared purpose.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 12 – THE STREET NETWORK AS RESONANT WAYFINDING: A vision of a Cultural Crossroads is not just socially metaphorical, but functional as well. Throughout the CDB, the circulation network should be designed to provide a clear hierarchy of wayfinding. This should allow vehicles, bikes and pedestrians throughout the CBD to find transit connections, and to arrive at places without confusion. But the circulation system should be considered for more than simple throughput across the district. Rather, the CBD’s circulation network should be considered a linking system allowing people to access desired anchors, cross paths and mix. Streetscaping in the CBD should be designed as a kit of parts using a dedicated and clear palette of materials to provide cross-district design resonance. The physical identity of streets Central Business District Signage: Abu Dhabi’s current street and zone numbering system of siganage complicates wayfinding.

within the hierarchy of the system should be clear and identifiable to let visitors and residents know they are in a special district. While distinct boundaries may not be necessary, people should know they have arrived and find direction through design.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 13 – A LADDER OF PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY: For pedestrians and cyclists, Abu Dhabi’s circulation network can be unsafe at busy intersections, disconnected at mid-block areas, fragmented along sidewalks, and climatalogically uncomfortable in the desert heat. Intersections can be a multi-lane jumble of turning movements, poorly designed medians, and heavy congestion – making

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

simple street crossing nerve-wracking, if not dangerous. The CBD’s superblock structure makes it difficult to cross between mid-block locations, encouraging jaywalkers across fast-moving traffic. Curbside surface parking, access driveways and curbcuts break up sidewalk paths into a meandering experience of level changes and vehicle avoidance. And because of the local climate, sun exposure and hardscape surfaces, CBD streets can be uncomfortable to walk. To overcome these challenges, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling network should be constructed to provide places for pedestrians to access desired destinations in both north-south and east-west directions. This ladder of pedestrian connectivity should be designed to address both aesthetic concerns and human comfort in crossing the district. Shade structures, tree canopies, awnings and other coverings

Bicyclist Crossing Hamdan Street at Midblock: Bicycling is difficult and dangerous in Abu

Dhabi because no specific right-of-way is dedicated for them.

should be utilized to protect pedestrians from exposure. This grid of special paths should be developed with layered spaces to provide pathways for gender separation (where possible), cycling and pedestrian zones – all protected from moving vehicles. At times these paths can be pedestrian only; at other times multi-modal.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 14 – MORE INVITING PUBLIC REALM SPACES: Parks, plazas, streets and other public realm spaces should be designed for active social use. To create valued places in the public realm, some existing spaces may need to be studied, reprogrammed and redesigned for increased activity, opened up for greater access, and sometimes better enclosed at the edges to buffer against negative externalities such as traffic and noise. Overly formalist western landscape designs can be uncomfortable in hot climates if not designed sensitively for groups, families, seating and interaction. Within Emirati culture, opportunities for public realm privacy should be explored without the negetive perceptions of exclusion. Park fencing and plantings can often be a hindrance to accessibility – forcing long walks to find entrances. Parks often lack synergistic development to support leisure activities, such as ablutionary blocks, restaurants, vendors, cafes and potable water. At

Cricket in the Corniche Parking Lot: On a

Friday afternoon, men play cricket in the parking lot because the Corniche Park provides no cricket fields.

streetside, space should be left available for cafe owners to set up seating areas with ease and patron comfort in mind. The public realm should be designed for social use as a priority, rather than minimizing maintenance costs by keeping spaces empty. Human comfort, accessibility, shade provision, increased seating, and urban greening should be the focus here.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

VIBRANT & LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOOD

re-imagined Emirati housing typologies intimate scale and neighborhood spaces collectivity and amenity

ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE VIBRANT & LIVABLE, INFILLED TO SHAPE AND REINFORCE THE PUBLIC REALM.

At the heart of Abu Dhabi’s CBD lies a residential neighborhood where diverse populations live, local retail flourishes, people socialize, and the city moves. For a large-sized CBD (compared to other modern cities of its age), a relatively intimate scale exists at the ground plane, with small floor-plate buildings placed in close proximity. The neighborhood is confronted, however, by a host of public realm challenges – from congested, over-sized arterials and pedestrian walkability issues to placeless urbanism and a lack of well-programmed social space. A retrofitted public realm will build off what currently thrives in the CBD, while restitching the fabric that holds it together. At the same time, Abu Dhabi’s CBD is forced to confront a new future. Al Reem and Al Suwwah Islands are being developed into the new financial and business hubs of the city. Many of the corporate anchors of the current CBD are likely to relocate there. Education, art and cultural institutions are being established on Saadiyat Island. And a new Capital City on the mainland south of Abu Dhabi Island will house the majority of the Emirate’s government institutions. Abu Dhabi’s CBD will have to adapt to remain relevant. Focusing on public realm redesign will help to transform this residential district into a vibrant and more livable neighborhood. Residents and visitors to the CBD will have increased choices in housing, retail, transportation, and public open space. These choices are tied together by a more legible circulation system. New connector streets will provide mid-block access to the superblocks and link the CBD to waterfront amenities. A newly introduced loop-road system will help to regularize mid-block circulation, establish wayfinding, and provide access to a new system of underground parking. Mid-block circulation improvements will help to free the ground plane from auto dominance. The super-blocks will be infilled with innovative housing typologies, mosque-focused gathering spaces, and the introduction of shadeways and multi-modal connectors. A system of shared semiprivate courtyards will provide adjacent access to the public realm for residents. A publicly implemented underground parking system within residential areas will help to retain the neighborhood’s fine-grained building fabric. Coherence within public realm design will help to provide a rejuventated identity and compensatory open space to Abu Dhabi’s densest neighborhood.

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 15– A SIMPLIFIED MID-BLOCK STREET NETWORK: Circulation within neighborhood superblocks is currently a confusing tangle of through roads, access stubs, parking structures, and service entrances – all of which are punctuated by immense areas of surface parking. A simplified system of mid-block loop and access stubs should be implemented to provide vehicular access in central neighborhood areas. This loop road system will be integrated with curbside access, underground parking structures, sidewalks, and dedicated bikeways. Access to the center of loop road areas will be made available with a subsystem of vehicular alleys, sikkas and shadeways. The neighborhood should additionally be connected to the rest of the CBD by new multi-modal north-south connector streets at mid-block areas. These streets should be visually distinct and help pedestrians find their way to key destinations Arterial Crossing in the CBD: Superblock

streets lack shading, seating, and wayfinding, making navigation difficult and uncomfortable for pedestrians.

such as the waterfront. Loop roads and north-south connectors should be streetscaped with a visually resonant palette of trees, hardscape materials, lighting and public furnishings to provide physical identity for the neighborhood.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 16 – PARKING STRATEGIES TO FREE THE PUBLIC REALM: A key goal of neighborhood public realm redevelopment is the removal of most surface parking to publicly-funded underground parking structures. These parking structures will replace surface parking that is partially removed from peripheral arterials because of streetscape improvements, but also from mid-block areas that are universally covered in unattractive and uncomfortable surface lots. These structures should be well integrated within the fabric of neighborhood streets and building clusters so they are visually benign, rather than the primary focus of public realm design. Parking structure entrance ramps should be located conveniently throughout the neighborhood in a rational manner for ease of driver wayfinding. The bulk of this parking should be located beneath public rights-of-way in areas that are currently unencumbered by existing development. This parking will be targeted for visitors, retail customers and tenants. In residential areas where building floor plates cannot accommodate the large areas required for ramped entrances, these access ramps should be located between buildings as a public underground system. Removing ramp space from residential parcel Surface Parking in the CBD: The vast majority

of space in the CBD is devoted to vehicular space for movement and parking. This results in making the public realm more uncomfortable and unusable in this desert climate due to oppressive heat island effects.

responsibility will allow individual buildings to plug into a public system of access – maximizing residential parking directly beneath housing blocks. The amount of parking should be provided at current levels until such time that transit development is established.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 17 – A SHADEWAY TO LINK THE DISTRICT: The size and dimension of superblocks within the CBD makes districtwide east-west connection difficult. Wayfinding between Al Hosn Fort and the adjacent Cultural Center and the Eastern Corniche is confusing and onerous for the pedestrian. The development of an east-west shadeway will provide direct and imageable connection between these anchors. Arterial traffic, surface parking, poor building placement, a fragmented ground plane, and lack of pedestrian amenity are challenges to the implementation of such a linkage. The shadeway will combine the regionally appropriate form of the souk with an urban landscape that helps create a unique and important public realm contribution to the urban fabric of the CBD. This “landscape souk” can become a regional visitor destination offering an important retail and leisure space for the district. It can help focus social energy and neighborhood activity to a truly public space that encourages the social mixing indicative of the CBD’s population. The shadeway will be located to intersect important spatial punctuation along its path: mosques, schools, parks, and key retail nodes. Its design will provide a unifying physical identity to the neighborhood and enable safe arterial crossing between blocks. Most importantly it can help reorient the economic life and identity of the neighborhood as it is impacted by the development of the new island districts to the east.

Souks Throughout the Arab World: The design and structure of souks can be varied and help to reinforce a sense of place, encourage different uses and activities, and provide a setting for an active commercial life.

Top: Textile Souk in Dubai Middle: Damascus Souk at Night Bottom: Textile Souk in Marrakech

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 18 – NEIGHBORHOOD LIVABILITY THROUGH PUBLIC REALM CHOICE: To address the great diversity of users and social need, the public realm of the central neighborhood should be outfitted with a variety of leisure space alternatives. A key characteristic of the most livable neighborhoods is choice in how people can use space. The neighborhood should contain both formal and informal spaces – active and passive spaces – flexible spaces for daytime and nighttime use – and varied public and private spaces. The public realm should be furnished with plentiful seating that is at times fixed in space to help define the shape of places, but also individually movable to allow personal preference for sun/shade comfort and level of social interaction. Public realm spaces should reflect local culture and design traditions to help define physical identity, including the use of paradise garden themes, cafes, water features, palm bosques, mosque forecourts, shadeways and souks. Universal throughout all these spaces is the need for physical comfort in shading, cooling and ventilation. This can be achieved through evaporative cooling, built structures, vegetative cover, the use of light Elektra Park Mosque: Every mosque in Abu Dhabi

has space around it that can be reclaimed for the public realm. Typically these spaces are underprogrammed and under-utilized. They have the opportunity to become a key focus of public realm improvement in downtown Abu Dhabi.

colored pavements, and tree planting. Other functional challenges to livability also need to be addressed in the public realm, including: the placement of rubbish bins and recycling areas, regular maintenance and dust removal, the buffering of electric substations and service areas, and the provision of loading zones. A focus on livability will require constant monitoring and attention to detail.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

VISION AND PRINCIPLES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 19 – FINE-GRAINED INFILL DEVELOPMENT TO SHAPE THE PUBLIC REALM: The CBD’s central neighborhood is filled with a number of deteriorating and vulnerable buildings that are slated for replacement over the next few years. These redevelopment sites provide opportunity to remake the fabric of the neighborhood through residential and retail infill buildings that can actively shape public realm space. This principle calls for the clustering of residential building blocks in perimeter form around residential courtyards. These urban places will provide semi-private open space directly adjacent to residential units, and help to disperse public realm space on a finer grain throughout the city. The courtyards should be designed with shade structures and tree canopies to the north and east sides of each open space to protect users from direct solar exposure. A network of access streets, underground parking

Informal Park Space Near the Lighting District: Men socialize in informal outdoor spaces during evening hours. This happens throughout the CBD in public plazas, planted medians and in cafes. Vegetated spaces are often well-used because of their cooling effects.

entrances, sikkas and pedestrian shadeways should be interwoven through these housing clusters to provide multi-modal access to housing areas. Infill development should consider the relative demographic and economic profile of specific sub-districts within the neighborhood to appropriately match housing types to social needs. This fine-grained development pattern will continue the built fabric tradition of the current superblocks, while providing a greater level of public realm amenity.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 20 – NEW HOUSING TYPES FOR EMIRATI HOUSEHOLDS: A distinct goal of the Public Realm Plan is the hope of drawing Emirati households back to live in the CBD. This will require a supply of unique housing types that are appropriate for CBD density levels, while offering amenities that approach suburban villa living. To draw Emirati families to the CBD, new housing types will need to provide high quality of life with respect to unit size, design features, parking supply, spatial privacy and private exterior space. Housing types should be supplied at a variety of densities and unit configurations to reflect lifestyle cycles for singles, couples, nuclear and extended families. These residential types should offer innovative choice: courtyard houses, midrise apartments, and tower housing. To compete with suburban villa living, government land and housing policy might be amended to incentivize urban living as a choice. For Abu Dhabi’s CBD, these new housing types can help to reinvigorate the residential and economic life of the city – as well as repopulate downtown Abu Dhabi with its citizens.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Historic Courtyard House Plan, Iraq: The Public Realm Plan reinterprets traditional courtyard housing to develop new typologies which meet modern needs.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

CHAPTER 3

URBAN SYSTEMS WHETHER THE PARIS METRO OR A LOS ANGELES FREEWAY – PARADISE GARDENS OF ISFAHAN OR HIGH-RISES IN HONG KONG; PUBLIC REALM DESIGN IS ASSOCIATED DIRECTLY WITH URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. URBAN NETWORKS OF TRANSIT, CIRCULATION, OPEN SPACE, AND HOUSING ORGANIZE CITIES BOTH PHYSICALLY AND CONCEPTUALLY. LIKEWISE IN ABU DHABI’S CBD, URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE IS IMPORTANT IN CREATING IMAGEABLE AND LIVABLE PLACES. AT TIMES, URBAN SYSTEMS IN ABU DHABI PLACE CONSTRAINTS ON PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS – UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE’S IMPACT ON SIDEWALK TREE PLANTING FOR INSTANCE. AT OTHER TIMES, THE NASCENT QUALITY OF UNDER-DEVELOPED NETWORKS SUGGESTS OPPPORTUNITIES NOT YET REALIZED – SUCH IS THE CASE WITH ABU DHABI’S MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM. IN THE PAST, SOME OF THE CITY’S URBAN SYSTEMS WERE DESIGNED FOR OVERLY SIMPLISTIC GOALS AND BUILT TO UNIVERSALIZED ENGINEERING STANDARDS. PLAN 2030 AND THE SURFACE TRANSPORT MASTER PLAN MARK ABU DHABI’S DISTINCT DEPARTURE FROM PAST INFRASTRUCTURE PRACTICES; CHARTING A NEW COURSE FOR CITY SERVICES THAT ARE CONTEXTUAL, STRATEGIC AND VISIONARY. THE PUBLIC REALM PLAN INTERPRETS THESE OVER-ARCHING VISIONS TO IMAGINE HOW THEY MIGHT SPECIFICALLY TRANSFORM THE PUBLIC REALM OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.

URBAN SYSTEMS

URBAN SYSTEMS METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION The automobile dominates Abu Dhabi’s current metropolitan transportation network. High-speed arterials delineate a superblock development grid in both the urban areas and the mainland suburbs. Collector and local roads allow for circulation at a finer grain but generally do not extend beyond the boundaries of individual superblocks. Buses are the only public transit option, offering extensive service within the Central Business District and limited coverage across the rest of Abu Dhabi Island. Currently, none of the routes extends to the mainland. The transit network will expand substantially in the near future, as Vision for Abu Dhabi’s Future Transit System: The Surface Transit Master Plan provides a framework for developing a multi-modal transportation network, offering a sustainable model for mobility in the long term.

detailed in Abu Dhabi’s Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP). Following the vision set by Plan 2030, the STMP introduces several new modes of transit to the region. A new high-speed rail line will travel to Dubai from the Central Business District and the planned Capital City District. A rapid transit metro line will transport passengers on longer trips within the region, serving the islands as well as the mainland. Lastly, a series of tramlines will travel along some of the busier, more prominent arterials making frequent stops appropriate for short trips. The Public Realm Plan operates within this metropolitan transportation framework to offer concrete alternatives for how the network will function on the ground.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

Abu Dhabi Surface Transport Master Plan

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

SERVING THE CBD AND CORNICHE WITH TRANSIT Currently, the transit network within the Central Business District consists of nine bus routes. These routes span the top of Abu Dhabi Island, running from Al Mina to the Marina Mall and continuing toward the mainland near Airport Road. The system currently does not extend off the island, and several lower density residential and institutional districts are underserved. All nine routes run on Hamdan, Zayed, or Airport roads, making the CBD one of the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-served areas. Al Mina Shopping Center

Emirates Palace Hotel

Marina Mall

Current Abu Dhabi Bus System Route 9 Route 8 Route 7 Route 5 Route 32 Route 34 Route 54 Route 44 Route 52 2.5km

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

The planned transit improvements envisioned in Plan 2030 and detailed in Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Surface Transport Master Plan will alter this circulation pattern substantially, however. The high-speed rail from Dubai will stop in the Central Business District, slightly northeast of the four-block study area. The underground metro will connect the CBD to other regional destinations, including Al Suwwah, Al Reem, Saadiyat Island, and the Capital City District. It will run across Hamdan Street and connect to the rest of Abu Dhabi Island along Airport Road. The proposed tram system will cover the CBD extensively, running along all major arterials, connecting with the regional metro, and making local stops at intervals of no more than 500 meters (Abu Dhabi Surface Transport Master Plan, 2009). The Public Realm Plan operates within these parameters, but recommends two modifications. First, the Public Realm Plan recommends that new trams should stop at each arterial intersection, with one additional stop at the mid-block of east-west arterials. From east to west, superblocks are between 550 and 780 meters long, making mid-block stops vital to transit accessibility. Second, the Public Realm Plan extends the tram network to the waterfront to increase the vitality of this asset. Currently, the Surface Transport Master Plan does not include transit for Corniche Road. As a consequence, the waterfront would not be easily accessible by the new transit network, diminishing its utility to Abu Dhabi visitors and residents.

Study Area

Transport Proposal for the Central Business District High Speed Rail to Dubai Metro Tram Proposed Tram Expansion 1km

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

VEHICULAR CIRCULATION Automobile traffic travels through the Central Business District along a grid of arterials intended for high speeds. The wide rights-of-way accommodate many lanes of traffic and the prevalence of these roads offers drivers several options to travel through the CBD. Due to the consistent height of buildings lining the arterials and the series of palm trees planted in many of the medians, the arterials are often considered the more memorable images of Abu Dhabi. However, the overwhelming dominance of the car results in unsafe and unpleasant streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. Pedestrians can be uncomfortable walking or waiting for buses at curbside where nothing separates them from the fast moving and noisy traffic in the street. Crossing such large arterials proves hazardous: from March to November in 2008, 200 pedestrian deaths occurred in Abu Dhabi (Gulf News, 21 Nov 2008). Despite the priority given to automobile traffic, drivers encounter difficulty navigating the system, particularly when moving within the CBD. The arterials are spaced approximately 350 meters apart north-south, meeting in large, often hectic intersections. Between these intersections the arterials function as barriers. There is no way to cross arterial medians when traveling on smaller streets or making a left turn to access buildings on the opposite side of the road. Consequently, drivers must take circuitous routes to reach their destinations.

Current CBD Street Grid Arterial Existing Intersection 1km

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

The dominance of the automobile comes at the expense of other transport modes, particularly pedestrians, and ultimately fails to serve drivers well. In response, the Public Realm Plan envisions a grid of pacified urban arterials in the Central Business District designed to accommodate cars, transit, cyclists and pedestrians. The Public Realm Plan introduces midblock connector streets that cross these pacified arterials in signalized intersections, resulting in a finer grain of circulation throughout the district. Loop roads introduced within the superblocks can organize traffic flows, provide access to underground parking structures, and allow for service access to buildings. A newly rationalized local road system can provide clearer wayfinding for all modes of transport and make trips shorter and more efficient - saving time, reducing pollution, and conserving fuel sources.

Vehicular Circulation Proposal Arterial Passified Arterial North South Connector Loop Road Existing Intersection Proposed Intersection 1km

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

OPEN SPACE NETWORK Abu Dhabi’s existing open space network consists of formal parks centralized on the northern part of the island, and informal neighborhood plaza spaces scattered throughout the CBD. Existing parks offer manicured recreation space for the city. However, they are typically disconnected from residential areas. Informal hardscape plazas are common gathering places for CBD residents but are not designed for comfort or recreation.

Existing Open Space Network Formal Parks Informal Parks and Plazas 1km

Supporting concepts of Sustainability and Contemporary Emirati Urbanism, a new model for open space must be based on resource conservation and culturally appropriate traditions. In traditional Arab cultures, the souk and mosque are more important for the city’s social and recreational life than resource-taxing manicured gardens. The Public Realm Plan recommends returning to a localized model of climate-appropriate informal open spaces where neighbors can gather, relax, and play. The Central Business District’s numerous interstitial spaces exhibit great potential, but must be reconceptualized to provide necessary human comforts. The proposed “Green Ladder” combines formal parks, retrofitted neighborhood plazas, and multimodal streets to create an integrated system of connectivity between residential and recreational spaces. The Green Ladder uses streetscaped arterials and pedestrian-focused connectors to link CBD residents with a hierarchy of recreation spaces. Several types of connections exist, providing paths to move along, and places to stop and gather. These include north-south connector streets, recreational bike loops, primary and secondary pedestrian paths, and pedestrian spines through existing parks.

Proposed Green Ladder for the CBD Green Ladder Components 1km

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

Bicycle Routes Currently, bicycling is not a prevalent mode of transportation in Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CBD. In traffic counts conducted at the corner of Airport Road and Hamdan Street in early February 2009, cyclists composed only one percent of the observed traffic. However, bicycles parked throughout the block interiors suggest it is a much utilized transport mode within the Central Business District. Currently, cyclists travel on the wider sidewalks, throughout interior streets and parking areas, and move with traffic on the arterials; however, only one designated route for biking exists, running along the Corniche as a recreational path.

Existing Bike Network for the CBD Recreational Bike Lane 1km

The Public Realm Plan encourages cycling to become a more prevalent mode of transportation and recreation by designating specific routes for cyclists in areas where sharing space with vehicles would be unsafe or unpleasant otherwise. Cycling offers an affordable and sustainable method of travel for residents of all income levels. First, as part of pacifying the urban arterials, separate and marked bicycle lanes will provide a protected and pleasant route to commuters throughout the CBD. Second, as part of the Green Ladder, north-south connector streets link the CBD to a recreational waterfront bike loop. Unlike the pacified arterials, bicyclists and pedestrians receive priority along the connector streets. The recreational bike loop extends the existing waterfront bike path to Lulu Island. These special, recreational bike paths have the potential to become a desired part of an everyday commute, but are also worthy of specific trips to the waterfront.

Proposed Bike Network for the CBD Arterial Bike Lanes Recreational Bike Lanes Future Al Mina Extension 1km

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

Streets Despite the prioritization of car travel and a lack of public space amenities, many pedestrians travel the streets of the CBD. In response to a lack of quality pedestrian amenities, prioritization of streets and walkways as specially-treated public spaces is a central tenet of the Public Realm Plan. Enhanced streetscapes encourage pedestrians to walk by offering a refuge from traffic hazards and a visually interesting environment. In order to create pleasant places to walk and sit, Abu Dhabi’s climate requires extensive shading and street furniture that can remain cool in hot temperatures. Additionally, buffers must comfortably protect the pedestrian from the vehicular right-of-way. The Public Realm Plan offers a systematic strategy for pedestrianization by designing streetscapes for many different conditions, including urban arterials, north-south connectors, interior loop roads, and sikkas. Each level of design accommodates traffic, parking, bike lanes, and transit as appropriate, while incorporating designated shaded space for walking, stopping, and Proposed Pedestrian Network Pedestrianized Streets North-South Connectors & Shadeway 1km

gathering. In addition to an overall street system strategy covering the larger Central Business District, the plan suggests the development of two pedestrianonly circulation routes. First, a four-block “shadeway” running east-west

Shadeway

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

through the study area allows for easy movement between blocks, creates a critical mass of activity to support sale of specialized wares, and fosters a true cultural crossroads. Second, a system of residential pathways will move east-west thorugh the Central Business Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighborhoods. When coupled with the new north-south connectors, pedestrians will have a much improved and safer network of access through the district.

Parks and Plazas While streets provide space for significant improvement in outdoor life, parks and plazas offer a wider range of options for recreational activities and social gatherings. An effective system of park and plaza spaces can be distributed proportionately throughout the Central Business District. Thirteen percent of the land in the CBD is currently devoted to parks, however, residents encounter difficulty accessing these places. Formal parks are typically located beyond a comfortable walking distance (five minutes or 350 meters) from residential areas and are difficult and dangerous to access on foot. Though they are well maintained and spacious, these places face challenges of easy entry, connectivity, and programming. These issues hamper their ability to adequately serve the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population. The Public Realm Plan suggests simple interventions

350m Walkshed to Existing Formal Parks:

This walkshed map highlights the areas within 350 meters of a park. Because parks are centralized on the north side of the CBD, the majority of the district is under-served by formal parks. Formal Parks Walkshed

1km

to improve the level of open-space service.

Corniche Park

Corniche Beach

Capitol Park Elektra Park

Khalidiya Park

Existing Formal Park Network for the CBD 1km

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

While existing parks provide a peaceful respite from the city, observations indicate that neighborhood plaza spaces are the most popular places for CBD residents to gather. Most of Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plazas are underutilized interstitial spaces between buildings, streets, and medians. Despite their physical design challenges, many of these informal plazas are well-used as social spaces. They are often located at key spots in the city with good visual access. With minor design interventions, such as street furniture, 350m Walkshed to Proposed Parks and Plazas: This completed walkshed map shows that the entire CBD can be served by park and plaza spaces for recreation. No new land would need to be claimed to complete this walkshed. Rather, existing interstitial spaces between buildings, adjacent to mosques, adjoing commercial buildings, and surface parking lots could be redesigned as comfortable public open space. Note: New formal park proposals reflect standing development plans.

shading devices and programming, they could become important nodes within a future open space system. The proposed locations for plaza distribution include vacant areas located near mosques, schools and commercial areas, or at the center of residential precincts. New plaza placement should also ensure that all residents of the district are within a 350m walking distance of a park or plaza.

Formal Parks Informal Parks and Plazas Walkshed 1km

Proposed Open Space Network Formal parks Informal plazas 1km

Medians

Spaces Between Buildings

Areas Adjacent to Mosques

Trash Collection Areas

Planting Strips

Opportunity Spaces for Plaza Development in the Central Business District

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Important Elements of Park Design: The Public Realm Plan evaluates park and plaza quality according to a rubric of six characteristics: Gateways, Imageability, Cultural Consideration, Climate Comfort, Enclosure, and Program. These characteristics are important for evaluating park spaces and helping to determine future action. Where these icons are indicated in the analysis that follows, these suggest that specific elements are already in place as important spatial elements - and need little further attention. Gateways signal the entrance to a park or plaza. They also provide

Gateway

wayfinding for pedestrians, and are links to a network of open space pathways, plazas and parks. They also help to provide visual cues for idenitity, threshold, and access control. Imageability indicates a memorable quality that fits with the character of

Imageability

the city in which it is situated. Imageability also helps to provide design resonance throughout the different parts of an open space network- such as consistent tree species, street furniture, and material palettes. A park that is Culturally Considerate allows for separation between

Culture

for men, women and families, to provide appropriate levels of privacy. Culturally appropriate open spaces might also use local plants and materials as well as regional design motifs such as the paradise garden. A park or plaza that provides Climate Comfort offers respite from the

Climate Comfort

natural and urban elements to its users. Shading, seating, and cooling devices are essential to this comfort, as is noise buffering at edge conditions where traffic is heavy Containment refers to a park’s edge condition. Edges can help give a

Containment

park or plaza a strong identity and create a sense of privacy for the users. Edges can transform vast, monotonous expanses of open space into unique “outdoor living rooms” for public enjoyment. Finally, a well programmed park provides the services its users desire.

Program

Aspects of Program include public amenities such as restaurants, restrooms, and when appropriate - retail. Program also includes appropriate space designations for sports (like football or cricket), picnics, or relaxation.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

Elektra Park Analysis and Recommendations: Elektra Park is a highly successful neighborhood park that has the potential to function as a key open space link within the four block study area. The park is framed by the surrounding office and residential towers, and most prominently by the Friday Mosque at the northern end of the park facing Hamdan Street. As such, Elektra Park is highly accessible to local residents of the superblock, and can be entered from the east and west without crossing an arterial road. Elektra Park’s connectivity as a neighborhood anchor can be improved by eliminating fencing and improving entrances to create a better transition Parks Plazas

between the urban and natural environments. The east and west gateways should be made more prominent, and given a common design treatment to demarcate them not only as park entrances but as part of a connected pathway through the neighborhood. This would allow pedestrians to pass through the park along the east-west axis without disturbing the sanctity of the outdoor rooms in the central and southern areas of the park. Additionally, there is a larger opportunity to strengthen the east-west park

Elektra Park Evaluation Diagram Green Space Access Gating Religious Area Programming Hard Barrier Soft Barrier

boundaries by rethinking the parking strips on either side of the park. Both of these parking strips function as visual and physical barriers between the neighborhood and park, and could be minimized or eliminated to provide space for weekend vendors, expand the park’s footprint, or create northsouth shaded pedestrian links. Coupled with improved east-west gateways, these improvements could greatly enhance the park’s functionality as both a neighborhood anchor and an open space sanctuary.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

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Corniche Park Analysis and Recommendations: Corniche Park is the largest of the parks in the Central Business District, and provides a signature open space with potential connections to both the city and the water. It functions as a place for families to play, tourists to visit, and all to relax and take respite from the bustling urban environment. Shown here is one small element of the larger park along Corniche Road. When visitors approach Corniche Park from the CBD on foot, they first must navigate through a large parking lot. Although a regional park should offer parking, vehicular access should be better located to not impede the flow of pedestrians. This would open up the former parking lots to be reused as new park or development space, accommodating sports fields, or cultural buildings. Additionally, this new space could accommodate limited development, such as restaurants, hotels, or public facilities, where deemed appropriate. Though the park’s vegetation is still in its infancy, the vastness of the

Corniche Park Evaluation Diagram Green Space Access Gating Religious Area Programming Hard Barrier Soft Barrier

park’s open spaces presents a challenge for shading. Large shade structures at the water’s edge provide excellent examples of signature structures that provide shaded gathering space - although they are largely uncomfortable. Shading opportunities exist along major pathways in Corniche Park that could provide pedestrians with a comfortable and continuous route throughout the park system. The northern and southern edges of Corniche Park present distinct challenges to improving edge conditions. Corniche Road has few at-grade pedestrian crossings, and difficult-to-find underground passageways. Enhanced at-grade crosswalks, additional points of signalization, and more convenient underpasses that blend into the park landscape could improve this edge and better connect the Park’s northern border with the water’s edge. Additionally, the parking lots that dominate the southern edge of the park could be transformed into park space, development, or cultural uses that would bring the park closer to residents of the city, enhancing northsouth pedestrian connections. Strategic placement of trees and shading structures could also create better “outdoor rooms” with enhanced enclosure and privacy

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

Standard Plaza Analysis and Recommendations: Plazas are essential pieces of the proposed open space network because they offer convenient social space to Central Business District residents. Within the CBD, plaza spaces currently exist outside mosques and restaurants and in shaded places between buildings. Although the spaces are informal, they could easily be retrofitted with street furniture and shading to create more comfortable social gathering places for residents of these dense superblocks. A typical plaza type in the CBD occurs within the triangular spaces around a Mecca-oriented mosque. In the daytime, men congregate for prayer, socialization, and rest. In the evening hours children often play football. Narrow corridors lead into the plaza, which open up into the main mosque space flanked by a bosque of trees. This interior space is much quieter than the exterior of the superblocks and provides appropriate conditions for the religious activities held here. The majority of the plaza is well shaded during the daytime and offers an excellent sense of enclosure. The mosque minarets signal the gateway to the spaces. Improvements could include more seating and increased lighting at night. Specific street furniture could relate these plazas back to the palette of the broader open space network, enhancing imageability.

Standard Plaza Evaluation Diagram Green Space Access Pedestrian Route Seating Area Congregation Point Soft Barrier

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

METROPOLITAN HOUSING As the largest land use in most cities, housing patterns have important implications for metropolitan areas. Abu Dhabi’s diverse population has a wide range of housing needs. Future residential use patterns will play a substantial role in informing Abu Dhabi’s public realm. Undersupply, unsustainable design, and choice limitation characterize Abu Dhabi’s existing housing stock. The Public Realm Plan introduces three new housing type groups, targeting a variety of density conditions throughout the region, which increase housing choice and suitability while responding to culture and climate.

Housing Challenges As a result of rapid population growth and a temporary moratorium on building (1999-2001), Abu Dhabi’s housing stock is insufficient to meet demand. The city has a five percent residential vacancy rate and less than one percent vacancy in quality office space, indicating the extent to which supply is constrained within the market (Gulf News, Apr 23 2009). As a

US$2,632

US$4,070

result of this undersupply, recent demand levels may have contributed to upward pressure on prices. That, combined with virtually no overhang, may result in unsustainable price levels. Also, real estate may be seen as a commodity (eg Dubai). As seen in the graphic to the right, there is a major disconnect between income levels and housing rental costs. In response, many non-national residents resort to living in units that are overcrowded and deteriorating. The current market reflects a mismatch between supply and demand for housing submarkets. Most existing housing stock was designed for median income to high income residents. Low income residents seeking affordable options must crowd into these apartments for financial feasibility.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Average monthly rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in Abu Dhabi CBD (Gulfnews. com, May 4, 2008)

Average nonnational family monthly income (Khaleej Times, Feb 8, 2009)

URBAN SYSTEMS

A second pervasive housing challenge is the failure of building design to incorporate passive temperature controls, shading and ventilation - the climatic design priorities required by regional realities. Instead, building orientation exposes multiple faces of the structure to direct sunlight over the course of the day, extensive glazing is not coupled with shading strategies, and inoperable windows minimize ventilation opportunities. This increases the cooling load of buildings and unnecessarily increases energy use. The metropolitan area’s housing stock consists predominantly of multifamily “tower” housing and extended-family Emirati villas. Lack of choice in housing options available to Abu Dhabi’s residents limits their ability to select a place to live that accommodates their household size, budget, cultural practices, and preferences. Moreover, as they are currently built, virtues of villas and towers seem mutually exclusive: the efficient use of land achieved by tower housing fails to accommodate the cultural practices of Emirati and other Arab families in the city. The defining characteristic of Abu Dhabi’s demographic composition is the split between Emiratis and non-nationals. In 2005, 88 percent of the United Arab Emirates’ residents were non-nationals, while 12 percent were Emirati nationals (UAE 2005 Census). The household composition and housing demands of these two population groups varies considerably, with different subgroups within. Due to the specific programmatic requirements for an Emirati home, Abu Dhabi’s higher density, urban housing stock modeled after western standards is undesirable for Emirati families. Emiratis typically live with their extended families on villa plots that are granted to each newlymarried couple. As children grow up and establish families, they often remain within their parents’ villas or have their parents move in with them, resulting in household sizes that average just above eight members (UPC Plan 2030). In some cases, however, smaller nuclear families or unmarried males choose to live on their own due to employment or preference. This is especially true of families who are waiting to receive their permanent plot.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

Non-national household composition and housing need is driven largely by income level. Affluent professionals are more likely to have their families living with them and are able to afford larger, high quality units, occasionally in suburban locations. Lower income residents often move to Abu Dhabi without their families to work for local businesses - remitting money back to their home countries. In response to high housing costs, many lower income residents live together in large non-family households, often in over-crowded conditions in the Central Business District.

Existing Distribution of Housing Typologies

The CBDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary housing types are high-rise and mid-rise apartment buildings. Urban villas occupy a fair amount of the island, but suburban villas on the mainland are the predominant housing choice for Emiratis. Worker camps house temporary guest workers in typically industrial or exurban areas. Worker Camp High-Rise Tower Mid-Rise Building Urban Villa / Townhouse Suburban Villa Non Residential Urban Area 10km

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

HOUSING MATRIX - EXISTING POPULATION DENSITY Sparse (1-40 people per acre)

POPULATIONS

Dense (2,000-4,000 people per acre)

EMIRATI Extended Family

Nuclear Family

Single Men

EXPATRIATE FAMILIES High Income

Mid Income

Low Income

EXPATRIATE SINGLES High Income

Mid Income

Low Income

LABORERS

HOUSING TYPE GROUPS Su

Ur an

To w

n Vi lla Vi lla

Mi te

Prevalent Existing Type Group

W or

Ri -R rC se ise To am To Vi w p we er lla r

Existing Type Group

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

HOUSING MATRIX - PROPOSED POPULATION DENSITY Sparse (1-40 people per acre)

POPULATIONS

Dense (2,000-4,000 people per acre)

EMIRATI Extended Family

Nuclear Family

Single Men

EXPATRIATE FAMILIES High Income

Mid Income

Low Income

EXPATRIATE SINGLES High Income

Mid Income

Low Income

LABORERS

HOUSING TYPE GROUPS Prevalent New Type Group Su

Ur an

To w

W or

gh dem ba dnv ur ke nh Ri -R Ri n er ty iu rC se ou se ise Vi te m lla ard se To d am C Vi T Hi lu Vi ow Ho lla p gh st lla wer e us e r R r es s ise

New Type Group Prevalent Existing Type Group Existing Type Group

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

URBAN SYSTEMS

Housing Proposals Based on an analysis of Abu Dhabi’s diverse household types and the housing options available to them, the Public Realm Plan identifies three opportunities to introduce new housing typologies that increase choices while responding to climatic and cultural context. Each of the typologies responds specifically to Abu Dhabi’s desert climate, accommodates cultural practice of the anticipated occupants, and provides occupiable outdoor space for each unit. Each type group is described briefly below, and detailed building and unit plans are included in the Housing chapter. “Premium high rise” towers seek to adapt multi-family high-rise living to Emirati cultural practices. The result is a tower comprised of stacked luxury villas. Each unit has ample private outdoor space and a defined sequence of rooms that respect varying levels of public and private use. The large units could be developed unfinished or finished to customized specifications as a family grows over time. This typology is ideal for parcels near the Corniche, which feature pristine viewsheds of the water. Mid-rise tower housing can offer a range of apartment sizes in buildings clustered around shared courtyards. The buildings offer pleasant living spaces, and the clustering patterns buffer residential areas while providing privacy within more public areas. Consequently, a group of Emirati families might occupy a cluster as could a group of expatriate families. This housing type can be used for infill development strategies within the Central Business District. It also can be used to offer a higher density model for new development near transit stops on the mainland. “Courtyard housing” offers a higher density option for infill development in urban villa neighborhoods on Abu Dhabi Island as well as for new development located further away from transit on the mainland. Courtyard houses offer private open space that allows light and ventilation into the home. As an alternative, stacked courtyard houses combine two units, each with their own entrance and private outdoor space, on the same parcel. This may be a desirable option for some extended-family Emirati households that desire more separation between parts of the larger family. It also offers a way for non-national families to share one parcel.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

URBAN SYSTEMS

Proposed Neighborhood Development Strategies: Existing residential development patterns provide opportunities for new type groups which offer increased levels of housing choice and building sustainability throughout Abu Dhabi. Premium high-rise towers are expected to be built on spaces near the CBDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfront; the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prime real estate. Midrise tower housing provides semi-private outdoor recreation spaces within an urban district. Mid-rise tower clusters can be integrated easily into existing superblock fabrics. New infill strategies emphasizing choice and sustainability should be applied islandwide. New developments should focus on compact development of courtyard and townhouses, which provide the amenities of existing villas while conserving land and creating a more vibrant public realm.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Premium High-Rise Mid-Rise Towers Infill Strategies New Development 10km

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

CHAPTER 4

STREETSCAPE DESIGN THE URBAN STREET IS MUCH MORE THAN A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. THEY OCCUPY THE VAST QUANTITIATVE SPACE OF THE PUBLIC REALM. STREETS IN VIBRANT URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS PROVIDE A PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR RELAXING STROLLS, A RESPITE IN THE SHADE, OR VENUES TO SHOP AND PLAY. THE STREET CAN BE A CROSSROADS THAT BRING MANY PLACES TOGETHER, WHILE ALSO FUNCTIONING AS PLACES OF BALANCED MODE-CHOICE, COMMERCE AND VITALITY. THEY ARE NARROW AND MEANDERING SOUKS IN CAIRO, THE BUSTLE OF BROADWAY IN NEW YORK, OR A CANAL-SIDE PROMENADE IN AMSTERDAM. STREETS ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE CONNECTING PEOPLE AND NEIGHBORHOODS. ABU DHABI’S STREETS BUZZ WITH LIFE. YET, A HISTORY OF AUTO-ORIENTED DESIGN HAS CREATED OBSTACLES AND DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS. MASSIVE ARTERIALS AND WINDING MID-BLOCK ROADWAYS ARE DOMINATED BY CARS. HOWEVER, A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS CAN MAINTAIN AND PROVIDE ACCESS FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSIT, CREATE MORE OPEN SPACE, AND ENHANCE THE VALUE OF NEIGHBORHOODS. ADDITIONALLY, STREETS CAN BE IMPROVED FOR THE PEDESTRIAN BY PROVIDING ACCESS TO NATURAL AND URBAN AMENITIES, RELIEF AND ESCAPE FROM THE HOT SUN, AND ACCESS TO THE REST OF THE ISLAND, MAINLAND, AND REGION.

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN INTRODUCTION In 1967, the city of Abu Dhabi asked the Japanese planner Takahatshi to create a master plan for the future development of Abu Dhabi’s Central Business District (Abu Dhabi Municipality, 2003). This plan, based on the utilitarian ideals of Modernism, generated a street network focused on ease of automobile travel and traffic throughput. Resulting urban form is dominated by vehicular use, with arterial street rights-of-way up to 56m wide. This is wider than entire blocks in some traditional Arab cities. Since its mid-century development boom, auto-oriented engineering standards shaped urban design and development of the Central Business District. This now includes fragmented sidewalks, vehicle-oriented signage, generic and characterless street furniture, unattractive street lighting, and uncomfortable transit stops. Streets can exceed eight car lanes at intersections, making them difficult and dangerous to cross. Poor provisions for pedestrian crossing result in increased jaywalking, which contributes to more than 250 pedestrian-automobile deaths per year (Absal, 2008). Recent roadway development continues to follow earlier patterns, complicating access to public amenities such as the Corniche waterfront. In a climate averaging high temperatures of 43C (110F) during summer months, Central Business District streets are inhospitable to pedestrians (Abu Dhabi Guide, 2009). Minimal access to shade exists with little vegetation, evaporative cooling, or other softening elements. This further Existing Conditions of CBD Streets: The urban form resulting from Takahatshi’s modernist plan is scaled to the automobile, creating unfriendly places for pedestrians.

discourages pedestrian activity. Streets become places to avoid, rather than to inhabit.

Aerial View of Takahatshi’s 1978 Plan

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

The city, however, is beginning to respond to these challenges. Planners are reconsidering both the function and image of streets. Transit planning is underway, and many streets will be reconfigured, including much of the subsurface infrastructure. Additionally, Plan 2030 calls for a reduction in the number of driving lanes to help tame speeds and shorten pedestrian crossing distances (UPC 2030, pg132). Combined, these changes create numerous opportunities to improve streetscapes and to provide streets with a consistent and legible identity that speaks to the unique character of Abu Dhabi.

STREETSCAPE CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES The streetscape deisgn proposals that follow are based on the specific challenges of Abu Dhabi’s street conditions and their potential for improvement. They focus on leveraging mass transit, prioritizing pedestrian mobility, and reducing auto-domination to create a legible and consistent environment for the pedestrian. Transit stops, reconfigured roadways, restructured parking, restitched circulation, new crossings, paving materials, vegetation, lighting, and other street furniture are some of the elements employed to restore the pedestrian as an active and healthy participant in the daily life of the city’s streets. What follows here are some of the specific streetscape challenges and opportunities easily identifiable in the Central Business District.

Climate

•

Challenge: Inadequate shading and human comfort in a hot climate inhibits walkability, making the city less accessible to pedestrians.

•

Opportunity: Introduce shade structures, vegetation and other pedestrian amenities to help create cooler microclimates and spaces appropriately scaled for social interaction.

Safety

•

Challenge: Wide arterials, fast-moving traffic and sidewalk fragmentation make street crossings unsafe, creating potential for pedestrian injury.

•

Opportunity: Reduce street and lane widths, eliminate some lanes, and add mid-block crossings, thereby making jaywalking unnecessary.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Existing Conditions of CBD Streets: Abu

Dhabi’s streets are characterized by extensive widths, under-programmed pedestrain areas, poorly situated street furniture and unsafe pedestrian crosswalks.

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Traffic Flows:

•

Challenge: Traffic congestion, heavy flows, and noise make streets an unpleasant environment for pedestrians and social interaction.

•

Opportunity: Calm traffic and introduce mass transit to reduce congestion; buffer pedestrians with streetscapes, transit shelters, trees and other street furnishings.

Utility Easements

•

Challenge: The 8-13 m wide dispersal of under-sidewalk utility easements (UPC Meeting, 2009) creates a less flexible right-of-way, inhibiting the placement of vegetation, shading structures and other

Passengers Board a Public Bus: The newly

introduced public bus system is widely used and is the first of several mass transit systems envisioned in the Surface Transport Master Plan.

streetscaping improvements.

•

Opportunity: Reconfigure utilities to share easements with roads and during the reconstruction process design for streetscaping elements.

Connections to Metropolitan Networks

•

Challenge: The arterial street system is separate and disconnected from other modes of circulation, including pedestrian, bicycle and local road systems. This further inhibits connectivity within the city.

•

Opportunity: Restitch the urban fabric and provide crossings between superblocks to encourage better spatial access, allowing for the introduction of bicycle networks and rationalized local automobile traffic.

Connections to Metropolitan Amenities

•

Challenge: Extensive automobile traffic, wide roadways, and underutilized parking areas prevent reasonable access to public amenities, especially the Corniche waterfront.

An Arterial Median Lined with Date Palms:

Street medians are heavily planted and provide shade. Unfortunately they are inaccessible to pedestrians. The date palms continue to provide very memorable imagery for Abu Dhabi’s CBD, as well as the larger city.

•

Opportunity: Add signalized crossings and reconfigure roadways without reducing traffic flows to improve pedestrian safety and access.

•

Opportunity: Add development sites in underutilized areas alongside public amenities, thereby bringing more residents to the amenities, activating their edges, and providing additional areas of shading that do not require irrigation.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

URBAN ARTERIAL ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS Contextual Challenges Existing urban arterials are characterized by central medians with planted palm trees and sidewalks broken by parking areas and curb cuts. Sidewalks along buildings vary in width and elevation, making for a discontinuous walking experience. Streets lack identity-reinforcing design resonance, as existing street furniture is irregular, unappealing, and ill-suited to the climate. Characteristics include cracked concrete benches, indistinct bus stops, and lighting poles made of painted aluminum.

Sun-Exposed Sidewalk in the CBD: CBD

sidewalks typically lack shading and buffers between vehicles and the pedestrian realm.

The current Central Business District faces challenges in achieving streetscape and pedestrianization goals. Because new districts are being developed all around the CBD, arterials as connectors between nodes will need to maintain heavy volumes of cars and mass transit. Additionally, street level commercial and office spaces rely on large unimpeded signage, adjacent parking, and easy vehicular access to build a customer base from outside the area. While these methods are perceived as profitable for businesses, they can impede pedestrian life and the public realm.

Contextual Opportunities New developments in Al Suwwah, the Emirateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed financial district,

Existing CBD Bus Stop: Current bus stops are unsuitable for this desert climate. Their lack of design disincentivizes this mode for higher income Abu Dhabi residents.

could draw away banks, office spaces, and high-end retail, thereby altering the role of the CBD within Abu Dhabi. This evolution will present opportunities for the CBD to recreate its identity through an improved public realm. Cafes, restaurants, and pedestrian boutique retail might occupy available first floor spaces. New, signalized mid-block crossings could link the interiors of superblocks from the southern edge of Zayed the First Street all the way to the Corniche waterfront. Lane reductions and the removal or reconfiguration of surface parking can increase the right-of-way devoted to pedestrians. Transit alignments and stations can buffer pedestrians and create a human-scaled street. The materials and elements of the street, including paving patterns, street furniture, and transit stations can create a consistent palette of colors, textures, scales and experiences, leading to a more resonant urban street character. In

Existing Street Furniture: Street furniture is placed haphazardly throughout the superblocks, without regard to sun exposure or nodes of activity. The rubbish bins adjoining these seats create a particularly unpleasant environment in desert heat.

addition, the introduction of transit will provide opportunities for major redesign of CBD arterials. Two general options are considered within the Public Realm Plan: side-loaded and center-loaded at-grade tram transit.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Option A: Side-Loaded Transit By buffering the sidewalk from urban arterial traffic, side-loaded transit connects the public realm with streetside retail. The removal of surface parking can result in lively spaces full of cafes, shading structures, and trees. This transit strategy relies on building entries and mass transit stations to activate the space. By clearly separating cars and people, the scheme allows arterials to retain three traffic lanes, recognizing Side-Loaded Light Rail, Sacramento, CA

the importance of the arterials as part of a multi-modal transportation hierarchy that must accommodate large traffic throughputs. However, these arterials can be pacified to create a more pedestrian-friendly public realm. Reduced lane widths and signalized mid-block crossings will force motorists to slow down, allowing pedestrians to cross safely. Adjusting the roadway shape while maintaining lane widths can also create the opportunity for an asymmetrical street of surprise and discovery. The use of a meandering road configuration (rather than a symmetrical street) can allow interesting places and experiences, from widened cafe areas to small pocket parks. The sidewalk can then become a series of destinations.

Side-Loaded Pros:

• • •

Buffers pedestrian areas from roadways very well Minimizes turning conflicts with automobiles at intersections Maintains the existing number of driving lanes

Side-Loaded Cons:

• • •

Distances parking further from retail building fronts Maintains visually prominent traffic lanes at the center Can be more dangerous to pedestrians if train lines are poorly marked

Side-Loaded Tram Alignment Alternative

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - SPRING 2009

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Option B: Center-Loaded Transit By breaking up traffic flows and the width of the street with a wide median, center-loaded transit pacifies the arterial and incorporates the automobile as part of a unified, multimodal and human-scaled street system. Layers of planting, bike lanes, pedestrian pathways, and parking aisles break up the arterial into several slower moving pieces. Centerloading also allows easier maneuvering of trams, and simplified transfers between metropolitan transit and local tram systems along the centralized medians.

Center-Loaded Light Rail, Madrid, Spain

In contrast to the side-loading system, the center-loading streetscape network creates a series of pathways and corridors rather than specific destinations. This reinforces the notion that destinations can be created at speical spots within the central median or by other localized interventions such as buildings, plazas, parks, and other public open spaces.

Center-Loaded Pros:

• • • • •

Reduces size and scale of arterial with a broad median Simplifies access-easy transfers between metro rail and at-grade trams Allows parking in closer proximity to retail entrances Encourages visually significant transit station design on the medians Provides great pedestrian refuge space in the center of traffic

Center-Loaded Cons:

• • •

Requires pedestrians to cross central median train tracks twice May result in more turning conflicts with automobiles at intersections Mandates extensive landscape maintenance along the median

Center-Loaded Tram Alignment Alternative

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Mohammad Bin Zayed the First Street - Existing Conditions Mohammad Bin Zayed the First Street (Zayed) can be consiered a typical arterial street in Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CBD. It is a 6-7 lane fast moving thoroughfare with few limits on traffic speeds. Land uses to the sides are characterized by older tower buildings with relatively small footprints and significant interstitial spaces around them. Therefore large areas that front the street are susceptible to change in the near future. The only streetscape vegetation is found at the center median. Hardscaped sidewalks lack shading and other climate amenity. Parking along arterials is often located on side access roads in diagonal parking configurations. These access roads result in a more fragmented pedestrian experience, with pedestrians having to cross may curbcuts and watch for traffic turning into mid-block areas. Several other street design elements could be altered to improve the pedestrian expeirence, including: calming right turn slip lanes and corner median islands; providing better pedestrian refuges in center medians; and rationalizing pull-ins for taxis and buses. Zayed the First Street View

Three streets have been selected for illustrating the side-loaded and center-loaded transit proposals on the pages that follow: Zayed the First, Hamdan and Eastern Road. Each is shown at the same geographic location in plan, incluidng the existing condtions. The designs are shown in section at the narrowest and most constricted point in the street where conditions are the most controlled. These streets and their design are shown to illustrate possibilities of the different streets while reinforcing a consistent design resonance across the CBD.

Existing Streetscape Conditions Zayed the first Street Plan 25m

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STREETSCAPE DESIGN

35m

32m

12m

10m

90m

Existing Streetscape Conditions: Zayed the First Street Section (different wider section than the design illustrations)

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Mohammad Bin Zayed the First Street- Side-Loaded Proposal In this proposal, transit lines separate automobile traffic from pedestrians, marking a transition between the automobile scale and pedestrian scale. From a smaller central median, 3 lanes of traffic in each direction are bounded by parallel parking lanes at curbside. Tall palm trees and a grand sense of space define the arterials, while the pedestrian zone is defined by shorter canopies of drought tolerant tree species. Beneath this canopy a cycling lane is demarcated with different paving materials (in grey in the drawing below). Sidewalk trees create a sense of enclosure adjacent to retail and transit stations. Train lines themselves are buffered by bollards to keep pedstrians aware of train line locations, in addition to differential train-bed paving. Sidewalk zones are sufficiently broad to create spaces for kiosk vending and cafe seating areas. Sidewalk retail areas can be provided with continous shade canopies easily purchased from street furnishing companies or specially designed to reinforce unique CBD streetscape identity. The “gift of shading” for Abu Dhabi’s citizens is something that the UPC should be able to deliver rather easily and with relatively little cost, even without major streetscaping. Consistent Side-Loaded Palette Elements

Date Palm Trees, Ghaf Trees, Sandstone, and Bluestone Pavers. This basic palette of materials will be used to illustrate the three side-loaded transit streetscape proposals for Zayed, Hamdan, and Eastern presented in the Public Realm Plan.

Proposed Plan

Proposed Side-Loaded Transit Alernative Zayed the First Street Plan 25m

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STREETSCAPE DESIGN

10m

7.5m

52m

Proposed Side-Loaded Transit Alternative: Zayed the First Street Section

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Mohammad Bin Zayed the First Street - Center-Loaded Proposal In this center-loaded transit median proposal, the transit lines breakup the roadway both practically and visually, suggesting a finer scale of multiple, parallel passageways within a boulevard scheme. The central median serves as a transit stop where shading structures define the space at the crossing points. Between transit shelters, the median would be landscaped to provide visual interest to the street. Shading structures along the northern and southern edges of the street are liberally used as a proxy for a consistent tree canopy. This conforms with Estidama goals of limiting vegetation to reduce water consumption. A bicycle lane is provided beneath this structural canopy. Between stretches of these shade structures, trees are provided in line with the column supports of the structure to continue the spacing and rhythm of shading.

Consistent Center-loaded Palette Elements:

Pongamias, Date Palm Trees, and various gray/ rose stone and concrete pavers. This basic palette of materials will be used to illustrate the three center-loaded transit streetscape proposals for Zayed, Hamdan, and Eastern presented in the Public Realm Plan.

Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alternative Zayed the First Street Plan 25m

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11m

9.5m

11m

7.5m

52m

Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alternative: Zayed the First Street Section

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street - Existing Conditions As the principle thoroughfare of the CBD, Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street (Hamdan) is characterized by the highest volumes of traffic, and is the widest expanse for pedestrians to cross. Occasional underground crossings do not appear to be well-utilized, as pedestrians would rather jaywalk across Hamdan at grade, rather than expending personal energy navigating several flights of stairs in hot/humid weather. Intersections on Hamdan are very difficult to cross for pedestrians as well, with traffic signal phasing often stranding people on tiny median refuges or corner islands amidst fast-moving vehicles. A large central median narrows at intersections to provide an alternating left turn lane. In addition to crossing issues, arge curbside diagonal parking areas make sidewalks irregular and building frontages hard to access. Sidewalks along building fronts, where this Pedestrian Underpass at Hamdan Street:

Extensive stair and ramp systems provide access across some major arterials. These underpasses are often hot and stuffy in humid weather and require pedestrians to expend a lot of energy to cross the street.

parking is located, are minimally-sized and unappealing. The image of the street is one of congested traffic, with little pedestrian amenity, and without much visual relief from tough urban conditions. For the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most visible arterial, these deep challenges provide great opportnity for change.

Existing Streetscape Conditions Hamdan Street Plan

25m

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10m

15m

1.5m

12m

10m

55.5m

Existing Streetscape Conditions: Hamdan Street Section

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street - Side-Loaded â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weaveâ&#x20AC;? Proposal Hamdan is broad enough to allow some manipulation of the street alignment. One option for creating visual interest for pedestrians and drivers alike could be the provision of a meandering street configuration. This would help create opportunities for place-making at the side where the street bulbs out. Variations in the depths of public realm frontage could provide a variety of activities and choices along the street: sidewalk strolling, cafe seating, kiosk vending, and small pocket parks. These sidewalk bulges provide opportunity for introducing a sub-pallette of materials to demarcate the street as a special place and reinforce local regional identity. The street itself functions for vehicles similarly to the way it would in the previous Zayed the First proposal, and would extend the basic palette of streetscape materials to create a districtwide identity. Transit delivers residents to these new amenities and buffers pedestrians from the street traffic. New mid-block crossings define pocket park edges and encourage interaction between opposite sides of the street.

Proposed Side-Loaded Transit Alernative Hamdan Street Plan

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Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street - Center-Loaded Transit Proposal with Multi-Modal Transit Stations As a main thoroughfare for present and future developments in the Central Business District, Hamdan presents a unique opportunity to leverage mass transit investments to improve landscaping, streetscapes and the pedestrian experience. Hamdan Street can become a special experience in the city by creating a highly memorable urban identity. However, becasue of multi-modal transfer possiblities between underground Metro and atgrade tram systems, the opportunity exists to create iconic transit stations that provide shade to waiting passengers. The shading structures help to break up the expanse of the street along the center median, which would be landscaped between stations located at intersections. Streetscaping at curbside is employed to create special experiences for pedestrians, with a variety of species and a range of hues. This proposal highlights the effectiveness of center-loaded medians for providing pedestrian refuges at intersection crosswalks.

Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alernative Hamdan Street Plan

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Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alternative: Hamdan Street Section

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Eastern Road - Existing Conditions of a North-South Arterial Because of shorter block lengths and many mid-block vehicle entrances, Eastern Road has more frequent intersections than east-west streets like Hamdan and Zayed. As a result Eastern Roadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streetwall is less regular, results in less enclosure, and is more-perforated with interstitial space. Eastern Road also bends between Hamdan and Zayed, providing opportunity for more varied and framed views. Consequently, creating uniform character, sense of scale, or enclosure as part of a ccomprehensive streetscape design is a more difficult challenge here. But this may also provide the opportunity to differentiate its image as a north-south connector that accesses the waterfront.

Eastern Roadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Poorly Defined Edges

Existing Streetscape Conditions

Eastern Road Plan

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Existing Streetscape Conditions: Eastern Road Section

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Eastern Road Side-Loaded Transit Proposal The intention of this scheme is to unify the sidewalk fragments around the bend to create a defined building edge for cafe seating and outdoor living space. The streetscape opens up at a special moment where it intersects with Hamdan, creating options for pocket parks and cafe areas. This could be an opportunity for the incorporation of public art or special landscaping features. This proposal for Eastern, again, builds off a consistent palette of materials and streetscape detailing presented in the previous two sideloaded proposals.

Proposed Side-Loaded Transit Alernative

Eastern Road Plan

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Proposed Side-Loaded Transit Alternative: Eastern Road Section

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

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STREETSCAPE DESIGN

Eastern Road Center-Loaded Transit Proposal The bend in Eastern adjusts sightlines, providing an opportunity for an opening up of views as pedestrians and drivers traverse it. This allows special moments to serve as gateways and markersbetween districts. This is further reflected in the narrowing down of some pieces of the alignment, especially the median, which suggests a transition between the southern parts of the CBD and the northern edges abutting Corniche Park. In this proposal, the median has been outfitted with a water feature that helps to signal its connection to the waterfront. The cross-section here also shows how curbside shelters can be integrated with the tree canopy.

Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alernative

Eastern Road Plan

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Proposed Center-Loaded Transit Alternative: Eastern Road Section

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INSTITUTING THE GREEN LADDER: MULTI-MODAL GREENWAY PROPOSALS The superblock urban form limits mid-block street connections, allowing few opportunities for north-south travel apart from arterial streets. Where through streets perceptually exist on maps, they are often disconnected between superblocks by uncrossable medians that lack signalization. Little dedicated space is designated for bicyclists, who must navigate between curbs, parked cars and heavy traffic. In addition, pavement level changes and lack of curbcuts make it difficult for either commuting or recreational cycling. Providing dedicated north-south connectors that emphasize bicycle and pedestrian movement is at the heart of the proposed green ladder for the Central Business District. While the main function of arterials is to transport auto traffic, northsouth greenways will add another level of street hierarchy to encourage pedestrian and bicycle mobility. These north-south connectors can provide a multi-modal link between vibrant superblocks and the waterfront. They can function both as movement corridors and linear parks. Separate demarcated movement spaces can allow the pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist to move freely without conflict between modes. Programming such as sidewalk cafes and shaded pocket parks can border the greenways and expand their opportunity for social use. Vegetation, shade structures, and paving materials can help to rescale these high-density blocks for human use and reinforce the identify of greenways as special places for walking and cycling. This green ladder can restitch the CBD together in new and innovative ways that traffic heavy urban arterials may not.

Center-Loaded Greenway

Side-Loaded Greenway

The Green Ladder: Multi-Modal Greenway

Connectors

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Proposal 1: Side-Loaded Greenway

Proposal 2: Center-Loaded Greenway

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10m

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Proposal 1: Side-Loaded Greenway Because buildings on the interior of superblocks rarely align, pathways typically lack strong edges to guide pedestrians in wayfinding. The sideloaded greenway connector defines street edges with evenly spaced street trees, pergolas, and shade umbrellas - with pedestrian and cycling movmeents aligned to the sides of auto traffic. Auto spaces and bikeways maintain consistent width throughout the length of the street, while the pedestrian right-of-way widens at special moments of visual interst, marked by Jacaranda trees and orange umbrellas. Perpendicular streetside parking is replaced with parallel parking, which creates another buffer

Location of Proposed Side-Loaded Greenway

layer between auto movmentsw and pedestrian/cylcing modes. Entrances to adjoining parking lots are minimized in width and number to limit conflict points between pedestrians and bicycles traveling north-south and vehicles turning east-west. Shading, paving, and vegetation will help to create a comfortable place of visual interest. Drought-resistant Indian Almond trees can provide a wide shade canopy without exhausting water resources. These trees can be replaced with pergola structures set in the same spacing pattern to break up rhythms and vary the street experience. By providing strong edges, trees and pergolas can also create private spaces for women and children to walk comfortably. Orange umbrellas can make a visual statement while providing shade to cafĂŠ tables below. Paving patterns can further differentiate pedestrian, bicycle, and auto spaces. All of these elements combine to create a human scaled and defined corridor, which further clarifies the passageway between inland neighborhoods and waterfront.

Proposed Section at Capitol Park: Where the greenway traverses Capitol Park, its width and rhythm can be continued with trees and paving to create a singular identifiable north-south connector. The greenway can be buffered from adjacen park spaces with ground level planing, pavement changes, seating areas, and tree planting strips.

Proposed Section at Street

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STREETSCAPE DESIGN

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Existing Conditions at Greenway Location

Proposed Center-Loaded Greenway Plan

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Proposal 2: Center-Loaded Greenway Based on the formal imagery of a ‘paradise garden,’ this center-loaded greenway provides spaces for dedicated cycling, pedestrian passage, and a long reflection pool lined by a series of destination plazas. A uniform tree canopy covering the entire bikeway system positioned at both sides of this central median is separated completely from adjacent automobile traffic. The resulting greenway at the center of the roadway is a park in itself. Elements such as running water, seating areas, and cafes add sound and life to the space. The resulting passageway is a destination unto itself and serves as compensatory open space for neighboring residents. It could

Location of Proposed Center-Loaded Greenway

become a major nighttime destination connecting inland neighborhoods directly to the waterfront. Additionally, the road alignment allows for garage ramps at curbside for access to below-greenway parking. This underground parking can relieve surface parking stresses and free up ground space for people. The center-loaded greenway brings a new type of gentle urbanism to Abu Dhabi’s CBD.

Greenway Narrows on the Northern Blocks

The central median and through lanes maintain the same cross-section while the curbside edges change configuration to accommodate the narrower right of way.

Center-Loaded Greenway Street Section: Along the southern blocks

of this greenway proposal, the center median and through lanes are consistent with the section above, but the sides widen to accommodate curbside parking, parking ramps to below-grade garages beneath the greenway (not shown), and an allee of trees to provide shading at the adjacent building edges.

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NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS ARE NOT ALWAYS SYNONYMOUS. WHILE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS ARE ALWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL AND CITYWIDE SERVICES – NEIGHBORHOODS ARE, BY DEFINITION, RESIDENTIAL AREAS WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF DOMESTIC CONCERNS. THE MIXING OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT WITH EXTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL USES IS ONE CHARACTERISTIC THAT MAKES ABU DHABI’S DOWNTOWN BOTH UNIQUE AND CHALLENGED. COUPLE THAT WITH THE REGION’S HARSH CLIMATE, DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, AND AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE – AND A PANOPLY OF ISSUES FOR ENSURING NEIGHBORHOOD LIVABILITY ARISES. THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IN ABU DHABI HOSTS MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOODS. CONNECTING THESE PLACES THROUGH THE PUBLIC REALM CAN BE TRULY CHALLENGING. REPLACING A STOCK OF DETERIORATING BUILDINGS CAN ALSO BE DIFFICULT. REDISTRIBUTING THOUSANDS OF SURFACE PARKING SPACES IS EVEN MORE OVERWHELMING. ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES WILL REQUIRE PATH DEPENDENT ACTION THAT WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE PHASING OF OTHER DISRICTWIDE IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING STREETSCAPE RENEWAL AND TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT. THESE CONCERNS, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED OPPORTUNITIES FOR RE-ENVISIONING THE PUBLIC REALM OF CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOODS.

NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT

NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION OF THE FOUR-BLOCK STUDY AREA A four-block study area between Hamdan and Zayed the First Streets, and Airport and Tourist Club Roads is the central focus of the Central Business Guest Worker/Textile

Corporate

District. The study area is located at the core of the greater island’s existing and planned activity nodes. It will serve as an area of convergence and interaction for future users of these districts. The larger neighborhood is the premier location for the city’s hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. Superblock interiors are characterized by central mosque spaces for social and religious gathering. A variety

Western/Hotel

Computer Supplies

of ground-floor shops contribute to a vibrant urban fabric. The CBD population is a diverse mix of cultures, reflected by residents from North America, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia. The study area is a healthy urban neighborhood with evident diversity and vibrancy. Several design challenges must be addressed to sustain

Elektra Park

Tourist/Waterfront

Districts within the Four-Block Study Area:

the liveliness of the district: the amount of surface parking, a confusing circulation network, the lack of well-defined public spaces, and limited pedestrian comfort. The public realm suffers due to excessive solar exposure. Weak physical and visual connections between blocks and deteriorating buildings undermine the neighborhood fabric. The design

Four Block Study Area Mosque School

Park Node Path

proposals, depicted herein, harness the area’s existing assets and

250m

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Al Ferdous St

Al Salam St

Bani Yas Najda St

Eastern Rd

Airport Rd

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remediate other challenges.

Zayed the First St

Main roads and institutions

Districts, Paths, and Nodes

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The urban structure of the neighborhood informs the location and character of activity within these superblocks. The arterial edges, housing

Al Mina

Lulu Island

buildings of 20 to 25 stories, create a sense of enclosure and protection for superblock interiors. Ground floor retail and restaurant uses provide

Study Area

life to the street along these arterial edges. Interior buildings, ranging from 4 to 8 stories, reinforce a human-scaled pedestrian experience. Most local-serving retail establishments are located within smaller interior buildings and are a primary social mixing-ground for residents. New and deteriorating buildings are dispersed throughout the study area. The study area lacks a well-defined street hierarchy and adequate

Al Suwwah CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Al Reem

Study Area Location: Central Business District

and Surrounding Islands

2km

wayfinding devices. Vehicular navigation is difficult and the streets are congested with drivers searching for parking. The public rights-of-way are clearly prioritized for vehicular movement at the expense of the pedestrian. The implementation of a pedestrian-friendly street network and a new urban character will provide the underpinnings for a public realm that is safer, simpler, and more enjoyable. In addition to the primary street hierarchy, sikkas serve as informal transitions between outer-ring towers and smaller-scale superblock interiors. A sikka is a narrow pedestrian alley located between properties, that can provide shaded access through the urban fabric. They are indicative of traditional Arab urbanism found historically in older centers. Over time, sikka usage has taken a variety of forms - ranging from areas of active and passive recreation - to locations for electrical substations and building service access. Reconceptualizing these informal spaces for future amenity and enhanced human comfort will help complete this vision.

Typical Block Cross Section

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SPECIFIC CHALLENGES Circulation Circulation is problematic both for vehicular and pedestrian movement. Interior streets lack distinction between areas for parking, driving, and walking. These interior streets are not organized coherently, and drivers must know the area well to navigate through it. Pedestrians have

Issue 1:

difficulty anticipating where vehicles will enter and exit the blocks.

Thwarted Street Crossings

Vehicles must navigate around cars parked in the street median. In order to drive between superblocks, drivers must turn right onto arterials and drive around the outside of the block. Superblocks become islands unto themselves rather than harmonious pieces of interconnected urban frabic.

Parking Rethinking the parking strategy is one of the lynchpins of the Public Realm Plan. Demand for surface parking remains high and utilizes most undeveloped and interstitial space. Most parking is accommodated at-

Issue 2:

Complicated Intersections and Parking Access Points

grade with an average of 2,500 spaces per block. This inhibits vehicle circulation and complicates pedestrian navigation. Surface parking creates an aesthetically and physically unpleasant public realm. The abundance of hardscape absorbs sunlight and increases the heat island effect in this hot desert climate. There are few below-grade parking areas in the study area. Small existing building parcels do not allow for necessary ramping. Exploring innovative strategies for underground parking will create new opportunities for development of the public realm.

Issue 3:

Spaghetti Circulation

Issues Locator Diagram Within focus area

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Superblocks Provide Surface Parking for 2,500 Vehicles

Surface Parking 100m

Potential for 6 Hectares if Parking is Relocated

Infill Development Opportunities Public Realm Opportunities 100m

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Existing Building Conditions Many of the buildings in the study area, particularly on the block between Eastern Road and Al Salam Road, are in various stages of deterioration. When initially developed, poor concrete mixing techniques has resulted in material failure and structural instability for a generation of reinforced concrete buildings. These buildings will need to be replaced in the near future, necessitating a development plan for the built environment. New development is evident within the study area, in the form of new smallscale residential buildings on the interior and large floor-plate office and residential towers on the periphery. In several areas, new large-scale buildings abut smaller deteriorating buildings, creating a confusing and inconsistent neighborhood fabric.

Building in Poor Condition

Four Block Study Area: Axonometric view showing building masses.

Concentration of Buildings in Poor Condition Perspectival plan of worst case scenarion block.

Buildings in poor condition throughout entire focus area.

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Sidewalk & Open Space A critical element of the Public Realm Plan must be the more hospitable design of pedestrian space. Existing sidewalk spaces are disjointed and inconsistent, vary in width, and are interrupted by service entrances and garbage dumpsters. Pedestrians and cyclists must navigate around moving and parked vehicles and their comfort and safety is not prioritized. Few street trees or shading devices exist to comfort the pedestrian in extreme

A. Semi-Enclosed Plaza

heat. Existing street furniture lacks shading and effective placement. Few open spaces are allocated for recreation inside the study area. Most open space areas are unplanned, interstitial spaces for passive recreation located between buildings or around mosques. With minimal interventions, these spaces can be transformed into valuable pocket parks and plazas, intended to greatly improve the quality and consistency of open space. B. Shaded Alley

Pedesstrian Interruptions Left: Sidewalk grade changes Right: Dumpsters along the sidewalk

C. Mosque Plaza

Study Area Section Locations

D. Super-Block Transect: Shade is difficult to find as wide asphalt surfaces dominate the interiors of superblocks

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

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CIRCULATION AND PARKING PROPOSALS The Public Realm Plan introduces three proposals for simplifying circulation, parking access, and improving the quality of public realm: 1. new loop and connector roads integrated with structured parking; 2. multiblock shadeways; and, 3. improved sikka designs.

Interior Street Network - Loop Road and North-South Connector A new interior street network of loop roads and north-south connectors creates the potential for a consistent and imageable circulation system. The loop road draws on the existing superblock layout to maximize vehicle movement within the outer ring of the block. It has the highest vehicular capacity of all interior superblock streets. At 30m wide, the loop road 7m

5m 22m

Typical North-South Connector: Section

provides sidewalks on each side, entrances and exits from the parking garages below, one thru lane in each direction, and a parallel parking lane on each side. Pedestrian crosswalks and shading devices are prevalent and correspond to garage entrance and exit points. This vision proposes two types of north-south arterial connector roads, each prioritizing different movements. The first street type is a pedestrianoriented multi-modal street that connects the waterfront with inland

Proposed Vehicular Circulation 250m

Proposed Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation

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Arterials Loop Road North-South Connector Access Road Minor Road

Pedestrian Route Bicycle Path

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neighborhoods and acts as a linear open space. This design is asymmetrical

Drought Tolerant Plants

and features expanded sidewalks and dedicated bicycle lanes integrated with the streetscape. The second street type prioritizes vehicular circulation and replaces additional pedestrian space with parking. The distinction between these two types will reinforce the urban experience for critical areas while accommodating vehicular demands in less-critical areas. New signalized intersections that allow left-hand turns will pacify arterial traffic in favor of creating a safe and hospitable pedestrian environment.

Indian Almond

Flame of the Forest

A palette of materials can be applied to these streets to develop a sense of place and make them comfortable to all users. The use of droughttolerant plants, shading structures, and paving patterns is essential to

Seasquill

Aloe Ferox

Purple Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus

Finger Cactus

Squat Cactus

creating an imageable system. The intersections of loop roads and northsouth connectors can be marked with unique street paving patterns to create special places in the neighborhood. Intersection points between the Shadeway and other streets are delineated with a cross-street fabric shading structure.

Parking Network Street Furniture

The proposed parking network provides the opportunity to transform the public realm by relocating the majority of surface-level parking to underground parking garages. Two types of parking proposals are proposed: one network located beneath the new loop road, and one network placed beneath proposed housing clusters (discussed later in this chapter). Pergola

Umbrella

Loop road garages are located under the east-west portions of the loop road. These garages are intended for residents of the high-rise apartments on the superblock periphery as well as commuters working in the CBD. They are accessible from the loop road by means of ramps located in curbside parking lanes. Ramp entrances and exits are parallel to traffic

Cafe Seating

lanes, and wayfinding devices guide drivers to these ramps. The standard

Wave Bench

garage unit offers three levels of parking and accommodates approximately 470 vehicles. Where demand requires, additional flex garage space can be

Paving

used to connect two standard garage units underground. On average, the system provides 3,200 spaces per block, reflecting no net loss of existing surface parking capacity. Hexagonal Concrete Paver

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Sandstone Paver

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B C

Section Locations

Secton A: Loop Road at Pedestrian Entrance to Parking 6m

10m

30m

Section B: Typical Loop Road Section 6m

14m

30m

Proposed Below Grade Parking Network

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Standard Garage Unit Flex Space

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20m

Section C: Typical Proposed Block Interior Transect

52m

28m

Garage Section

Loop Road above Standard Garage Unit

Loop Road above Flex Unit 133m

54m “Flex” Module 6m 7m 6m 4m 6m 7m 6m

Standard Garage Unit under Loop Road Capacity: 472 vehicles

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Flex Garage Unit under Loop Road Capacity: 216 vehicles (variable)

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Interior Block Plan: North-South Connector and Loop Road at Intersection with Shadeway

Intrior Block Plan Location

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Below grade parking structure: plan of typical floorplate associated with plan above

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PEDESTRIAN SHADEWAY AND SIKKA PROPOSALS The proposed pedestrian shadeway creates a continuously sheltered pedestrian spine. It provides a direct link between the Al Hosn Cultural Center at the center of the Central Business District and the Crescent on the eastern side of the island. It highlights the cultural importance of religion and provides linkages to mosques throughout the area. The shadeway employs a variety of urban forms, moments of vegetation, and innovative shading devices to create a uniquely Emirati urban expression. Wadi Landscapes: A range of spatial experiences, floodplains, canyons, natural amphitheaters, mazes and meanders

As an interpretation of Abu Dhabi’s status as a ‘cultural crossroads,’ two contrasting visual precedents inspire the Shadeway’s design: the desert wadi and the traditional Arab souk. The wadi, a dry desert streambed that fills with water in the event of storms, can provide inspiration with its variety of organic forms. Its canyons, floodplains, natural amphitheaters, and vistas create the potential for surprise and discovery. As a metaphorical referent, the forms of the wadi can provide moments of semi-private retreat, as well as public gathering. In contrast, the Arab souk is a repetitive and simple urban form of covered market streets. It is one of the primary places for public gathering in the Arab city, providing places for both shopping and meeting. They are the soul of traditional Arab cities, offering shade and an intimate scale of enclosure that encourages social interaction. The souk’s regularity of form, human scale, proportions, and consistency of retail frontage allows for comfortable spaces and easy adaptation over time.

Flood Plains

Natural Amphitheaters

Canyons

Mazes and Meanders

Open with vistas, grandeur, exposure

Sheltered, confined, limited choices

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Public gathering spaces, event spaces

Surprises, secrets, local knowledge

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The formal design expression of the Shadeway combines these two precedents: the excitement of dense and vibrant urban activity - with the possibilities of calmer and more private opportunities for retreat within the public realm. In such a way, the Shadeway can accommodate a range of activities for both genders, as well as for residents and citizens of a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. These opportunities can represent the fullness of Arab urban life - including both the more public spaces of commerce with the semi-private spaces valued by women and children who wish to participate in public life without becoming the object of public attention: pocket parks, veiled overlooks, second story mezzanines, rooftops and courtyards.

Souks of Dubai

The Shadeway is more than a contemporary interpretation of traditional Arab urbanism. It can be both an economic AND social development engine, serving as the lynchpin of a future Abu Dhabi as that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cultural crossroads.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It can help unify a complex urbanism through place-making. Its success is vital to this vision of the public realm, and may become the key image of a renewed Central Business District.

Spice Souk

Narrow, intimate interactions

Gold Souk

Grand, public gatherings, strolling, slower paced, roofs for air infiltration

Textile Souk

Mid sized-commerce, fast passage, funneling people through the city

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Covered and unconvered networks of varying scales and widths

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Plan Section Diagram: Inserted pavilions create urban corridors where shading devices and landscape elements can be combined

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Traditional Covered Market Streets: The use of fabric panels can infill the space between buildings over the street. The fabric allows layering, variations of light and texture, an occasional tree growing through the ceiling, as well as hints of the sky above. Other covered market streets around the world have used various materials as shading: bamboo, cane, woven mats, tin, palrm fronds, canvas, wood, and other types of vegetation. The image of the covered street above is from Mexico City.

Landscape Souk Concept Sketch: The Shadeway can combine greenery and shading

structures, flat pathways and playful terraces, tight corridors and spaces of wider relief, surprises and clear corridors. The souk is a ramble, a meander between elements of diverse height, light, direct sun and shading. It can be an area of intense activity and relative calm.

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The Shadeway in the Context of other Urban Networks The shadeway links signficant cultural and religious institutions while repurposing parking and roadway areas too narrow for use as building development sites. The pedestrian spine of the shadeway passes near residential courtyards, linking them to the more public nature of the shadeway itself. As a collector of pedestrian routes and destinations, the shadeway ties Public and Semi Public Pathways: The

shadeway is the collector and primary spine of pedestrian pathways. Private and semi-private spaces of residential courtyards and sikkas (brown) all feed into the public shadeways and mosque plazas (in pink).

into existing district nodes such as the Cultural Center, the textile area mosque, and other retail areas. Proposed interventions, such as northsouth connectors that cross the shadeway, create oppotunity gateway sites for special design treatments. Other developments within the superblocks create a variety of pedestrian experiences directly adjacent to the shadeway. The shadeway brings together the hierarchy of these pedestrian amenities to form a unique and imageable Emirati urban form.

Shadeway in the Neighborhood: The path of the Shadeway passes through a number of blocks, responding in various ways to different contexts that help to

determine its path strucutre.

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Public and Semi Public Pathways The location of the shadeway is determined by locating a primary commercial pathway to link public institutions. These paths are then expanded and contextually shaped to create a single interwoven pedestrian network.

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

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Scales of the Shadeway System The urban form of the shadeway occurs at a purely human scale, reflecting the scale of a traditional Arabic city at 2-3 stories. The placement of retail pavilions between existing strucutres allows for this intimacy by breaking up larger areas of existing surface parking lots into defined urban corridors of smaller scale spaces. Grading should reflect the naturally-occuring organic form of the the desert wadi. The shadeway is graded to allow for differences in height up to 1 meter between existing buildings and the new structures, which implies semi-private overlooks and sheltered spaces within the walkway system. This creates an arena of varying elevations for visual and social interaction. Pockets of lively activity are created as the territory of individual shop owners, cafes and restaurants. Multi-story retail uses also further the healthy separation of activities within the public realm. Mezzanines and balconies allow for semi-private spaces that engage the

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shadeway, accommodating people who wish to participate in public activity without becoming a focus of attention. At major roadway crossings, shadeway structures cover the street to indicate a continuity of pedestrian movement. At minor intersections the shadeway structures separate, creating opportunities for pocket parks and small social gathering spaces. Sightlines and pathways from residential courtyards often link to these moments, creating a continuous network.

Scale of the Landscape Souk: In a city with consistent building heights of 25 stories at block perimeters, the shadeway rescales the city for the pedestrian, creating a consistent enclosure of 2-3 stories in height. The enclosure and pathways are continuous, but the sky is reintroduced at fundamental moments, such as crossing a Mosque.

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Section A: Pathway Connection through Retail Core: The retail pavilion can be left ope

to connect both sides of the shadeway. This will allow pedestrians to move back and forth where they desire.

30m (Varies)

Section B: Shadeway Standard Condition.

B Section C: Landscape Intervention: The souk

has several moments of landscape intervention, intergrating simple trading floors with landscaped islands and platforms, separating flows and creating numerous events.

Shadeway Typical Plan (With section locators).

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Variety of Shadeway Experiences and Programmatic Elements The shadeway combines landscaped spaces and market corridors to create a dynamic mix of cultural and economic interactions. Separate from the main commecial flows are dynamic business locations and small tree-canopied havens. Grade changes between the existing buildings and new structures organize these different experiences. Direct pedestrian connectors interweave with indirect, meandering circulation that spills out into retail plazas and passive recreation spaces. Retail pavilions are the dominant modulating elements of the shadeway. They are placed to create symmetical to create symmetrical corridors to the north and south, thereby guranteeing equal frontages and rights-of-way for existing buildings and their retail. They are sized at 8m to 10m in depth, which is comparable to the depths of existing ground floor retail. A second story, suitable for retail use, creates a greater sense of urban enclosure and affords more private use. Narrower sections of the shadeway, with 15m or less between buildings, use similar pavilions limited to one story in height.

Combining Activity and Quiet Moments: A

typical covered market implies passageways through, while a covered courtyard in Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bastakia shows a thoughtful way of integrating landscaping and sunshading.

Varies 10m to 15m

Section D: Raised planter with built-in seating.

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Special Moment: Mosque Plazas Mosque Plazas are intended as relief spaces that create transitions between the tighter nature of the shadeway and open expanses of sky. Surrounded by an arcaded walkway, worshippers are free to circumnavigate the plaza in a rhythm similar to a paradise garden. The planting here is intended to be formal, and is one of the few spots where irrigated tree species, specifically date palms, are appropriate. Their use is employed to heighten the sense of grandeur and quality of place, while also creating multiple pathways around the mosque. This space can also reflect desired gender separations during religious and cultural events.

Special Moment: Natural Amphitheater: At

certain moments within the shadeway, school walls present broader spaces with edges that are difficult to inhabit. Here, further elevation changes and sculpted pathways lead to shallow amphitheathers suitable for public gatherings.

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Inspiration: Al Ain Oasis Grove: Groves form regular canopies and rhythms of space, but still allow irregular crossing paths. The urban plaza behaves similarly in its interface with a formal mosque.

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Sikka Proposals Sikkas interspersed within the neighborhood fabric are areas of opportunity to enhance the level of urban amenity. With minimal intervention, these spaces can be transformed into small-scale shopping corridors, shaded sitting areas, and semi-formal places for active recreation. Some are well-suited to accommodate building functions, such as service access and above-ground utility placement. A sikkaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential reuse is determined by its width, location, neighboring uses, and potential for shade structures. Designing for human comfort must be emphasized and prioritized. Narrower sikkas imply informal coverings such as umbrellas or fabric on metal structures. Wider sikkas imply more formal measures such as larger truss systems that can support lighting.

6m Wide Sikka: Existing conditions

Alternatives include the use of partial tree canopies, which create shaded spaces for active or passive recreation.

6m Wide Sikka: Proposal

20m Wide Sikka 12m Wide Sikka 6m Wide Sikka

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12m Wide Sikka: Existing conditions

12m Wide Sikka Proposal

20m Wide Sikka: Existing conditions

20m Wide Sikka Proposal

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PROPOSALS FOR INTERIOR BLOCK HOUSING CLUSTERS Strategies for infill development and replacement of deteriorating buildings can help redefine urban form and the neighborhood fabric. New mid-rise buildings can help establish a consistent streetwall supporting an imageable public realm. Orienting buildings appropriately to sun locations can help provide adequate shade for pedestrians during peak exposure. Interior courtyards can offer semi-private social space for residents of Annual Shadow Range at 3 pm: Existing

conditions

surrounding buildings. Courtyards linked together by a pedestrian path system can provide more private space than typical streets.

Annual Shadow Range at 3 pm: Proposed

conditions

New Residential Parking Proposal: In addition to loop road parking, a second parking type offers an innovative solution to providing below-grade parking beneath buildings with small floor-plates. The strategy allows for infill parking without altering existing parcel sizes. This proposal calls for a public underground street and ramp system to be built below the public sikkas and courtyard spaces where buildings are not located. Ramps are located beneath sikkas. Public shared parking can be located directly beneath the courtyards, opening up to private parking lots beneath new buildings; thus avoiding the placement of ramps within very small building floorplates. This proposal will help to preserve the fine-grain building fabric wihtin the neighbohrood.

Proposed Building Fabric

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Existing Building Proposed Building Proposed Residential Cluster

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Plan Location

Cluster Plan Example 20m

100m

Section A: Cluster Example with public and private parking below courtyards and new buildings.

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CHAPTER 6

WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES LIVELY WATERFRONTS HAVE LONG BEEN KEY DRIVERS OF URBAN ECONOMIES AND ADD TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR URBAN RESIDENTS. THE CALM BLUE WATERS OF THE ARABIAN GULF HAVE PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABU DHABI, PROVIDING A NATURAL EDGE FOR RECREATION, INDUSTRY, EXERCISE AND CULTURE. THE CORNICHE IS ABU DHABI’S GATEWAY TO THE OCEAN AND DRAWS COUNTLESS VISITORS FROM LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS, THE REGION, AND THE WORLD. WATERFRONTS CAN HOWEVER BE DIFFICULT FOR CITIES TO MANAGE. THE PRESSURES FOR GROWING CITIES TO PRIVATIZE THEIR WATERFRONTS CAN BE IMMENSE. THOSE WATERFRONTS THAT THRIVE ARE CONSISTENTLY THE ONES THAT CAPITALIZE ON THEIR CONNECTIONS TO THE WATER, THAT CREATE A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE, AND THAT PROVIDE PROGRAMMING AND AMENITIES FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF ALL AGES. ABU DHABI’S INVESTMENTS IN WATERFRONT OPEN SPACE ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS ON WHICH THE CITY CAN ENHANCE ONE OF ITS GREATEST PUBLIC AMENITIES. BY MAKING STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE URBAN AND NATURAL EDGE AND ENHANCING THE IMAGEABILITY OF THE CORNICHE, ABU DHABI STANDS TO CREATE A WORLD-CLASS WATERFRONT THAT WILL SUSTAIN AND ENHANCE THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS FOR YEARS TO COME.

WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES

WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES Abu Dhabi’s waterfront, comprised of Corniche Park, Corniche Road, and the Corniche Waterfront Promenade, faces a series of design challenges that inhibit it from functioning as a great amenity for the city. Most of these challenges stem from the inherent conflict between Corniche Road’s importance as an east-west metropolitan connector and the need for pedestrians to cross it to reach the Corniche Waterfront Promenade. The Corniche is Abu Dhabi’s premier park as well as one of its most imageable places. Therefore it is imperative that these challenges be addressed in a manner that respects the needs and safety of all users.

Waterfront Elements Top to bottom: Corniche Park, Corniche Road, and Corniche Waterfront Promenade

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OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES Corniche Park Corniche Park is the largest park in the Central Business District and provides a series of signature open spaces with potential connections to both the city and the Arabian Gulf. It functions as a place for families to play, tourists to visit, and numerous others to relax and take respite from the urban environment. Opportunities:

• •

The park offers potential connections between waterfront and city;

Wayfinding Sign in Corniche Park: Even through signage the park is perceived as separate parcels: this sign relatrd only to one of several park parcels.

Its large size affords considerable flexibility in reconceptualization without compromising original design intent;

• • •

The area is well served by parking; Corniche Park is highly imageable; and It attracts a wide variety of users.

Challenges:

•

Park design is based on discrete and unconnected elements rather than an integrated overall design and user experience;

•

Wayfinding into the park from the south (CBD) is obstructed by the parking areas;

• •

Access to the north (waterfront) is hampered by Corniche Road; The park is discontinuous due to north-south urban arterials dividing it into sections;

• • •

A Beautifully Framed View: One of many

unique, well-defined, and contained moments in Corniche Park.

The park lacks active recreational facilities; The park lacks synergistic places to eat, shop, and be entertained; The park’s large expanse results in underdefined and unconnected areas; and,

•

Young plantings and infrequent shading structures provide few shaded areas in an extremely hot climate.

Large Underdefined Space in Corniche Park

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Corniche Road Corniche Road serves as one of the primary connectors between the eastern and western portions of Abu Dhabi. It also separates the water’s edge from Corniche Park and the CBD. This limits access to an important public amenity. As the city continues its planned growth to Al Reem and Saadiyat Islands, Corniche Road may support even more traffic, further complicating waterfront connections to the CBD. The existing surface road crossings are few and prioritize vehicles over pedestrians. Underpass crossings are fewer yet. Opportunities:

• • •

The road acts as an important east-west connector across the city; It allows for drive-by views of the water and the park; The road provides access to some of Corniche Park’s parking areas; and

•

Its wide right-of-way presents opportunities for reconfiguration.

Challenges:

•

Corniche Road separates Abu Dhabi’s CBD from its waterfront along the Arabian Gulf;

• •

The road has few crossings that are poorly located; and The city’s image is linked to the driver’s vantage point rather than the pedestrian’s. Nowhere is this more apparent than along Corniche Road.

Corniche Promenade, Road, and Park Section

The section demonstrates the prominence of the generous right of way and the great distance to the CBD’s northern edge.

42m (varies)

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Cartway 20m (varies)

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Corniche Road View: a vast expanse of open space and hardscape separates the city from its waterfront.

Median 13m (varies)

Cartway 20m (varies)

4m (varies)

200m (varies widely) this portion not to scale

Corniche Road 53m (varies)

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Corniche Waterfront Promenade The promenade connects a linear string of plazas overlooking the water. Though ideally located, the promenade is difficult to access from the CBD because of the barrier that Corniche Road presents. The Corniche Waterfront Promenade features formal and material continuity and its structures provide shade from the hot sun and opportunities for small gatherings. However, the great distance between the Corniche and the nearest development along the northern edge of the CBD limits the ability Challenging Access: This entrance leads to one of the few pedestrian underpasses allowing access to the waterfront promenade.

of the urban edge to contribute to these waterfront spaces. Opportunities:

• •

The promenade’s location and views are unparalleled; and The promenade offers opportunities for daytime and nighttime activities that can serve to highlight annual and daily rhythms.

Challenges:

• •

Access to the promenade is limited by Corniche Road; The consistent design of the promenade makes for a homogeneous environment that hampers wayfinding;

•

The promenade does not provide sufficient shading, seating, and personal comfort facilities;

•

Due to distance, the promenade cannot rely on an urban edge for spatial definition; and

•

Pedestrians are kept at a distance from the water except at beaches.

Shading and View: Despite the ample shading and amazing view, this comfortable space is sparsely used.

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Consistent Materiality and Formal Language: Views along Corniche Promenade

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ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS The Public Realm Plan provides several alternative proposals for the Corniche Waterfront Promenade, Corniche Road, and Corniche Park. While these alternatives would complement each other, they can be implemented independently. Overall, the alternatives strengthen existing and potential connections to and through the waterfront area, integrating it into the greater CBD open space network of parks and plazas through the north-south connectors. This aligns with the proposal described in the “CBD Streets Design” Connecting City and Water: As proposed in the “Urban Systems” chapter, a network of continuous north-south connectors will provide for safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle connections from the CBD to the water. Pedestrianized Streets North-South Connectors & Shadeway

chapter, where north-south connectors continue through Corniche Park, cross Corniche Road, and reach the promenade, bringing together city and water.

1. 1km

At Grade Crossings along Corniche Road: This minimal intervention provides for additional at grade crossings along Corniche Road. This alternative does not conflict with any of the following.

Transforming Corniche Road into a Multi-Lane Boulevard: This medium intensity intervention realigns the generous right-of-way of Corniche Road into a boulevard featuring access lanes and on-street parking. Conceptually, this alternative does not conflict with any of the others.

A Spine Connecting Through Corniche Park: This low intensity intervention introduces a regularized east-west pedestrian path connecting the disparate components of Corniche Park. This alternative does not conflict with the others.

Infill Development: The proposal suggests moderate development along the southern edge of Corniche Park in areas currently used for surface parking. This alternative does not conflict with any of the others and would strengthen the “Spine” alternative above and the “Splitting” alternative below.

Splitting Corniche Road: As the highest-intensity intervention, the proposal increases overall east-west vehicular connectivity while offering new pedestrian and transit opportunities. This results from splitting Corniche Road into a pacified waterfront Corniche Road with side-loaded light rail and creating a continuous boulevard by connecting fragments of existing roads along the southern edge of Corniche Park.

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WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES

Alternative 1: At Grade Crossings along Corniche Road Through minimal interventions this alternative provides for safe and comfortable at-grade crossings of Corniche Road. Signalized crossings exist where some of the urban arterials intersect Corniche Road. Dedicated right turn lanes make these pedestrian crossings longer than necessary. Moreover, their lack of activity and shading make them unpleasant environments. This alternative removes the right turn sliplanes and corner median islands, resulting in unified street corners and simplified pedestrian crossings. Additional trees at these crossings mark them as unique moments along the Corniche and shade pedestrians. Where north-south pedestrian and bicycle connectors intersect Corniche Road, the proposal takes a similar approach by providing additional at-grade crossings and imageable plantings. The alternative proposes at-grade road crossings each time an urban arterial or north-south connector intersects Corniche Road. The following pages illustrate this strategy applied in three locations along Corniche Road.

Surface Pedestrian Crossings at the Intersection of Corniche and Airport Roads Above: existing conditions (not to scale) Left: Eliminating right turn slip lanes and corner medians, and introducing special pedestrian paving creates a well marked, safe, and comfortable pedestrian crossing 50m

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Surface Pedestrian Crossings at the Intersection of Corniche and Eastern Roads Below: existing conditions (not to scale). Right: Pedestrian crossings are made shorter, safer, and more pleasant by decreasing the distance a person must cross and introducing a new streetscape palette.

25m

16m

4.5m

15m

Surface Crossing of Corniche Road:

A typical experiential section illustrates the transformed crossing experience.

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Surface Pedestrian Crossings at a Mid-block Crossing Below: existing conditions (not to scale). Left: A signalized pedestrian crossing at mid-block increases connectivity between Corniche Park and the Waterfront Promenade. 25m

14m

15m

10m

53m

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Alternative 2: Transforming Corniche Road into a Multi-Lane Boulevard By taking advantage of the generous right of way of Corniche Road and realigning the existing travel lanes into through traffic and access lanes with angled parking, this alternative transforms Corniche Road into an urban waterfront boulevard. Angled parking along the local street adds a significant number of conveniently located parking spaces on both sides of the boulevard. This, combined with landscaped medians, buffers pedestrians from traffic. In addition, the proposal allows for safe pedestrian crossings at mid-block bus stops. The northern edge of the boulevard must be carefully detailed to frame waterfront views. One of the great benefits of this alternative will be the visual unification of the roadway with consistent tree planting to provide pedestrians with continuous curbside shade. The tree also provide the benefit of shade to the parked cars beneath them, keeping vehicles cool for drivers as well.

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5.5m angled parking

3m 2m 3.5m 3.5m 3.5m

3.5m 3.5m 3.5m 2m 3m

5.5m angled parking

48m

Multi-Lane Boulevard Above: Section of typical boulevard condition. Left: Proposed plan of the boulevard at the intersection of Eastern and Corniche Roads. 50m

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Alternative 3: A Spine Connecting through Corniche Park Taking advantage of significant moments and the recent investments in Corniche Park, this alternative uses a continuous east-west corridor to link the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing path system together. Given the size of Corniche Park, the spine is a minimal intervention. However, it is a catalytic one, transforming a set of segregated parks into one continuous experience. Along the spine pathway, existing routes and planting take modified forms. The spineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s features provide spatial definition at key moments through layered plantings and shade structures. As the spine route approaches urban arterials, pathways descend gradually to create pedestrian connections under the arterial. Unlike existing underpasses, however, these crossing moments are part of a seamless transition executed through a continuous landscape architecture system, without the need for endless switchbacks that tax personal energy in a very hot and humid climate. Fitting into the Existing Park: This conceptual section demonstrates how the spine fits into the existing park as it begins its descent towards an urban arterial.

The Spine

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Conceptualizing the Spine Left, above: Areas of design significance within Corniche Park. Left, below: The spineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path connects significant areas along existing routes. Areas of Significance to be protected and connected The East-West Spine 1km

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Spine Crossing Under Bani Yas Najda Road: A ramp and terrace system transitions the park’s grade to the spine’s level at the crossing, maintaining an open approach and avoiding a tunnel-like experience. This plan demonstrates the minimal impact this proposal has on the existing park’s design intent. The following spread presents a perspectival view of this inviting transition into the crossing

20m

Conceptual Sections of the East-West Spine: This series of sections exlpores different manifestations of the spine in relation to the surrounding topography as it moves towards a crossing. The grade changes provide opporunites for enclosure and seating along the path.

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Spine Crossing under Bani Yas Najda Road: This perspectival view demonstrates the open and inviting nature of the arterial crossing condition along the spine: a seamless transition from one Corniche Park parcel to another.

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WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES

Alternative 4: Infill Development The southern edge of Corniche Park, facing the Central Business District, consists of a line of surface parking lots. The unactivated space prevents easy wayfinding and pedestrian comfort along the Public Realm Plan’s proposed north-south connectors moving from the CBD to the waterfront. Moderate development on these lots can strengthen pedestrian and bicycle connections from the CBD to the park and waterfront by promoting continuous activity along the north-south connectors (proposed as part of the “CBD Streets Design” chapter). Moreover, surface parking lots are not the highest and best use of land along an imageable waterfront with great value. Corniche Park’s significant design features do not occur along the edges of these parking areas, indicating that moderate development would not detract from the park’s existing assets. Moderate development will enable replacement of surface parking lots with underground or structured parking, eliminating the need for this inefficient and unproductive land use. At the request of Urban Planning Council Staff, the Public Realm Plan maintains this infill development strategy as an isolated alternative (A. Alzahid Memo 2009).

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Potential Areas for Moderate Development: Currently surface parking areas Areas of Significance to be protected and connected Potential Moderate Development Areas

1km

View of Parking Area: Adjacent to Corniche

Park, this surface parking area could be developed without jeopardizing the park’s design intent.

Panorama View of the CBS’s North Edge and the South Edge of Corniche Park: The area lacks spatial definition and presents wayfinding challenges.

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Alternative 5: Splitting Corniche Road As a high intensity intervention, this proposal can increase overall eastwest traffic capacity along the waterfront by decreasing the number of lanes along the existing Corniche Road. This can be done by splitting Corniche Road into two separate streets: a narrowed Corniche Road and a new route, Hotel Road, along the south side of Corniche Park. This offers more possibilities for calming Corniche Road traffic, introducing mass transit to the waterfront, and increasing pedestrian safety and access to the water. This intervention requires connecting Hotel Road as a continuous right-of-way from Al Khaleez Al Arabi Road to Al Salam Road. Along most of its length the new road follows portions of the existing surface parking areas. However, in several specific locations it cuts through the park and requires additional signalized intersections. Utilizing gradual grade changes to approach underground crossings, as introduced in “Alternative 3: A Spine Connecting through Corniche Park,” this proposal will improve the park’s character while maintaining its already desirable components. In response to this new alignment, the Public Realm Plan envisions new streetscaping strategies for both Corniche Road and Hotel Road. Corniche Road Split Diagram: The proposed Hotel Road will follow an existing alignment with exceptions for park cut-throughs just east of King Khalid Abdel Aziz Road and at Airport Road. In addition, two signalized intersections will be required at Airport Road. Particular attention will be required to enable traffic splitting and merging at either end of Hotel Road. Existing Road Alignment Maintained with Rightof-way redistribution Proposed Hotel RoadAlignment Areas where Proposed Road would Cut through 200m

King Khalid Abdel Aziz Road

Al Khaleez Al Arabi Road

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)tf 511 / m53( ehcinroC

Walk 35m

)tf 471 / m 35( daoR ehcinroC

Corniche Road 53m

)tf 835 / m 461( kraP ehcinroC

)tf 833 / m 101( toL gnikraP

Corniche Park 165m

Parking Lot 100m

Existing Corniche Road Diagrammatic Section: Other than Corniche Park, the vast expanse of the waterfront is covered in asphalt and surface parking. The traffic along Corniche Road is heavy and wide, inhibiting pedestrian access to the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge.

)tf 712 / m 66( pveD dna daoR ehcinroC

)tf 511 / m53( ehcinroC

Walk 35m

Corniche Road and Light Development 53m

)tf 835 / m 461( kraP ehcinroC

)tf 85 / m51(

)tf 511 / m 53( pveD

)tf 831 / m 24( daoR letoH

Corniche Park 165m

Moderate Hotel Road Development 42m 35m Proposed Corniche Road Split Diagrammatic Section: The southern parking lots enable space for new moderately scaled development and the new Hotel Road. This helps to provide an improved edge condition at Corniche Park, and disperses traffic away from Corniche Road. Cornich Road is redeveloped with tram transit and fewer lanes of traffic, improving citywide connectity and pedestrian access to the waterfront.

Corniche Road

Airport Road

Hotel Road

Al Salam Road

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WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES

Corniche Road Streetscaping Proposal The splitting of Corniche Road into two separate rights-of-way enable the remaking and streetscaping of Corniche Road into a true beachfront street. The proposal recommends the addition of side-loaded light rail along the waterfront creating a clear buffer between automobile traffic, pedestrian and bike paths. Corniche Road would be composed of two lanes of traffic in either direction, a left turn lane off the center median, and curbside parallel parking. The renewed street is further calmed by additional signalization and the insertion of at-grade pedestrian crossings. Small-scale pavilions on both sides of the street house retail shops, cafes, restaurants, and small office spaces that create intimately-scaled moments of activity along the Corniche Waterfront Promenade. Streetscaping elements such as lighting, trees, and arcades reinforce this scale. The synergy that these elements creates becomes a critical component of making the waterfront a true regional destination.

Experiential Corniche Road Section: The

proposed Corniche Road boulevard features side loading transit and small scale development to activate the waterfront.

3.5m

Light Development along Corniche Park 18m

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Corniche Road Plan: The illustrative plan of Corniche Road shows pedestrian and bicycle paths reaching the waterfront promenade

(in light blue). New moderately scaled development helps to activate both Corniched Park and the waterfront at key pedestrian crossings.

6.5m

4.5m

6.5m

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25m

Light Waterfront Development to activate the Corniche Width varies according to available space.

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WATERFRONT ALTERNATIVES

Hotel Road Streetscape Proposal The second key component of this proposal is the creation of a new Hotel Road along the southern edge of Corniche Park in the surface paking lots that currently line the hotels. To increase density and activity along the street, surface parking areas are developed as proposed in “Alternative 4: Infill Development.” The solid urban edge defines the enclosure of Hotel Road and helps to provide a better urban edge along the park, without decreasing park space. The proposal treats the street as a boulevard with two through lanes in either direction separated from a curbside access lane and on-street parking on either side. Parking would be located typically along the driver’s side to leave the passenger’s side free for drop off and loading by taxis. This proposal would provide a center median for pedestrian refuge and alternating left turn lanes, in addition to access lane medians to provide a continuous pedestrian path at curbside. The proposal is particularly well-suited for hotel and visitor-oriented development, and should provide a very imageable roadway for an important waterfront and parkside edge.

Existing Conditions south of Corniche Park: Extensive surface parking lots between the hotels and Corniche Park can be converted into new appropriately scaled development, structured parking and the new Hotel Road. The existing parking lots are well-used for both parking and other informal recreational uses, but all of this could be accommodated in better programmed park space and parking structures.

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Hotel Road Plan: Hotel Road is shown as a boulevard. North-south connectors (light blue) cross Corniche Road, allowing bikers and pedestrians to move to the waterfront with ease. The center median is used as an alternating left turn lane at intersections. The access road medians at curbside allow a continuous pedestrian experience and a coherent streetscape.

3.5m

2.5m

Cartway 6m

3.5m

4.5m

Cartway 6m

3.5m

25m

2.5m

3.5m

Cartway 6m

Hotel Road Section

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CHAPTER 7

METROPOLITAN HOUSING IN ORDER TO BECOME A CITY OF VIBRANT, LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS, ABU DHABI’S RANGE OF HOUSING OPTIONS WILL HAVE TO ACCOMODATE A POPULATION OF DIVERSE HOUSEHOLDS WITH SPECIFIC HOUSING NEEDS. THE CITY WILL NEED TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF UNDER-SUPPLY, LAND LIMITATIONS, CLIMATICALLY INAPPROPRIATE DESIGN, AND CHOICE LIMITATION TO PROVIDE EACH HOUSEHOLD THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE A UNIT THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD SIZE, CULTURAL PRACTICE, BUDGET, AND PREFERENCES. WHILE HOUSING CHOICES ARE CURRENTLY DOMINATED BY MULTI-FAMILY TOWERS AND SUBURBAN VILLAS, THE PUBLIC REALM PLAN INTRODUCES THREE NEW HOUSING TYPE GROUPS, TARGETED AT SUBURBAN, MODERATE, AND HIGH-RISE DENSITIES, WHICH WILL EXPAND HOUSING CHOICES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. IT AFFORDS EMIRATI HOUSING SPECIAL ATTENTION, OFFERING HOUSING SOLUTIONS THAT REFLECT THE UNIQUE PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS OF EMIRATI HOUSEHOLDS. THE RESULT IS A SET OF BUILDING TYPOLOGIES AND NEIGHBORHOOD FABRICS THAT FORM THE BASIS OF A CONTEMPORARY EMIRATI URBANISM. FINALLY, THE BUILDING TYPOLOGIES DEVELOPED FOR EACH OF THE THREE DENSITIES SEEK TO USE LAND EFFICIENTLY, SUPPORT TRANSIT RIDERSHIP, AND INCORPORATE SHADING AND VENTILATION STRATEGIES, WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ABU DHABI’S ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

METROPOLITAN HOUSING

METROPOLITAN HOUSING IPROGRAM

NEEDS FOR EMIRATI HOUSEHOLDS

The metropolitan area’s existing housing stock consists predominantly of multi-family “tower” housing and extended-family Emirati villas. The efficient use of land achieved by tower housing fails to accommodate the cultural practices of Emirati and other Arab families in the city, thus preventing these families from living in denser urban areas. In order to develop a contemporary Emirati urbanism, the Public Realm Plan enumerates the ideal square meter allocations for necessary programmatic components of an extended family Emirati home with the objective of identifying appropriate and efficient parcel sizes. Several key programmatic components differ between Emirati housing and standard western models. First, households have at least one majlis for entertaining guests and ideally would have a separate majlis for men Multi-Family Tower Housing: High-density, urban living does not accommodate the programmatic requirements of Emirati households.

and women. Much of the day’s activity, including eating meals, occurs in the family room. As a result, dining rooms play a smaller role and are sometimes eliminated. Because family members rarely cook, kitchens function as service areas but must still be large enough to cook meals for large social gatherings. Each member of the family has an individual bedroom and attached bathroom. In some cases, secondary kitchenettes exist on upper floors to allow nuclear families increased independence when living in extended family situations (Housing Workshop 2009). The program requirements tables on the following pages identify these special components as well as standard program elements. For an extended family Emirati household, the baseline built program consists of

Emirati Villa Housing: Emirati villas house many specific programmatic elements unique to their cultural practice.

623 square meters (208 square meters of land area when built at 3 stories) with an additional 225 square meters of land area allocated for courtyards and parking. The 433 square meters of total land area requires a minimum parcel size of 21 meters square. Rectangular configurations, such as the 18 by 24 meter parcels developed for courtyard houses, require smaller street frontages, minimizing necessary infrastructure. Nuclear families require fewer bedrooms as well as smaller gathering spaces. The baseline program consists of 409 square meters, occupying 136 square meters of land area when housed in 3 stories. With courtyard and parking areas added, the ideal program could fit on a 289 square meter parcel. This could be configured on a 17 meter square parcel or on a 12 by 24 meter rectangular parcel.

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outdoor area

parking

storage

kitchen

maid’s room

master bedroom

bedroom

family room

sitting bedroom area

eating women’s area majlis

bedroom eating area

majlis entrance hall outdoor sitting area parking

garden

Programmatic Relationships in an Emirati Villa: While villas are customized by each household, the relationships between the major components of an Emirati villa can be generalized into key programmatic trends.

parking

Required Program Element Optional Program Element

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Gathering Space Private Rooms Eating Areas Outdoor Space Service

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BASELINE EXTENDED FAMILY PROGRAM PROGRAM

DIM1

DIM2

SQM

TOTAL

BUILT 21m

21m

24m

18m

Minimum Parcel Sizes for the Baseline Extended Family Program

Outdoor Sitting Area

3.0

6.0

18.0

Foyer

2.0

4.0

8.0

Men’s Majlis

5.0

6.0

30.0

Eating Area

3.0

4.0

12.0

1/2 Bath

1.5

2.3

Women’s Majlis

4.5

20.3

1/2 Bath

1.5

2.3

Family Room

6.0

9.0

54.0

Dining Area

4.0

6.0

24.0

Kitchen

4.0

8.0

32.0

Laundry

2.5

6.3

Storage

2.0

3.0

6.0

Maid’s Room

2.5

3.0

7.6

Bath

1.5

2.0

3.0

Bedroom

4.0

16.0

128.0

Bath

2.0

3.5

7.0

56.0

6.0

36.0

72.0

Suite Bedroom

3.0

4.0

12.0

24.0

Closet

Bathroom

2.0

3.0

6.1

12.2

Kitchenette

3.0

4.0

12.0

24.0

Total:

542.0

Circulation (15%)

81.3

Total Villa Area

623.3 3

Stories Land Area Required

207.7

UNBUILT

168

Courtyard

5.0

9.0

45.0

Outdoor Space

3.0

12.0

36.0

Parking

4.0

6.0

24.0

144.0

Total Land Area Required (sqm):

432.7

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BASELINE NUCLEAR FAMILY PROGRAM PROGRAM

DIM1

DIM2

SQM

TOTAL

Outdoor Sitting Area

3.0

6.0

18.0

Foyer

2.0

4.0

8.0

Men’s Majlis

4.0

16.0

1/2 Bath

1.5

2.3

Women’s Majlis

3.0

9.0

1/2 Bath

1.5

2.3

Family Room

5.0

25.0

Dining Area

4.0

16.0

BUILT

Kitchen

4.0

6.0

24.0

Laundry

2.5

6.3

Storage

2.0

3.0

6.0

Maid’s Room

2.5

3.0

7.6

1.5

2.0

3.0

Bath Bedroom

4.0

16.0

64.0

Bath

2.0

3.5

7.0

28.0

Suite Bedroom

6.0

36.0

72.0

Bathroom

3.0

4.0

12.0

24.0

Closet

2.0

3.0

6.1

12.2

Kitchenette

3.0

4.0

12.0

Total:

17m

24m

12m

Minimum Parcel Sizes for the Baseline Nuclear Family Program

355.7

Circulation (15%)

53.4

Total Villa Area

409.1

# of Stories

Land Area Required

136.7

UNBUILT Courtyard

5.0

9.0

45.0

Outdoor Space

3.0

12.0

36.0

Parking

4.0

6.0

24.0

72.0

Total Land Area Required:

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289.7

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SUBURBAN DENSIFICATION Currently, housing on the mainland consists almost exclusively of newly developed Emirati villa neighborhoods. Plot allocations are considerably larger than in older neighborhoods on Abu Dhabi Island, reaching 2,500 square meters in some areas. The urban form of these neighborhoods further decreases density due to large utility rights-of-way and sikkas in between plots and streets. Suburban Villa Development: Though villas offer great flexibility and privacy, current villa neighborhoods consume significant amounts of land and remove residences from every day destinations.

While large, walled plots allow families considerable privacy, ability to customize their home, and flexibility to expand over time, the continuation of this housing pattern presents several concerns. First, it consumes significant quantities of land that may not be available to meet the demand of future generations. If Emirati villa development trends continue at 1.75 units per acre, the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 33,000 hectares of undeveloped land will be consumed in 36 years. Second, the low-density, single-use villa developments separate residences from daily destinations such as schools, mosques, shopping, and employment and will not reach residential densities required to support the transit projects proposed in the Surface Transport Master Plan (Surface Transport Master Plan 2009). The Public Realm Plan offers two alternative neighborhood structures to densify development on Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mainland.

Existing Villa Neighborhood in Shamkhah: Current development patterns of these areas average 1.75 units per hectare. 100m

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Land Available For Development: Based on a comparison of land currently developed with

land allocated for low-density residential use in Plan 2030, 33,000 hectares of land remain for development.

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Low-density Residential Areas Available Land

5km

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Linear Anchor Streets 36 by 72 meter parcels have front access as well as side access on corner lots.

24 by 96 meter parcels have front and rear access.

The first structure utilizes a linear organization. It achieves higher densities by eliminating dedicated utility rights-of-way, but maintains existing plot area. The existing area is reconfigured in rectangular parcels rather than square parcels, and two parcel options are proposed. Wider 36 by 72 meter parcels are arranged abutting one another with access from the front only. Narrower 24 by 96 meter parcels have street access from both sides allowing houses to develop along both frontages. Two intersecting non-residential streets anchor the neighborhood and establish its character. One of these streets is lined with a narrow park for passive recreation that opens up in key locations to allow space for sports fields. Neighborhood-serving retail lines the other anchor street. They intersect in an institutional center, with a large Friday mosque terminating the vista down both of the streets.

Parcel Access Diagram

50m

Retail Villas Instituions Park Sports Fields

Linear Anchor Street Concept Diagram

172

100m

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Contemporary Fareej This neighborhood structure is an adaptation of a traditional fareej form, where Emirati villas are clustered around a central gathering space. These clusters are then arranged around a larger central area that contains mosques and schools. While a few exist in pure form near Al Ain and Dubai, the fareej concept manifests itself more subtly throughout the metropolitan area with institutional uses found in central, shielded areas such as superblock interiors. The contemporary fareej system clusters residential uses around central gathering spaces at multiple scales ranging from the house to the district. The resulting urban fabric is a fractal network. In order to create this fabric, the proposal reduces plot size based on the baseline program identified in the preceding section.

Traditional Fareej

100m

This fabric represents a significant reduction in villa land consumption while creating vibrant, liveable neighborhoods and a more sustainable housing form. As this development pattern is a significant departure from current trends, the following section of the Public Realm Plan develops the neighborhood fabrics and associated building typologies in more depth.

Metro Tram Retail Mixed-Use High Density Residential Courtyard Houses Institutions Recreational Open Space Family Courts

Contemporary Fareej Concept Diagram

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100m

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THE CONTEMPORARY FAREEJ: COURTYARD HOUSES AND NEIGHBORHOOD FABRICS Suburban densification strategies afford opportunities to reconsider new residential development, particularly when linked to transit. The extensive transit proposals in place for Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mainland will require dense mixed-use development near major transit stops with moderate densities in other areas. This section of the Public Realm Plan incorporates higher density infill typologies with new courtyard housing typologies to create a framework for new development in Abu Dhabi.

Districts Each district of approximately 10,000 residents is anchored by a central institutional space, where primary schools, Friday mosques, and large Selected District for Development:

Neighborhood proposals for this district allow exploration of development adjacent to the proposed metro and tram systems. (Source: Surface Transport Master Plan 2009). Selected District Proposed Metro Proposed Tram Proposed Regional Rail Major Existing Roads

to be constructed as boulevards, bound the districts. Some of these boulevards accommodate transit, which has density and land use implications for the surrounding neighborhoods. This concept is illustrated in a sample district in Mohammed Bin Zayed City.

2km

transit boulevard boulevard primary street minor street pedestrian path

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recreational spaces would be located. Arterials, proposed in Plan 2030

300m

Street Hierarchy

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350m = 5 min walk

100+ units/hectare 75 units/hectare 25-30 units/hectare 12-16 units /hectare 300m

Residential Densities

Metro Tram

350m = 5 min walk

Neighborhood Retail Mixed Use Residential Institutional Open Space 300m

Land Use

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Metro Tram

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District Organization Diagram: The

contemporary fareej arranges neighborhoods around a district-wide institutional center consisting of primary schools for girls and boys, a Friday mosque and recreational space. Neighborhoods vary in density depending on their proximity to transit, but each is anchored by a center that can house a daily mosque, local-serving retail and small playgrounds.

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100m

Family Court Neighborhood Center Institutional Center

Public Streets Family Courts Neighborhood Centers District-wide Recreation District-wide Institutions

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Within the district, each neighborhood is oriented around a daily mosque, local-serving retail, and smaller-scale open spaces including playgrounds. These neighborhoods house differing numbers of residents, ranging from 800 to 1,500 depending on densities. The streets edging these neighborhoods are through streets that connect throughout the area. The streets leading to the neighborhood centers, however will enclose the center and meet in a pinwheel. Therefore, none of the streets leading to the center is an uninterrupted through-street, which deters fast-moving traffic while providing connectivity between neighborhoods. This allows the centers to become pivot points of the circulation network as well as the center of daily activity within the community.

Neighborhood Organization Diagram

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50m

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Blocks At the block level, approximately 20 courtyard houses line the block exterior. The streets that they define strengthen the public realm by creating pedestrian spaces that mediate the transition from public to private, particularly for guests to the home who would enter from the front. The rear facades of these homes define and shelter a multi-functional shared family court to be used for additional parking and outdoor activities, such as dining and playing. Concrete pavers allow automobiles to enter and exit but emphasize pedestrian use. This space would be comfortably shared by the families of the block and is relatively private due to its interior location.

2.5m

Primary Street Section

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2.5m

Section B: Minor Street Section

Typical Block Plan

10m

Public Streets Shared Family Courts Private Courtyards

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Courtyard Housing Typologies At the household level, each home is structured around a private courtyard that provides the home with outdoor gathering space as well as light and ventilation. The Public Realm Plan offers several typologies designed for a range of parcel widths. They share a standard parcel depth of 24 meters that allows these typologies to be mixed throughout neighborhoods to maximize space usage where necessary. The first typology parcel size is 18 meters by 24 meters. This provides adequate space for the programmatic requirements set out for extendedfamily Emirati households. The ground floor accommodates entry areas, men’s and women’s majlis, family room, dining room, kitchen, servant’s quarters, and two-car garage. The rooms transition from public to private from the front to the back of the house. The upper stories accommodate 5 bedroom suites and an open gathering area that could include a small kitchenette to allow each nuclear family a degree of independence. 18 METER TYPOLOGY

men’s majlis

sitting area foyer

family room

courtyard

garage

women’s majlis

dining room

kitchen maid’s room rear stoop

additonal parking and family court

First Floor Plan 5m

180

Section Through Courtyard: The courtyard allows light and ventilation to reach rooms on both sides of it.

Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Circulation Public outdoor space Semi-public outdoor space Private outdoor space

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The second parcel typology 12 meters by 24 meters. It accommodates smaller extended families and would also be appropriate for affluent expatriate families. The ground floor includes the entry areas, men’s and women’s majlis, family room, dining room, kitchen and a one car garage. Servants quarters, bedroom suites and small gathering spaces could all be arranged on the upper floors, presenting the opportunity for a third story to function as an independent unit in extended family situations. The third typology fits on a 6 meter by 24 meter parcel. While it does not allow for all the programmatic requirements of an extended family Emirati household, it would be an appropriate typology for a young nuclear family waiting to receive their permanent plot or an expatriate family. This typology has an entry area, entertaining room that could function as a majlis, family room, and kitchen on the ground floor. All parking for these units would be accommodated in family courts.

12 METER TYPOLOGY

6 METER TYPOLOGY

sidewalk

men’s majlis

sidewalk

sitting area foyer

women’s majlis

majlis

courtyard

family room family room

dining area

kitchen

garage

Section Through Courtyard: The courtyard

increases livable space in the home by extending adjacent program outdoors.

rear stoop additonal parking and family court

First Floor Plan 5m

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

2m kitchen

Section Through Courtyard 2m

rear stoop parking and family court

First Floor Plan 5m

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CBD MID-RISE INFILL HOUSING CLUSTERS Mid-rise typologies create new clusters of apartment buildings around common open plazas. They are appropriate for infill strategies to replace deteriorating buildings within the Central Business District, but also could be used in new development, particularly on mainland sites near transit hubs. Within the CBD, orientation of the buildings provides more shade for the street at the sunniest times of day. The interior plazas offer semi-private social space for residents of the surrounding buildings, which is especially important in high-density superblocks. A pedestrian path secondary to the shadeway links the plazas and provides increased privacy for women to navigate throughout the superblocks. Three varieties of mid-rise buildings target a variety of socio-economic populations to promote affordability and livability within the CBD. Slab style buildings house efficiency apartments, while stand-alone buildings target a middle-income range, and terrace apartments cater to large, affluent households.

Terrace Apartments Stand-Alone Buildings Slab-Style Buildings Existing Buildings

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Location of Mid-Rise Cluster Typologies Within the Four Block Study Area

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Slab-style building typologies

Stand-alone building typologies

Sample Plan of Mid-Rise Cluster

10m

200 m

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Slab-style Building Typologies â&#x20AC;&#x153;Slab-styleâ&#x20AC;? buildings provide units developed specifically for lowerincome workers living communally. Each of the typologies houses first-floor retail along the street frontages. The range of building widths provides options that fit within the varying dimensions of existing underutilized areas in the Central Business District. They define the public realm more clearly through infill development. The varying widths permit different unit configurations. The smallest width buildings are one unit wide. The Efficiency Unit typology responds to the trend towards overcrowding to increase affordability by providing shared kitchens and bathrooms with large common rooms for living and sleeping. Larger units incorporate separated bedrooms that maintain simple publicprivate relationships. While the Intermediate Width buildings allow for larger units aligned one wide, the wider floorplates can fit two smaller units in the width of the building.

STREET FRONTAGE

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

Efficiency Unit Typology: Units include one open room for both living and sleeping.

Narrow Floorplate Typology: Units include two small bedrooms with the narrowest floorplate of the typologies. Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Vertical circulation Semi-public outdoor space

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12 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

STREET FRONTAGE

Intermediate WIdth Typology: Intermediate width floorplates that are still only one unit wide allow for more spacious units.

15 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

STREET FRONTAGE

Double Width Typology: 15 meter wide parcels allow two small units in the width of the floorplate.

18 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

STREET FRONTAGE

Wide Floorplate Typology: The widest floorplates allow for two slightly larger units across the building’s width.

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Stand-alone Building Typologies This set of typologies provides larger floor plans with two and three bedroom layouts targeted towards middle-income families. Each floor of the seven to ten-story builidngs has four units arranged around an elevator core. Like the slab-style typologies, the range of widths allows these typologies to take advantage of infil opportunity spaces of various sizes. The typologies are designed for 28 meter frontages; however, the fourth illustrates that where there are opportunities for longer buildings, units with private balconies can be incorporated. Stand-Alone Building Section: Showing street frontage, public-private relationships within the building, and courtyard.

28 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

18 M

15 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

STREET FRONTAGE

15 Meter Width

STREET FRONTAGE

18 Meter Width 28 M

30 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

20 M

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

STREET FRONTAGE

20 Meter Width

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STREET FRONTAGE

20 Meter Width, with Longer Frontage

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Terrace Apartments

4.2M

High-end terrace apartments are intended for the eastern-most block of 3M

the Central Business District. They provide the greatest amount of space

4.2M

bedrooms as well as several separated social spaces that could be used

a few children or more affluent expatriate families. They have three

4.2M

in two story units and would be ideal for young Emirati families with only

separated from private areas by a more nuanced privacy gradient than the

4.2M

for gender specific gatherings. These more public areas of the home are other two mid-rise types.

Section A. Terrace Apartment Section: Private

30 M

public outdoor

semi-public

semi-public outdoor

semi-private

Retail / Office

private/family

Vertical Circulation

4.2M

service

Amenities 3M

private outdoor courtyard

4.2M

20 M

4.2M

Second Floor Plan

STREET FRONTAGE

public outdoor

semi-public

Retail / Office

semi-public outdoor

semi-private

Amenities

private outdoor courtyard

private/family

Vertical Circulation

service

COURTYARD / SIKKA FRONTAGE

Ground Floor Plan

ABU DHABI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT PUBLIC REALM PLAN

Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Vertical Circulation Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

PREMIUM HIGH-RISES The Central Business District lacks apartment typologies that reflect the needs of Emirati families for privacy and gender separation as well as the ability for extended family homes to expand as families grow over time. This prevents these families from living in many of the dense, urban areas of the CBD. This group of typologies seeks to adapt multi-family, high-rise living to Emirati cultural practices. The result is a tower made of a stack of luxurious villas. Each unit has ample private outdoor space and a defined sequence of rooms that indicates varying levels of public and private nature. The large units could be developed unfinished and finished to customized specifications as a family grows over time. This typology is ideal for parcels near the Corniche, where these units would enjoy views of the water. The Public Realm Plan offers six different high-rise apartment typologies. The Green Corner, Full Floor Villa, and Skip Stop typologies target midblock sites, while the Vertical Villa, Pinwheel, and Atrium typologies are developed for corner sites.

Poor condition tower at mid-block Poor condition tower at corner Existing + proposed parks + plazas Existing + proposed infill buildout

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Potential Sites for New Towers Within the Four Block Study Area

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Public Outdoor

Semi-public

Retail / Office

Semi-private Outdoor

Semi-private

Amenities

Private Outdoor

Private / Family

Vertical Circulation

Service

30m

Corner Tower Podium Plan

30m

Mid-Block Podium Plan

Diagrammatic Podium Section

Each typology sits on top of a podium with first-floor retail, two floors of office space, and a fourth floor of building amenities. The podiums have deep arcades for pedestrians and service access on the rear side of the building. Podium configurations also distinguish between mid-block and corner sites.The corner tower podium typically has a corner lobby entrance

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Residential Service Public Outdoor

Semi-public

with a service area off a side-abutting sikka. The mid-block podium has

Retail / Offic

Semi-private Outdoor

Semi-private

Amenities

more flexibility, with the main entrance located within the ground floor

Private Outdoor

Private / Family

Vertical Circu

retail wall beneath a pedestrian arcade.

Service

Public Outdoor

Semi-public

Semi-private Outdoor

Semi-private

Private Outdoor

Private / Family Service

200 m

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

The Green Corner The Green Corner typology is a mid-block typology. It provides each unit with an outdoor corner balcony to allow light to penetrate deeper into the units and to encourage increased ventilation. This configuration affords substantial flexibility in terms of the number of floors of each unit and their layout.

public outdoor semi-public outdoor

outdoor courtyardprogram on The unit shown accommodates the extended private family Emirati

three floors. Residents and guests enter on the second floor, where most of the public functions of the house are located. From there, one can move semi-public outdoor

up or down to more private floors with bedrooms and small common spaces semi-private indoor

that would allow women to gather out of sight of male guests on the private/family

second floor.

service

Concept Diagram

UNIT FLOOR PLANS

1 4

4 5

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

10m

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Public Outdoor

Semi-public

Retail / Office

METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

Building Perspective

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Section

10m

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

public outdoor semi-public outdoor

The Full Floor Villa

private outdoor courtyard

The Full Floor Villa, another mid-block typology, stacks traditional semi-public outdoor semi-private indoor

suburban villas into a tower. Units occupy the full floorplate of the tower, private/family service

public outdoor

offering a great degree of privacy. Moreover, the units offer the flexibility semi-public outdoor

Concept Diagram

private outdoor courtyard

for households to customize their home: segments of the unit could be developed unfinished initially and completed as the household expands. semi-public outdoor semi-private indoor private/family

This configuration also provides opportunities for multiple outdoor spaces service

to be incorporated into the unit with varying degrees of privacy. Balconies adjacent to family rooms and the majlis take on a more public nature, while balconies attached to bedrooms become more private spaces. Two sample organizations are shown that accommodate all the program elements on a single floor.

3 4

Sample Unit Configuration

10m

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Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

Building Perspective

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

public outdoor semi-public outdoor

Theprivate Skipoutdoor Stopcourtyard Ideal for mid-block sites, the Skip Stop typology interlocks two one and semi-public outdoor one half story units around a shared lobby. Lobbies, therefore, are only semi-private necessary on indoor every third floor, minimizing circulation space and reducing

costsprivate/family for space that can not be leased. service

Distribution of the program elements within the units reinforces privacy separations as the smaller entry floor includes the public spaces. From

Concept Diagram

there, residents move up or down to the more private floor that spans the width of the building. Portions of the unit with windows on alternate faces of the building permit effective cross-ventilation, another advantage of

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

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Semi-public

Retail / Office

Section

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The Vertical Villa The Vertical Villa, intended for corner block sites, stacks programming Concept Diagram

elements that are traditionally organized horizontally to establish privacy

public outdoor

relationships. The majlis, dining area and kitchen are located on the

semi-public outdoor

second floor where the unit entry is located. The womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s majlis and

private outdoor courtyard

family room are located on upper and lower floors to maintain separation from areas designated for guests. Open spaces in various corners of each semi-public outdoor

floor take on varying degrees of privacy associated with the use of the

semi-private indoor

rooms adjacent to them.

private/family service

2 3

Second Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

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public outdoor semi-public outdoor

METROPOLITAN HOUSING

private outdoor courtyard

semi-public outdoor semi-private indoor private/family service

The Pinwheel The Pinwheel typology arranges four units around a central circulation core to strategically separate units from each other and ensure privacy. Units have fewer bedrooms than other typologies, but still accommodate the majlis, kitchen, and dining room on the second floor adjacent to the main entry. Additionally, the family room and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s majlis are separated from more public spaces by their location on lower and upper floors. This typology has one large balcony on the third floor, rather than several

Concept Diagram

smaller ones. This unit type can be expanded as the family grows.

2 3

Second Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

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public outdoor semi-public outdoor private outdoor courtyard

METROPOLITAN HOUSING

semi-public outdoor semi-private indoor private/family service

The Atrium The Atrium typology establishes a central light and ventilation shaft that daylights and passively cools the housing units. Each unit has a private breezeway that opens onto this atrium. In this typology, units occupy half of the floorplate. Consequently, unit configurations are flexible, as are unit sizes through manipulation of numbers of stories allocated to each unit. Like other typologies, the sample unit is entered on the second floor, where the more public functions are housed. Private family rooms are located above and below.

Concept Diagram

Second Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

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METROPOLITAN HOUSING

Typical Unit

Retail/Office Amenities Vertical Circulation Semi-public indoor space Semi-private indoor space Private rooms Service Semi-public outdoor space Semi-private outdoor space

Key Program Elements 12345-

Majlis Dining Kitchen Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Majlis Family Room

Building Perspective

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CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSIONS IMAGINE A CITY ON THE ARABIAN GULF – A CITY WITH A PUBLIC REALM THAT HAS CONQUERED THE CHALLENGES OF ITS HOT AND HUMID DESERT CLIMATE – A PLACE WITH INVITING NEIGHBORHOODS FOR LIFE AND LEISURE – A THRIVING DOWNTOWN WHERE PEOPLE FROM A MYRIAD OF BACKGROUNDS SHARE SPACE TOGETHER AND SOCIALIZE IN PUBLIC – A DISTRICT WITH A STRONG ECOLOGICAL AND URBAN FORM IDENTITY – A DOWNTOWN THAT VISITORS ENJOY EQUALLY DURING THE DAY AND NIGHT. ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT HAS ALL THE ELEMENTS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN THE DESIGN OF ITS STREETS, OPEN SPACES, WATERFRONT AND NEIGHBORHOODS. WHAT IS REQUIRED NOW ARE THE STRATEGIES AND DESIRE TO ACCOMPLISH THE VISION. THAT POLITICAL WILL EXISTS IS CERTAIN, BUT HOW CAN IT BE CHANNELED? IMAGINE A STROLL DOWN A BUSTLING AND LIVELY LANDSCAPED SOUK – DRINKING TEA WITH FRIENDS AT A SHADE COVERED CAFÉ IN THE CITY – HEARING THE CALL OF THE MUEZZIN FROM WITHIN A BOSQUE OF DATE PALMS – TAKING AN EVENING WALK ALONG A RIVULET OF WATER IN A PARADISE GARDEN. THESE ARE THE POSSIBILITIES OF ABU DHABI’S PUBLIC REALM – A PLACE BUILT WITHIN ITS CURRENT STRUCTURE BUT SO DIFFERENT THAN ITS CURRENT REALITY.

CONCLUSIONS This Public Realm Plan has focused on the shared common spaces of Abu Dhabi’s existing Central Business District, including: streets, transit, open space, waterfront alternatives, neighborhood development and housing. Understanding the challenges and opportunities facing the CBD enabled the team to identify a number of place-based visions that could lead and inspire the future development of the CBD’s public realm. The Abu Dhabi CBD Public Realm Plan presents a series of visions for a city that will be impacted in unexpected ways by the continued rapid growth of the city and the development of new financial and commercial districts on the islands to the east. These vision statements seek to solidify the role of the CBD in the life of the city, so that decision makers can determine the appropriate methods of moving forward with implementation. These visions are: 1: Abu Dhabi’s Central Business District will combine the spirit of traditional Arab cities with innovative public realm design to create a contemporary Emirati urbanism; 2: For viability over the longterm, the public realm will be comprised of sustainable systems that are appropriate for the local context; 3: Abu Dhabi’s Central Business District will continue to be a cultural crossroads for residents and visitors from around the world; 4: Abu Dhabi’s central neighborhood will be vibrant and livable – it will be infilled to shape and reinforce the public realm. Together with a series of related design principles, these visions can provide a target for how the CBD can evolve over the next couple of decades. The bulk of the Public Realm Plan suggests a series of discrete and singular design interventions as departure points for discussing how the CBD’s public realm can be improved over time. Most of these illustrative designs are not mutually exclusive and can be considered a kit of parts toward achieving the vision goals. They can be mixed and matched with various levels of political and budgetary will – although some degree of path dependent sequencing may be necessary. At other times, a series of design alternatives show different means of getting to vision. In these cases, particularly with streetscapes, transit alignments, and waterfront

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strategies, a deeper discussion and analysis must be performed to understand which alternative is the most appropriate for implementation. As a relatively new agency, the Urban Planning Council has a considerable number of decisions and projects to consider in mapping out an implementation strategy, not just for the Public Realm Plan, but also for Plan 2030, the Surface Transportation Plan, the Framework Development Regulations, and other sectoral planning and systems design issues. Coordinating these efforts is a mammoth task, but implementing them in a phased and path dependent manner is even more daunting. To ensure that public realm discussion and design implementation progresses, a number of questions, attitudes and priorities should be assessed to determine support for a renewed public realm.

STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING THE VISION A series of strategies for achieving the vision are set out below as a means of advancing an implementation agenda. They are presented with respect to the deepest and more crucial issues first, while less path dependent and more independent strategies follow.

1. UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE OF THE CBD The Public Realm Plan proposes various means for achieving a future vision of the CBD. However, the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity must be reconsidered in the context of new development to the east, particularly Al Reem, Al Suwwah and Saadiyat Islands. These new districts will be the future centers of commerce and culture, and may draw both tenants and businesses from the existing CBD. What will be these impacts on the existing CBD? What will be the traffic implications? This uncertainty presents an opportunity to re-envision the purpose of the CBD. With growing housing needs for local Emiratis, expatriates, and middle-income guest workers, the current CBD is well positioned to become a district that is focused on residential neighborhood development and those aspects of tourism and culture that are oriented to the local and specific rather than the global. Accordingly, the CBD should be repurposed to serve middle and upper income housing development, maintain and enhance local serving commerce and retail, and foster the development of public open spaces (streets, plazas and parks) whose character and use can be personalized by residents and their guests. This first strategy calls on an active discussion of what will become of the existing CBD given the ongoing development at its periphery.

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2. DETERMINE THE PRIORITY OF PUBLIC REALM CHANGE For this plan to take hold, government and planning leadership will need to determine the importance of the public realm to the future of the CBD. This is not simply a matter of suggesting that streets and sidewalks are important to the health of a city, but rather, a longterm commitment to physical change, disruption, long hours and extraordinary investment. Different from short term ‘beautification’ efforts undertaken by many cities, this Public Realm Plan calls for the repurposing of the city’s historic core to take advantage of the natural advantages inherent to the place, while promoting its progressive evolution. A number of significant changes are suggested in the Public Realm Plan that will alter both the culture of life and everyday practice in the district. Undertaking these changes will require a good deal of political will and fortitude. The result of these efforts might very well be a district with a renewed spirit, exciting new venues, greater links to cultural and regional traditions, and a spirit of innovation. The Plan will also solve some key challenges associated with sustainability, climate, public safety and transport movements. It is the full-scale re-envisioning of the tissues that hold the place together.

3. SEQUENCE THE CATALYTIC MOVES Many of the urban design suggestions included in the Public Realm Plan are dependent on a few catalytic efforts that will provide inertia for other urban design investments. Interestingly, most of these involve below the surface changes to Abu Dhabi’s CBD. Without these improvements in place, other implementation efforts will stall. These catalytic moves are the most difficult to implement – involving multi-agency coordination, significant multi-year budget outlays, and the disruption of everyday life in the CBD while construction proceeds. Planning for these large-scale interventions will require extensive study of phasing, sequencing and the path dependency of subsequent public realm efforts. At the same time they are the most crucial steps in achieving the vision. Three distinct catalysts have been identified with the understanding that each of them must be planned and coordinated collectively. These are the highly technical engineering components of public realm planning that often don’t inspire excitement, but will eventually make life better in the CBD for both residents and visitors. These catalysts are the key determinants for the future of the public realm.

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INFRASTRUCTURE RELOCATION: Located in separate underground trenches beneath sidwalks and adjacent to buildings, current underground utility easements constrain development of the public realm above ground. Consolidating and relocating utilities into shared trenches beneath streets will enable development of streetscapes along urban aterials and in mid-block areas, the location of underground parking facilities, and the alignment of transit.

PARKING RESOLUTION: The amount of surface parking along arterials and in mid-block areas is a considerable constraint to redevelopment and the visual quality of the public realm. A key design recommendation within the Plan is the undergrounding of parking beneath public rights-of-way and public open spaces to help maintain the fine grain building footprints of CBD building fabrics. Placing parking beneath the public realm will allow a system of underground parking access that may not be spatially possible under building footprints too small to accommodate extensive ramp systems. This is a strategy frequently used in Euoropean cities to help preserve the built form of valued places. This catalytic move needs to be sequenced prior to urban arterial streetscaping, infill development within mid-block neighborhoods, changes to the circulation network and ground plane public realm improvements. Careful selection of underground parking locations will impact tree canopy placement on sidewalks with respect to shading for human comfort.

TRANSIT SYSTEM SELECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION: Just as crucial in terms of path dependency for other public realm improvements is the determination of technologies, alignments and systems for both at-grade tram systems as well as larger underground metro networks. Other transit planning efforts will target these infrastructure developments directly. Deciding on these transit decisions become catalytic for the repurposing of streets, streetscapes, utility locations and underground parking. Other public realm impacts from transit design include: routing, transit stop location, sidewalk design, the introduction of new mid-block connectors, pedestrian safety provisions, and the phasing of signals for traffic flow.

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4. RESTITCH THE CBD FABRIC In coordination with the catalytic moves of infrastructure, parking and transit development, detailed above, a renewed CBD will need to restitch its circulation system to better connect its neighborhoods across the untamed arterials that divide them. The Public Realm Plan discusses several traffic and circulation problems including inefficient traffic patterns, pedestrian comfort and safety, difficult connections between blocks, and more. Various means of physical remediation exist, which have already been proposed including: mass transit, mid-block crossings, and additional signalized intersections. Of highest priority for planning attention are those places which inhibit connectivity, preventing the CBD from being a desirable residential and commercial destination. Those measures which enhance connectivity should be given priority. These include multi-modal north-south connectors that will cross at the midblocks and encourage bicycle and pedestrian use, as well as additional signalized intersections that can calm traffic and allow greater commercical and social activity across blocks. For transportation and physical planners this will require a detailed study of routing and possible building removal where they are located disadvantageously.

5. IMPLEMENT THE FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS As a separate and concurrent effort aside the Public Realm Plan, the Framework Development Regulations being constructed for Abu Dhabi Island should be implemented to guide future CBD development patterns. The FDR is a regulartory physical planning document that will shape the form of the city into the future with respect to building heights, densities, open space requirements, development standards, signage, lighting and design guidelines. These are indirect urban design tools that will impact the experience of the public realm with respect to the buildings that shape and enclose space, as well as minimum requirements with respect to the public realm itself. Completion and implementation of the FDR is an important step in achieving larger public realm goals for the CBD. Without them in place, it will be difficult to gauge how private development interacts with the streets, open spaces, land uses and social experiences that make up the public realm.

6. REDEVELOP THE CBDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD Planning for neighborhood redevelopment is a series of decisions about phasing, community involvement, appropriateness of infill and scale, and the design of the public realm. In such a large area, redevelopment

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will most likely happen incrementally on a block by block basis. Within the CBD, a number of buildings that are deemed unsafe and structurally unsound will need to be replaced over time. New building construction should preserve, enhance, and create a more humanly scaled public realm based on culturally appropriate neighborhood fabric. With large parking areas that can become repurposed for other uses, an aging building stock, and new roadway development, ample opportunities for new building construction and infill development exist throughout the central neighborhood. The nature of this redevelopment should be guided by the premise that buildings should create, shape and shelter a public realm suitable to the scale of adjacent development. Infill development should enclose and protect residential courtyards by clustering buildings at the edges of adjacent open space. New buildings should be grouped to encourage privacy, shading, and appropriate outdoor places for different people. Plaza and open space edges should be defined and activated by built form and infill development. Retail and commercial uses should have a harmonious relationship with the public realm through reasonable access and clear demarcations between public, semi-public, and private spaces. The residential public realm should be infused with life, while respecting the cultural sensitivies of Emirati and Islamic urbanism. Redevelopment naturally leads to social issues such as displacement, resettlement, and gentrification â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of which are questions about the resulting identity of the CBD.

7. PRIORITIZE AND IMPLEMENT DISCRETE DESIGN MOVES Stand-alone, discrete design projects that have little dependency on other infrastructure improvements can be accomplished and prioritized differently than large-scale, multi-stakeholder and more catalytic efforts. These projects can add immense public realm value to the CBD and be implemented in a piece-by-piece manner as budgets become available. They can become an incremental means of improvement that occur on a regular basis, allowing steady movement toward the end vision. These potentially include park improvements, greenways, mosque forecourt improvements, courtyard designs, and shadeway development. A prime example of such a discrete design move would be realignment of Corniche Road, relative to the suggested alternatives presented in the Public Realm Plan. A list of all such projects could be compiled, prioritized and scheduled for implementation across a phased calendar. The range of ideas should be prioritized to match the context of economic trends, the needs of local residents, and the physical context of a given site.

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8. ACCOMPLISH WHAT MIGHT BE EASY While it may be any oxymoron to suggest that anything is easy in public realm implementation, smaller and more modest projects have a role in advancing the larger vision. To create support for large scale improvements, government leaders and the larger community should see the potential of an enhanced public realm through simple, quick and implementable interventions. Some of these might be framed as pilot projects to test designs and processes of public realm improvement. The Public Realm Plan discusses a range of potential interventions and long range projects. Some of these, such as underground parking structures, may involve multiple stakeholders and require extensive negotiation, multi-agency coordination, time inputs, and disruption for implementation. Other more modest projects, such as tree planting, erection of shading structures, sikka improvements, the redesign of existing cross-walks, and limited parking removals to create plazas and courtyards, can create immediate benefits within a short period of time. These smaller interventions can help the UPC build support for large scale and more contentious projects such as mass transit lines, mid-block signalizations, and the removal of surface parking lots. Starting where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easiest has many benefits that will help to energize people when they see positive improvements.

9. COMMUNICATE THE VISION REGULARLY To be owned by the community and public officials, the vision of the Public Realm Plan should be communicated and reiterated on a regular basis. This might happen in a variety of forums and over the course of many years. It will help in constructing the physical identity of the CBD and reinforcing it through the multitude of incremental design and planning decisions that will be made over time. A clear presentation of the vision will help to inspire the built environment professions, leaders and the community-atlarge that they are taking part in a common project.

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A PLACE-BASED PUBLIC REALM FOR ABU DHABI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT This Public Realm Plan is but a first step in considering the future of the existing CBD. By focusing the vision on the district’s current strengths – the possibility of a much improved downtown can be realized more easily. Abu Dhabi’s CBD will change in the future. This is certain. How it changes is up to the Emirate’s leadership, professional staff and the community of people that call Abu Dhabi their home. Abu Dhabi can distinguish itself within the Arabian Gulf community. Already with one of the more diverse demographic profiles in the world, the CBD can reinforce its role as a CULTURAL CROSSROADS. The challenges to Abu Dhabi are immense, not the least of which are temporal economic conditions. Located on islands between sand and sea, the city will face significant resource and water problems in the future. With concerted effort the CBD, and all of Abu Dhabi, can be developed with more SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS. Sustaining the CBD will also include social and economic strategies to ensure the vitality of its neighborhoods. Creating a VITAL AND LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOOD within the CBD can become a strategy for repurposing the area toward local-serving domestic life, rather than the financial and business services likely to relocate to Al Suwwah and Al Reem. And finally, Abu Dhabi’s CBD is an experiment in progress. As a recently developed mid-20th Century city it has the opportunity to become the great example of CONTEMPORARY EMIRATI URBANISM that other places on the global treadmill cannot sustain. This will require a focus on innovation, quality of life, everyday challenges, cutting edge design, and attention to human comfort. A renewed public realm for Abu Dhabi depends on more than good design or the creation of a place-based urbanism. The future of the CBD’s public realm depends on the willingness and drive by its leaders, professional staff and residents to improve it strategically over time. This will be a public realm unique to its place – grounded in its history – and paralleling the environmental, cultural and social aspirations of its people.

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RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY TABLE After the final presentation to the Urban Planning Council in June 2009, we were asked to put together a succinct list of the proposals contained within the Public Realm Plan. This summary table lays out the key proposals in the document, along with notes about each proposal and key dependencies that need to be considered with respect to implementation. Each proposal is linked to the pages of the document where design details can be found. The table focuses merely on the physical changes found within The Plan and in no way discounts the issues presented in the “Strategies for Achieving the Vision” within the Conclusion of this report. Those strategies include issues that go beyond mere physical improvement and will require significant internal discussion about the future of the CBD, it’s desired identity, and how best to proceed with achieving larger plan goals. The summary table reinforces some very important issues regarding

Page

Chapter

Heading

Proposal

Proposal Summary

Urban Systems

Public Transit

Waterfront Tram Extension

Extend the proposed surface tram system to run along the Corniche.

Vehicular Circulation

Pacified CBD Arterials and Restitched Urban Fabric

Tame arterials; introduce mid-block connector streets and superblock loop roads.

Open Space Network

Green Ladder

Define new streetscaping efforts and reclaimed interstitial spaces as a pedestrian oriented integrated system of connectivity.

Bicycle Routes

Dedicate bicycle paths along arterials and new North-South Connector Streets, and extend the recreational bicycle path along the waterfront and to Lulu Island.

Streets

Enhance environmental comfort along arterials and proposed North-South Connector Streets and Loop Roads through streetscaping and public realm improvements.

63-64

Parks and Plazas

Improve existing formal parks and create new informal parks and plazas to serve local neighborhood and domestic users.

65-68

Typical Existing Park and Plaza Recommendations

Use the 6 character elements to analyze and improve existing parks and open spaces.

Metropolitan Housing

Housing Variety and Density

Emphasize variety of housing options at higher densities in both infill and greenfield opportunities.

Arterial Streetscaping

Streetscaping alternatives for Mohammad Bin Zayed the First Street, Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street, and Eastern Road

Maintain unique standing of the arterials while pacifying them: provide for greater environmental comfort, pedestrian safety and comfort, and add bicycles along the arterials to incorporate them into the Open Space Network.

Multi-Modal Greenways

(overall)

Define North-South connections in the CBD by creating continuous multi-modal greenways that provide comfortable and safe pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, parallel to vehicular circulation. These NS connectors create signaled midblock intersections along the north and south faces of the CBD superblocks.

104105

Side-Loaded North-South Connectors

Define typical North-South Connectors through streetscaping.

106107

Center-Loaded North-South Connectors

Invest in realigning and streetscaping 10th Street between the Corniche Road and Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street, including a linear park and underground parking access.

72-75 81101

102103

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public realm improvements and the dependent moves with respect to infrastructure relocation, parking and transit system decision-making. Although many of the proposals found herein can be targeted for short term implementation, these larger catalytic moves will be important in affecting holistic public realm change in the CBD. If phased appropriately these catalytic proposals can assist in longer term efficiencies without having to replace what might have been implemented in the short term. In the short term, proposals related to housing construction, greenway insertion, park and plaza renewal, and waterfront improvements can proceed at their own pace and as government leaders desire. Achieving some of these â&#x20AC;&#x153;easierâ&#x20AC;? short term proposals may provide great amenity for residents, and provide inertia in implementing larger path dependent moves. This summary table continues on the next pages as well.

Dependencies and More Depends on: finalizing transit planning and appropriate streetscaping along the Corniche (p 160-161). Requires the removal of surface parking along the arterials and superblock interior, relocating infrastructure under the roadways, and replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures. This relates to Arterial Streetscaping (p 84-101), Multi-Modal Greenways (p 102-107), and Neighborhood Development Circulation and Parking (p 116-121). Requires the removal of surface parking within the superblocks and relocating infrastructure under the roadways. Relates to Multi-Modal Greenways (p 102-107), Neighborhood Development Circulation and Parking (p 116-121), Shadeway and Sikka (p 122-135), and Waterfront Alternatives (p 140-163). Requires the removal of surface parking along the arterials and superblock interior, and relocating infrastructure under the roadways. Relates to Arterial Streetscaping (p 84-101), Multi-Modal Greenways (p 102-107), Neighborhood Develop-ment Circulation and Parking (p 116-121), and Waterfront Alternatives (p 140-163). Requires the removal of surface parking along the arterials and superblock interior, relocating infrastructure under the roadways, and replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures. Relates to Arterial Streetscaping (p 84-101), Multi-Modal Greenways (p 102-107), and Neighborhood Development Circulation and Parking (p 116-121). Relates to Existing Park Recommendations (p 65-68) and Superblock Sikkas (p 134-135). For an immediate (yet piecemeal approach) has no specific requirements, but for long term relevance should be considered as part of a cohesive plan that requires removal of surface parking within the superblocks and relocating infrastructure under the roadways. Relates to Parks and Plazas (p 63-64) and does not depend on other moves or proposals. Does not depend on other proposals herein. However, location of specific densities and associated building and neighborhood types should be considered in the context of planned infrastructure and transportation investments, as well as ecological carrying capacity. Relates to Metropolitan Housing (p 170-201). Requires finalization of specific public transit routes and modes, a decision about side or center loading surface trams (realizing the solution need not be uniform for the entire CBD or city), the removal of surface parking along the arterials, and relocating infrastructure under the roadways. This also depends on decisions about the desired place identity of the CBD and its street systems.

Requires the removal of surface parking along the arterials and superblock interior, relocating infrastructure under the roadways, and replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures.

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Page

Chapter

Heading

Proposal

Proposal Summary

116121

Neighborhood Development

Circulation and Parking Proposal

Interior Street Network: Loop Road and North-South connectors

Organize circulation and the public realm around a new concept for the interior of the CBD superblocks which includes North-South Connector Streets and an interior Loop Road.

Parking Network

Utilize a systematic approach to removing surface parking from the superblock interiors which allows for individual parcels to “plug into” an underground parking scheme. The underground system acts as the structural foundation for additional buildings above, permitting densification of the superblock and a better definition and programming of the public realm.

Shadeway and Special Moments

Define a pedestrian East-West connection through the “focus area”, creating a safe and comfortable link between specific moments of interest such as schools and mosques, and supporting a mix of uses.

Superblock Sikkas

Reclaim under-used interstitial spaces within the superblocks and incorporate them into the Open Space Network.

Pedestrian Shadeway and Sikkas

122133 134135

Block Interior Housing Clusters and Underground Parking

Employ a methodology for midrise building infill within the CBD superblocks which creates a hierarchy of domestic / semi-private spaces and commercial / public plazas and paths in the context of the Shadeway proposal, and provides underground parking.

(overall)

Increase connectivity throughout the waterfront area and from the waterfront to the CBD

147149

At Grade Crossings Along Corniche Road

Create signalized, safe, comfortable, and well marked at-grade crossings across Corniche Road connecting the park to the waterfront.

150151

Transforming Corniche Road into a Multi-Lane Boulevard

Transform Corniche Road into a boulevard with express through-lanes at the center and side access lanes with evenly distributed on street angled parking.

152155

A Spine Connecting through Corniche Park

Connect the separate parcels of Corniche Park through a well defined walkway that relies primarily on existing paths within the park, and does not interfere with the park’s original design intent.

156157

Infill Development

Replace the surface parking lots lining the southern edge of Corniche Park with appropriate development that better defines the park and its entrances, and supports park activities.

158159

Splitting Corniche Road

136137 140146

Waterfront Alternatives

(overall)

Split Corniche Road into two parallel roads: one within the existing right of way, and one along the southern edge of Corniche Park.

160161

Corniche Road Streetscaping

Provide for appropriate light development along Corniche Road and tram service as part of a streetscaping effort.

162163

Hotel Road Streetscaping

Create a continuous boulevard along the southern edge of Corniche Park

Linear Anchor Streets

Increase suburban land efficiency while maintaining individual parcel size by eliminating dedicated infrastructure rights-of-way and adjusting parcel proportions.

Contemporary Fareej

Adopt Courtyard Houses and their associated parcel, block, neighborhood, and district fabrics to provide for a higher level of livability by creating dense communities that relate to public transit, provide all the requirements of the Emirati housing program and immediate access to amenities.

172

Metropolitan Housing

Suburban Densification

173181

182187

CBD Mid-Rise Infill Housing Clusters

Use recommended methodology and housing typologies for Superblock Interior Housing Clusters (p 136-137).

188201

Premium High-Rises

Draw Emirati households into the CBD by providing appropriate residential units in highrise buildings

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Dependencies and More Requires removal of surface parking within the superblocks (as part of Parking Network below), relocating infrastructure under the roadways, and replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures. Requires the relocating of infrastructure under the roadways as part of an underground parking scheme.

Requires removal of surface parking within the superblocks and replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures.

For an immediate (yet piecemeal approach) has no specific requirements, but for long term relevance should be considered as part of a cohesive plan that requires removal of surface parking within the superblocks and relocating infrastructure under the roadways. Requires the removal of surface parking in superblock interiors, relocating infrastructure under the roadways, replacing deteriorating buildings with better placed structures, and using building typologies discussed in CBD Mid-Rise Infill Housing Clusters (p 182-187). Requires a decision on the part of government about which alternative to adopt. Independent of other moves or proposals. Independent of other moves or proposals, and can occur within the existing right-of-way. Independent of other moves or proposals. Requires an analysis of infrastructure and other issues that relate to subterranean crossing of the North-South arterials which must be designed and detailed to avoid the feeling of a tunnel. Independent of other moves or proposals, but requires decisions regarding development limits and goals. Development should provide for underground parking for its own uses in addition to replacing the existing surface parking. Independent of other moves or proposals, but requires analysis and study of where and how exactly the “split” occurs at its two ends. Will require traffic engineering. Requires decision about tram extension as per Waterfront Tram Extension (p 57). This streetscaping proposal can be employed with or without the “split”. Independent of other moves or proposals, but will be significantly strengthened by Infill Development (p 156-157) and the “split”. Requires relocating infrastructure under the roadways and providing land parcels of same size yet different proportions. Requires relocating infrastructure under the roadways, relating to transit stops and hubs, and an overall cohesive approach to home, block, neighborhood, and district layout and design.

Dependent on Interior Street Network (Loop Road) and North-South Connectors (p. 116-121). See Block Interior Housing Clusters (p 136-137). Independent of other moves or proposals. However, should be considered in the context of superblock Parking Network (116-121).

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Abu Dhabi Municipality and Town Planning Department. Abu Dhabi... Dana of the Gulf: Planning and Urban Development. Abu Dhabi, August 2003. Absal, Rayeesa. Pedestrians Risk Life and Limb on Abu Dhabi’s Streets. Gulfnews.com. November 21, 2008. http://www.gulfnews.com/ Nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10261662.html. Alzahid, Ali. Abu Dhabi CBD Public Realm Study Feedback on Progress Report – 14th April 2009. Memo. April 26, 2009. Average Monthly Household Income of UAE Residents Rises to Dh18,248.60. Khaleej Times. February 3, 2009. http://www.zawya.com/ Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090203042647/Average%20Monthly%20Household%20 Income%20of%20UAE%20Residents%20Rises%20to%20Dh18,248.60%20/ UAE 2005 Census. www.tedad.ae Bianca, Stefano. 2000. Urban Form in the Arab World: Past and Present. London: Thames & Hudson. Elewa, Ahmed A. Rents in Abu Dhabi Climb 17 Percent. Gulfnews.com. May 4, 2008. Green, Matthew. Abu Dhabi holds the key to country’s property market revival. Gulfnews.com. April 23, 2009. Plan Abu Dhabi 2030: Urban Structure Framework Plan. Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. September 2007. Surface Transport Master Plan: A Vision for Connecting Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Department of Transport. March 2009. Urban Planning Council Housing Workshop. February 2009. Urban Planning Council Office. Abu Dhabi.

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IMAGE CITATIONS CHAPTER 1 - Introduction “Early Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Municipality & Town Planning Department.”

Abu Dhabi…Dana of the Gulf. 2003.

“Abu Dhabi Today.” www.flickr.com “Plan 2030 Vision for Al Suwwah Island.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 “Plan 2030 Fareej Illustration.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 “Plan 2030 Land Use Map.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 “Proposed Land Use 2030.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030

Chapter 2 - Vision and Design Principles “Historic Plan of a Paradise Garden” Through the Oculus

<www.throughtheoculus.blogspot.com/>

“Nighttime Activity in Doha.” www.flickr.com

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavalierelatino/2396323391/>

“Central Business District Signage.” www.flickr.com

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafond/3070773887/>

“The Louvre Abu Dhabi.” image by AtelierJean Nouvel. “Surface Parking in the CBD.” www.flickr.com

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/luthi/3363194116/>

“Damascus Souk at Night.” www.flickr.com

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/kidal/184306145/>

“Textile Souk in Marrakech.” www.flickr.com

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattheap/611354988/>

“Courtyard House Plan, Iraq.” 2000. Urban Form in the Arab World,

Stefano Bianco.

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Chapter 3 - Urban Systems “Vision for Abu Dhabi’s Future Transit System” Surface Transit Master Plan:

A vision for Connecting Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Department of

Transportation, April 23, 2009

Chapter 4 - CBD Streets Design “Takahatshi Master Plan” Abu Dhabi…Dana of the Gulf:

Planning and Urban Development, Abu Dhabi, August 2003

“Side Loaded Light Rail.” Sacramento, CA, Google Images.

<http://digitais.ist.utl.pt/rgc/Sacramento/LightRail2.JPG>

“Center Loaded Light Rail.” Madrid Spain, Google Images.

< http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/madrid-light-rail/

images/1-madrid-light-rail.jpg>

Chapter 5 - CBD Neighborhood Development “Wadi Landscapes” – Google Images

<http://www.cameldive.com/images/wadi-lathi-big.jpg> <http://

www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/wadi-qelt14.jpg>

“Souks of Dubai” – Aerial Base Map, Google Earth. “Fabric Covered Market Streets” – Google images

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<http://homepage.mac.com/helipilot/PhotoAlbum31.html>

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“Inspiration – Al Ain Oasis Grove.” <http://lh5.ggpht.com/_

RU4QwXWrS3M/RwpXstVgDJI/AAAAAAAAAY4/MdvLtwakONw/alain-

oasis_03.jpg>

Chapter 6 - Waterfront Alternatives (none)

Chapter 7 - Housing “Emirati Villa Housing” – Panoramio, Google Earth “Suburban Villa Development” – Panoramio, Google Earth

<http://lh6.ggpht.com/_-zirjPbQ9G8/STt6stFszwI/

AAAAAAAABWQ/cM2KJnmlUWs/DSC02372.JPG

“Land Available for Development.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. Urban Planning

Council, Abu Dhabi.

“Selected District for Development.” Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. Urban Planning

Council, Abu Dhabi.

Chapter 8 - Conclusions (None)

All other images created or photographed by studio participants or instructors.

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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PennDesign The University of Pennsylvania is one of the oldest universities in the United States, founded in 1740 and located in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In keeping with the innovative example of the University’s founder Benjamin Franklin, it is a place where teaching embraces both theory and practice. The educational experience at Penn is both intellectual and utilitarian; education that explores not only why, but how. Penn’s School of Design is dedicated to improving the quality of life through the design and preservation of artwork, buildings, landscapes, cities, and regions. The School’s distinctive contributions to this effort lie at the intersection of the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, fine arts, city and regional planning, and historic preservation. The design arts are the common intellectual core of the School, but PennDesign’s work is equally rooted in knowledge from technologists, historians, and social scientists. The School creates an environment in which students are challenged to consider the wider implications of their work. Professional master’s degrees are offered in architecture (M.Arch), city planning (MCP), fine arts (MFA), historic preservation (MSHP), urban spatial analytics (MUSA) and landscape architecture (MLA). The Ph.D. is offered in architecture and city planning. The University is consistently ranked in the top ten universities in the United States. Th School’s Department of City and Regional Planning (PennPlanning) was recently ranked as one of the top five planning schools in the country. Within the Masters Program, students can concentrate in Urban Design, Community and Economic Development, Public/Private Development, Land Use/Environmental Planning or Transportation. The Urban Design concentration at PennPlanning is one of the oldest and most progressive programs in the United States. The School is noteworthy for the history of its distinguished faculty and graduates, including: Lewis Mumford, Ian McHarg, Louis Kahn, Robert Venturi, Allan Jacobs, and Edmund Bacon. Education at PennDesign is directed under the leadership of Dean Marilyn Taylor. PennDesign at the University of Pennsylvania 210 South 34th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6311 USA (215) 898-3425 www.design.upenn.edu

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STUDIO PARTICIPANTS Instructors Michael A. Larice, Associate Professor of Urban Design and City Planning Jonathan K. Fogelson, Adjunct Professor of Urban Design

Teaching Assistant Sarah D. Marks

Students Stefanie I. Almodovar Benjamin A. Bryant Noah Chrismer Jack Conviser Jason J. Demarco Mark E. Donofrio Sally E. Foster Megan Grehl Patrick W. Kidd Jeremy M. Krotz Sarah D. Marks Sebastian A. Martin Kristin M. Michael Zohra H. Mutabanna Steph A. Nelson Benjamin M. Schneider David B. Yim James S. Young

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