Abstract The rapid growth of traffic congestion in Doha, along with wide divergence created by the roads have led to desires for the improvement of quality of urban life. Metaphorically, buildings rise above plinths of cars. The concept of journey to work and the desire for more walkable lifestyles away from traffic, have led to the concept of creating compact Transit Oriented Developments (TOD). The introduction of metro rail with TOD around the stations, is a strategic solution to decrease the traffic congestion, improving quality of urban life and reducing automobile use.
QFARC_15_0163
Introduction Transit Oriented Development is a method to create vibrant, liveable and sustainable communities. It is the creation of compact, walkable, mixed-use communities, centered around high quality train systems. Al Doha Al Jadeed Metro station is located along the Red line of the Doha metro rail, running 98.5 km connecting three major terminus: Al Khor, Hamad airport and Messaid. This metro station is a strategic location for TOD due to its location along junction of 5 zones, proximity to the main Musheirib hub and other two stations. The study area circumscribes a 400m radius (5min. walk), around the station intersection created by Al Mattar Street and B-ring road. The area outside the study area is predominantly high density residential with retail fronting the major roads. Many of the buildings are old with the potential to experiment in terms of changing land uses and density.
Objectives
Transit Oriented development:
College of Engineering Department of Architecture& Urban Planning Master of Urban Planning and Design
The case of Doha Al Jadeeda
Faculty Member: Dr. Yasser Mahgoub Students: Participating students: El-Shaimaa Mahmoud , Najeeba Kutty , Mariam Shurbaji , Rana Wadi
Existing Condition:
The aim of this project was to study the area (Al Doha Al Jadeeda) and introduce strategies ensuring its emergence as a TOD. The main goal was to develop the area as an active neighborhood center (station type) with increased quality of urban life, human scale, mixed uses and a the public realm. The main objectives were to promote a sense of place making; transform urban form in terms of compactness and high density; improve connectivity, liveability and walkability; and to create a public realm. The area was surveyed to document the current state of the study area. The team members analysed and proposed strategies addressing: (1) Place making; (2) Land uses; (3) Density; (4) Compactness (5) Public realm. The study generates a model for a comprehensive strategy, in developing an area around any metro station along the Qatar rail line into a TOD.
The Study area: 1. Location: The transit oriented development is proposed around Al Doha Al Jadeed metro station within 400m radius at the intersection of 5 zones-Old Ghanim (16), Doha Jadeeda (15), Najma (26), Al Mansoura (25) and Umm Ghuwailina (27). The area is at junction of B ring road and Al Mattar Street. It is strategically located close to the Umm Ghuwailina and Mansoura stations. 2. Challenges: The site is predominantly residential with a few retail strips lacking hierarchy in density and land use distribution. The site has no activity generators with only a potential mosque. The area is high in density with no focus on the metro station, lacking a sense of place. Since, it is located along the B-ring road, segregation of a completely pedestrianized area is not possible. The area is devoid of any social and public interaction due to lack of human scale and open spaces. 3. Aim: The project aims at the process of applying legislation that would develop the metro station area into a compact, diverse, active and vibrant transit neighborhood center with increased transit ridership and improved social interaction.
Selected Proposed Strategies: A. Promote place making- A spirit of place: In order to create a memorable human scale area, focussing on liveability, quality and uniqueness, the following strategies need to be implemented: (1) Develop the transit station or stop as a focal point within the neighbourhood; (2) Orient different land uses within the vicinity of the station area; (3) Designate public open spaces near the transit stations to encourage public interaction; (4) Create intermixing of the public and private spaces along the street scape; (5) Reduce the width of interior streets, collectors and other access ways to 9m, allowing larger foot prints with increased height and mixed uses; (6) Maintain an enclosure ratio of 1:5 or less, promoting the usage of woonerf streets in the interior residential areas; (7) Allow the buildings to front onto the streets for better pedestrian environments and attractive street fronts; (8) Orient the residential entry to the streets to ensure safety and vitality, through ‘eyes on the street’ (natural surveillance); (9) Limit access of cars and encourage pedestrian use ;(10) Create a unique distinctiveness by enhancing the activities in the area by insertions of new uses to existing structures. TOD is thus intended to stand out in terms of its uses and public realm. B. Allocate a mix of land uses: The development of TOD into an activity hub depends to a great extent on appropriate allocation of mixed land uses near the station. The measures to be followed to attain the objectives are: (1) Ensure a transition of land uses from commercial to residential as the movement progresses away from the station; (2) Transform the existing residential land uses close to the station area to offices, recreational, open spaces and commercial; (3) Increase the activity within the circumference of the station by introducing new land uses (institutional);(4) Retain the existing hotel and mosque to act as landmarks or activity generators;(5) Promote mixed uses with a maximum 60-70% coverage with minimum setbacks of 3m, along Al Matar street and 5m along the internal streets; (6) Create horizontal as well as vertical mixed land uses only along the Al Matar street and B-ring road frontages; (7) Allow for the provision of mixed land uses within the same building (retail+offices+residential); (8) Cluster several different purpose buildings to create mixed land use areas (office buildings, shopping complexes, hotels retail shops etc. forming a cluster); (9) Demarcate open plazas and parks by demolition of the dilapidated structures. Finally, ensure that all the proposed land uses are compatible with the surrounding land uses. C. Increase density and compactness: The increased density ensures efficiency in the distribution of services and promotes transit ridership. The following strategies are to be implemented for favourable TOD density in Doha Al Jadeeda: (1) Maintain high densities close to the station areas, transitioning to lower densities in the neighbourhood interiors; (2) Maintain the maximum height of buildings as 7 levels within the station premises to minimum of 2 levels along the TOD boundary; (3) Combine different building blocks with maximum block length of 150m x 50 m with typical access ways; (4) Promote clustered mixed use buildings in existing low rises with retail frontages at ground floor ,two levels of offices above and 4 new levels of residential at the top. Different methods have also been suggested to improve the connectivity and compactness. These include: (1) Facilitate the uninterrupted flow of pedestrians through proposed bridges/skywalks connecting the buildings close to transit stations; (2) Retain and encourage grid like pattern of buildings and streets within walkable distance; (3) Restrict the parking areas close to transit station with provision of underground parking spaces; (4) Promote the integration and transfer between different modes by providing facilities such as park and ride, drop off areas etc.; (5) Integrate retails to residential flats at lower level within the building or 5 min. walkable limits; (6) Address the parking requirements in the area, transferring the on street parking for the mid and high rise flats to underground; (7) Locate the surface parking away from the streets and design it as small clusters separated by landscape areas; (8) Promote the use of shared parking spaces, car-sharing programs, appropriate parking rates and restricted parking hours along Al Matar street. Hence, the increased density leads to compactness and good connectivity. D. Create a Public Realm: The main spine of the TOD is Al Matar street with the potential to be developed as a quality pedestrian street. The following guidelines need to be implemented to create a pedestrian friendly street: (1) Develop Al Matar street in human scale fronted by arcades with maximum height of 3m with articulation of facades to change scales; (2) Introduce 4m wide furniture zones and 2m pedestrian walkways along the main street, sandwiched between the arcades and the mixed use buildings; (3) Develop activity spills in the form of restaurants and cafes to increase public and social interaction; (4)Visual clutters should be avoided next to the station area by introducing underground parking and roof top open restaurants; (5) Provide an open park with public art next to transit station as a street extension; (6) Encourage the multiple use of the urban plazas with temporary stages within enhanced active retail and civic use areas; (7) Visual softening of the built environment with spacing of the trees along the streets at 8m intervals; (8) Contribute to the safety, vitality and quality of transit streets through pedestrian scaled lighting of sidewalks and crosswalks; (9) Visually integrated roadways need to be provided balancing the hardscape and landscape treatment; (10) Provide adequate curb extensions to protect pedestrians minimising the road crossing distances; (11) Introduce crosswalks to create strong pedestrian bias continuing through intersecting roads in line with walkways.
Conclusion The development of TOD provides an incentive for compactness and sprawl reduction. Due to the increased quality of life with better places to live, work, and play; greater mobility with ease of movement; increased transit ridership; reduced traffic congestion and a healthier lifestyle, there is a need to start developing Transit oriented developments around the Doha metro rail stations.
Proposed Condition: Connectivity index reduced-more pedestrian friendly
Public realm
Connection node Links
Connectivity
New land uses within existing heights
Decrease in height as movement progresses away from the station
Increase height along the principle arterial
10 Levels(Existing) 7 levels 4 levels 2 levels
Retain existing building height
Building heights Increase dependency by changed land uses (Residential-Offices)
Retain hotel as activity generator
Change land use from institutional to Commercial /Leisure
Residential replaced by offices-Increased ridership
Mosque as landmarkactivity nodes
Activity node introduced-Weekend ridership improved Residential replaced with mixed use(offices+retail)-increased ridership
Land uses
Morning activity Morning + Evening Evening + Night Throughout day Site influence
Station influence Residential retained at peripheries of 400m radius
Integrate open plazas with civic identity
Transition of Land uses Retail-OfficesResidential
Single retail improving activity
Natural surveillance-open space
Shopping mallimprove night activity
Residential & retailActivity enhanced along main spine Residential Offices/commercial Retail Institutional Landmarks
Retention of residential with 4 levels-ensure Residential with natural surveillance lower retail
Activity spine-pedestrians Daily ridership improvedhigh density ,increased vibrancy & activity