Are transit-adjacent developments effective neighborhood design models to help meet the recommended weekly physical activity levels? The case of Abu Dhabi

Pimenta, Allan Ribeiro; Maghelal, Praveen; Alawadi, Khaled

doi:10.1080/15568318.2020.1718253

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…To enhance accessibility, neighborhoods should provide opportunities to travel to increased daily destinations for its residents, such as local stores, public recreation centers (parks), and administrative destinations such as banks and post offices [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proximity to activity areas and recreational facilities plays a vital role in residents' attainment of recommended physical activity [8]. Access to parks encourages higher levels of physical activity among residents of all ages and gender [29].…”

Section: Accessibility To Open Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Street corners and vacant and undeveloped spaces can also form small open parks in an urban neighborhood [6] that can be used by residents, kids, and teenagers for recreational and leisure activities. Free access to such parks in an urban setting can influence people's leisure-time activities and reduce the effect of a sedentary lifestyle [7,8]. Additionally, green open spaces and vegetation appear to alleviate mental fatigue, as greener places reported a lower level of fear and violent and aggressive behaviors [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Neighborhood Satisfaction and Social Capital in a Multi-Cultural Setting of an Abu Dhabi Neighborhood

2020

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Behavioral research studies propose that urban open spaces contribute to enhance sociability in urban areas. The urban areas in the city of Abu Dhabi are less appealing to attract vibrant activity and social life. This study investigates the role of the built environment in the enhancement of neighborhood satisfaction and social capital in a residential neighborhood of Abu Dhabi. A total of 145 residents were surveyed for their perception, attitude, and behavior. Regression analyses to predict the role of the built environment of the open space, as well as the ethnicity of respondents, on measures of neighborhood satisfaction and social capital were performed. Spatial data and audit tools were used to assess the lack of suitable built-environment in the study area. Results indicate that improvements to the built environment can improve both the social capital and neighborhood satisfaction of the urban residents of Abu Dhabi. Implications of this study include recommendations to enhance the experience of urban spaces in arid regions like Abu Dhabi. Recommendations include adding landscape elements, providing a comfortable walking environment, adding attractive locations and destinations, and a clean and safe environment with attractive buildings or homes.Sustainability 2020, 12, 3200 2 of 16 neighborhood [12]. However, the perception of availability, use, and attractiveness of such spaces in the middle east, particularly in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, is limited at best.Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates in the UAE federation system. The developed land of Abu Dhabi covers 972.45 km 2 of the emirate. As of 2014, the urban population was estimated to be 1.14 million, while the rural population was 493,253, and 81% of the total population was made up of expatriates (SCAD) [13]. In 2007, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) introduced the Vision Abu Dhabi 2030. One of the vision goals introduced in the charrette was to create a livable city by developing a good open space network [14]. Although the city launched many community facilities and public realm guidelines, implementation remains slow and limited. At present, there are no specific policies and regulations to improve the public spaces in the existing residential blocks. Additionally, there is very little understanding of what type of open space is preferred by the residents, and what kind of retrofit would enhance the social capital of the neighborhood. With the World Expo 2020 to be hosted in the UAE, all emirates, including Abu Dhabi, are involved in new development and redevelopment of the urban area. Outcomes from this can help recommend appropriate design and policy approaches that can improve the livability of these urban areas and improve the social sustainability of the neighborhoods.Therefore, this study examines the relationship between the built environment (walkable open spaces) and the multi-cultural setting impact neighborhood satisfaction. This study also investigates the relationship of the built e...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accessibility To Open Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Neighborhood Satisfaction and Social Capital in a Multi-Cultural Setting of an Abu Dhabi Neighborhood

2020

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“…Both traffic exposure and walkability around the homes of the adolescents have an impact on their health conditions. A better walkable environment with a higher land-use mix and density can encourage more walking [39,40] and reduce the chances of being underweight or obese adolescents. The Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities of Abu Dhabi (ADPM) have suggested implementing the Urban Street Design Manual projects in Al Ain with special consideration to the needs of pedestrians [39].…”

Section: Implications For Built Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A better walkable environment with a higher land-use mix and density can encourage more walking [39,40] and reduce the chances of being underweight or obese adolescents. The Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities of Abu Dhabi (ADPM) have suggested implementing the Urban Street Design Manual projects in Al Ain with special consideration to the needs of pedestrians [39]. Implementation of this approach in core residential areas (trip origins) can reduce vehicle speeds, cut-through traffic, and general traffic noise.…”

Section: Implications For Built Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the Built Environment on Physical Activity Choices among Emirati Male and Female Adolescents: An Examination of Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions

Maghelal¹,

Alawadi

Arlikatti³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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The UN Human Development Report 2020 ranked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as having achieved ‘very high human development’ and as being at the 31st position among all countries. Despite this, the ever increasing obesity rates among Emirati youth, higher than international standards, is alarming. This research aims at identifying how different perceptions of the built environment by parents and adolescents are likely to affect physical activity (PA) choices among male and female Emirati youth. This can help inform better health and education policies to achieve three of the interconnected UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely good quality health and well-being, quality education, and gender equality, that the UAE strives to achieve. Responses from 335 students (aged 14–20) from six schools and 250 parent responses in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi Emirate were used to understand the mean variation in perception of five built environment constructs. Further, multinomial logit regression was used to assess the health condition using the perception, behavior, and built environment measures. Results indicate that Emirati males perceive the built environment factors as barriers more than female adolescents. Parents perceive street crossing (p < 0.016) and sidewalk characteristics (p < 0.020) to be more of a hindrance. Traffic exposure, self-reported physical activity, and walkability near homes and schools significantly affect Emirati adolescents’ health conditions. Recommendations are made for various stakeholders including parents, school authorities, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Transportation, and the Urban Planning department on ways to enhance the built environment and encourage PA and well-being of Emirati adolescents.

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Resilient Urban Transport Systems: The Role of Transit-Oriented Development in the GCC Cities

Arora,

Oakil,

Alhosain

2024

Contributions to Economics

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An effective and resilient transport system is a crucial component of urban infrastructure. Its resilience has far-reaching implications, including facilitating economic growth, encouraging equity, ensuring sustainability, and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. Resilient transport systems can endure and recover from various sources of disruption, whether anticipated, such as natural disasters and extreme weather events, or unexpected incidents like accidents and other factors. However, the discussion on resilience in transportation systems is often limited to their ability to enable evacuation in extreme weather events overlooking the potential of transition toward more energy-efficient cities as a tool to create resilience. This chapter focuses on embedding resilience in the design of city systems using transit-oriented development (TOD) a concept that supports dense, mixed-use development around public transit stations. From a transport climate resilience perspective, TOD helps mitigate adverse environmental consequences as it increases energy efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the city by reducing car use and increasing the use of energy-efficient transit ridership combined with walking and cycling. With increasing investment in Public Transit, the fast-urbanizing cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region can embed resilience by design in the city infrastructure. Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar have initiated national TOD strategies that Synergize with the operational mass transport systems in Dubai and Doha, and close to completion in Riyadh. Furthermore, other major cities in the GCC have similar large-scale initiatives in various stages of planning and implementation.

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Are transit-adjacent developments effective neighborhood design models to help meet the recommended weekly physical activity levels? The case of Abu Dhabi

Cited by 9 publications

References 50 publications

Assessing Neighborhood Satisfaction and Social Capital in a Multi-Cultural Setting of an Abu Dhabi Neighborhood

Assessing Neighborhood Satisfaction and Social Capital in a Multi-Cultural Setting of an Abu Dhabi Neighborhood

Influence of the Built Environment on Physical Activity Choices among Emirati Male and Female Adolescents: An Examination of Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions

Resilient Urban Transport Systems: The Role of Transit-Oriented Development in the GCC Cities

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