scholarly journals Connectivity in Superblock Street Networks: Measuring Distance, Directness, and the Diversity of Pedestrian Paths

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13862
Author(s):  
Martin Scoppa ◽  
Rim Anabtawi
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Transportation Network ◽  
Street Network ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Street Networks ◽  
Design Alternatives ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Travel Distances

Superblocks are a common urban development strategy used in cities of the United Arab Emirates and the larger Gulf region. In planning new neighborhoods, these cities utilize superblocks structured using various street network designs. Despite their key role in shaping its main transportation network, the connectivity of these designs has not been frequently studied. This paper addresses this research gap, analyzing ten different superblock designs, and focusing on their internal and external connectivity properties. Internal connectivity is studied by measuring connections between plots in the superblocks. External connectivity is measured from plots to the superblocks’ corners, the points from which to access surrounding areas. Connectivity is measured in terms of distance, directness, and route diversity. The results show that strong similarities exist across the studied designs, particularly in terms of travel distances. Differences are found in terms of efficiency and, most notably, route diversity. Findings are discussed in relation to walkability, the costs associated to each design given network length variations, and the importance of creating rich and diverse street systems that support open-ended exploration. While based on a sample of ideal cases and in need of validation with built cases, this paper outlines a method by which to evaluate and compare superblock network design alternatives.

scholarly journals The implication of street network design for walkability: A review

2021 ◽  
Vol 881 (1) ◽  
pp. 012058
Author(s):  
W S N Wan Mohammad ◽  
N I S Lokman ◽  
R Hasan ◽  
K Hassan ◽  
N Ramlee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Network Design ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Street Network ◽  
Healthy Communities ◽  
Street Networks ◽  
The City ◽  
Travel Distances

Abstract A street network-friendly design allows walkability among people and is proven beneficial to the environment, community health, and economy of the city. Walkability in a street network increases potential trips by pedestrians through sidewalks and linked streets to create shorter travel distances. Street designs for pedestrian walkways are commonly ignored, with more focus on vehicular access, consequently leading to a lack of effort in improving the street network designs linked to various destinations. Accordingly, this paper reviews the street network designs affecting walkability from the perspective of the urban community. A systematic literature review method was employed to identify and analyse the articles published in the Sciencedirect.com database between 2004 and 2020 using two keywords: street network design and walkable city. The main finding suggested that street networks were associated with proper street designs. Therefore, a walkable city developed from a thriving street network design improved local physical activities and healthy communities.

Determinants of Corporate Risk Disclosure Practice: The Case of Islamic Banks in Gulf Cooperation Council Region

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samir Srairi
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Composite Index ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
Level Of Risk

The paper develops a framework to explore the risk disclosure practices of 29 Islamic banks operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the period of 2013-2016 and examines the potential factors which might be affecting risk disclosure. To analyze the level of risk disclosure, the paper develops a composite index by using the content analysis technique. We also employ OLS technique to examine factors affecting Islamic banks’ risk disclosure. The results indicate a very high difference in risk disclosure between countries. Only two countries, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have a higher level of risk disclosure. The findings also suggest that reporting on some risk disclosure types especially displaced commercial risk and rate of return risk is very low. The regression results show that Islamic banks with a stronger set of corporate governance mechanisms and an active Shariah board appear to disclose more risk information. Other factors that influence risk disclosure practices of Islamic banks are bank size, leverage, cross-border listings and the level of political and civil regression. The study recommends that Islamic banks have to revise their communication strategies and provide more risk information related to rate of return risk and display commercial risk. In addition, GCC regulators should establish risk disclosure regulations which have to become mandatory for all Islamic banks. To the best of our knowledge, the paper provides the first analysis related to the determinants of corporate risk disclosures of Islamic banks in the Arab Gulf region.

HERITAGE IN THE LIVED ENVIRONMENT OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND THE GULF REGION

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph John Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Spatial Features ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Islamic Values

This paper examines how the architectural, social, and cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries may contribute to better development of this region’s lived environment. Modern urbanism has largely neglected heritage in architectural design and in social and private spaces, creating inauthentic places that foster a hunger for belongingness in the UAE’s built environment. The paper reviews recent urban developments in the UAE and the Gulf Region, and identifies elements of local heritage that can be incorporated into contemporary planning and design. It proposes that adapting vernacular architectural heritage to the modern built environment should not be the principal goal for heritage-informed design. Instead we may examine the social processes underlying the traditional lived environment, and aim for social sustainability based on the lifeways and preferences of local peoples, especially in kinship and Islamic values. Among the most promising precedents for modern social sustainability are social and spatial features at the scale of the neighborhood in traditional Islamic settlements. Interviews with local Emiratis will also recommend elements of traditional knowledge to modern settings. 

scholarly journals Street Network: Physical and Cultural Transformations on the Morphology of Historical City of Malacca

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Marina Mohd Nor ◽  
Norzailawati Mohd Noor ◽  
Sadayuki Shimoda
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Development Trend ◽  
Street Network ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
Multiple Sensors ◽  
Street Networks ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
Physical Transformation ◽  
Spot 5 ◽  
The Development Trend

The deterioration of streets in the historical city of Malacca in Malaysia due to modernization contributes to the streets’ vulnerabilities. This paper purposely analyses the physical transformation of the street networks for the years of 1993-2015, and the cultural influences and impact throughout the establishment of multi-racial cultural society. The methodology for the study is through mapping the street networks of Malacca city by using SPOT satellite imageries of three different years; 1993, 2005, and 2015, and through the street semi-automatic extraction technique to monitor the street pattern of Malacca city. Multiple sensors of SPOT were used, consisting of SPOT-2XS, SPOT 5, and SPOT 6 with 20 m, 5 m, and 1.5 m resolutions in extracting the street objects, while using the IMAGINE OBJECTIVE tools from ERDAS. The finding shows that the street network trend varied from 1993, 2005, and 2015 where the streets achieved 23.8% street expansions in the year 1993 compared to 10.49% in the year 2005. However, the development trend of streets increased to 14.68% in the year 2015. The connection of the physical transformations of the streets with the cultural impact contributed to the sense of place and divided the streets based on socio-economic, cultural and ethnic lines. Finally, it shows that the trend and pattern of street networks were essential in understanding a city’s morphology that has a significant impact on cultural evolution since the establishment of the Chinese community in Malacca.

scholarly journals Potential of Utilization of Renewable Energy Technologies in Gulf Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10261
Author(s):  
J. Sadhik Basha ◽  
Tahereh Jafary ◽  
Ranjit Vasudevan ◽  
Jahanzeb Khan Bahadur ◽  
Muna Al Ajmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Nonrenewable Resource ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Renewable Sources ◽  
Power Sources

This critical review report highlights the enormous potentiality and availability of renewable energy sources in the Gulf region. The earth suffers from extreme air pollution, climate changes, and extreme problems due to the enormous usage of underground carbon resources applications materialized in industrial, transport, and domestic sectors. The countries under Gulf Cooperation Council, i.e., Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, mainly explore those underground carbon resources for crude oil extraction and natural gas production. As a nonrenewable resource, these are bound to be exhausted in the near future. Hence, this review discusses the importance and feasibility of renewable sources in the Gulf region to persuade the scientific community to launch and explore renewable sources to obtain the maximum benefit in electric power generation. In most parts of the Gulf region, solar and wind energy sources are abundantly available. However, attempts to harness those resources are very limited. Furthermore, in this review report, innovative areas of advanced research (such as bioenergy, biomass) were proposed for the Gulf region to extract those resources at a higher magnitude to generate surplus power generation. Overall, this report clearly depicts the current scenario, current power demand, currently installed capacities, and the future strategies of power production from renewable power sources (viz., solar, wind, tidal, biomass, and bioenergy) in each and every part of the Gulf region.

scholarly journals Off the Grid... and Back Again? The Recent Evolution of American Street Network Planning and Design

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Boeing
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Urban Spatial Structure ◽  
Street Network ◽  
Street Networks ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Orientation Order ◽  
Established Relationship ◽  
Intersection Density

This morphological study identifies and measures recent nationwide trends in American street network design. Historically, orthogonal street grids provided the interconnectivity and density that researchers identify as important factors for reducing vehicular travel and emissions and increasing road safety and physical activity. During the 20th century, griddedness declined in planning practice alongside declines in urban form compactness, density, and connectivity as urbanization sprawled around automobile dependence. But less is known about comprehensive empirical trends across US neighborhoods, especially in recent years. This study uses public and open data to examine tract-level street networks across the entire US. It develops theoretical and measurement frameworks for a quality of street networks defined here as griddedness. It measures how griddedness, orientation order, straightness, 4-way intersections, and intersection density declined from 1940 through the 1990s while dead-ends and block lengths increased. However, since 2000, these trends have rebounded, shifting back toward historical design patterns. Yet, despite this rebound, when controlling for topography and built environment factors all decades post-1939 are associated with lower griddedness than pre-1940. Higher griddedness is associated with less car ownership—which itself has a well-established relationship with vehicle kilometers traveled and greenhouse gas emissions—while controlling for density, home and household size, income, jobs proximity, street network grain, and local topography. Interconnected grid-like street networks offer practitioners an important tool for curbing car dependence and emissions. Once established, street patterns determine urban spatial structure for centuries, so proactive planning is essential.

Kuwait is the Past, Dubai is the Present, Doha is the Future

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Gremm ◽  
Julia Barth ◽  
Wolfgang G. Stock
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Quantitative Survey ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future

Many cities in the world define themselves as ‘smart.' Is this term appropriate for cities in the emergent Gulf region? This article investigates seven Gulf cities (Kuwait City, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Muscat) that have once grown rich due to large reserves of oil and gas. Now, with the threat of ending resources, governments focus on the development towards a knowledge society. The authors analyzed the cities in terms of their ‘smartness' or ‘informativeness' by a quantitative survey and by in-depth qualitative interviews (N = 34). Especially Doha in Qatar is well on its way towards an informational city, but also Dubai and Sharjah (both in the United Arab Emirates) make good scores.

Administrative change in the Gulf: modernization in Bahrain and Oman

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Common
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Administrative Change

States in the Middle East tend to be overlooked by researchers in comparative public administration. However, these states offer potentially useful insights into the nature of administrative change as they defy standard assumptions about pressures for reform. The aim of the article is to provide an account of reform by analysing important contextual factors in Bahrain and Oman. Given the large gap in the literature regarding the Gulf States, this article is supplemented by observations and evidence gathered on regular visits to both countries by the researcher. The analysis reveals systems of public administration highly resistant to international reform trends. Many of these factors are situational; including highly centralized political systems, tradition and strong national and administrative cultures. It is concluded that while reform processes are emerging in these countries, they are slow and evolutionary and are more adapted to the domestic rather than the international context. Points for practitioners The article may be of interest for practitioners working for international consultants, not only in Bahrain and Oman, but also in the wider Gulf Region (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have similar political and social contexts to those of Bahrain and Oman). In addition to providing contextual information, the article discusses the institutional and cultural barriers to reform in terms of providing Western-style administrative solutions. The article also alludes to the different time horizons in the Gulf States, and the slow (by Western standards) and evolutionary nature of the reform process.

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