PolyQatar_excerpt

QATAR > DOHA TOWARDS A POLYCENTRIC, TRANSIT-ORIENTED QATAR AGATINO RIZZO (M. ENG./ARCH. – Ph.D. URP) ASSISSTANT PROF. OF URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING QATAR UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

EMAIL: A.RIZZO@QU.EDU.QA TINO_RIZZO@YAHOO.IT WEB: WWW.CITYLEFT.BLOGSPOT.COM

PRINTED IN DOHA, MAY 2012

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN QATAR TODAY: “QATAR = DOHA” 2. QATAR = DOHA: IMPLICATIONS CURRENT DEVELOPMENT AND SWOT ANALYSIS 3. PROPOSING ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS: “QATAR > DOHA” 4. TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD): DEFINITIONS 5. TOD ABROAD: CASE STUDIES 6. TOD: FACTORS FOR SUCCESS 7. QATAR TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR: IMPLICATIONS AT THE LOWER SCALE 8. CONCLUSIONS 9. REFERENCES

URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN QATAR TODAY QATAR = DOHA (SCENARIO 0)

SUMMARY

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 5

IN THIS BOOKLET WE PRESENT THE RESULTS OF AN ONGOING RESEARCH ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT POLYCENTRIC, TRANSIT-ORIENTED URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN QATAR. • IN THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOKLET WE SHOW THE CURRENT URBAN DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO IN DOHA AND QATAR WHILE IN THE SECOND PART WE HIGHLIGHT PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE CURRENT SCENARIO. •IN THE THIRD PART WE PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS (I.E. POLYCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT) TO COMPENSATE THE CURRENT URBAN PROBLEMS. •IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH PART WE INTRODUCE THE CONCEPT OF TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) AND ANALYSE CASE STUDIES ABROAD. •BUILDING UPON THE PREVIOUS TWO SECTIONS, IN PART SIX WE HIGHLIGHT TOD FACTORS FOR SUCCESS. •IN PART SEVEN WE DEPLOY TOD AND POLYCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES TO DESIGN A NEW-TOWN DEVELOPMENT IN QATAR (“GATEWAY CITY”).

•I N PART EIGHT WE PRESENT OUR CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

QATAR = DOHA IMPLICATIONS CURRENT DEVELOPMENT AND SWOT ANALYSIS

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 11

LOCALISED ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS SINCE URBAN DEVELOPMENT IS CONCENTRATED IN DOHA METROPOLITAN AREA, THERE ARE CONCRETE AND VISIBLE RISKS OF SEVERE LOCALISED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS E.G.: •AIR POLLUTION DUE TO CAR INDUSTRIAL/CONSTRUCTION POLLUTION;

TRAFFIC

&

•MARINE POLLUTION DUE TO SEA RECLAMATION AND HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PROJECTS ALONG THE SHORELINE ; • SHRINKING BIODIVERSITY DUE TO LAND CONSUMPTION.

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 12

LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOCALISED URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN DOHA INCREASES INFLATION OF REAL ESTATE THUS NEGATIVELY AFFECTING HOUSING AFFORDABILITY. THE RESULT ARE: • SOCIAL SEGREGATION; • FURTHER LAND CONSUMPTION TO THE EDGE OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA WHERE REAL ESTATE VALUES ARE LOW; • INCREASED COSTS FOR ROAD AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURES TO CATER FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED PERIPHERAL AREAS; • HIGH RATES OF EMPTY (NON-RENTED) HOUSING STOCK.

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 13

UNBALANCED URBAN GROWTH SINCE OVER 80% OF QATAR’S URBAN DEVELOPMENT IS CONCENTRATED IN ONE CITY (DOHA) MOST OF THE COUNTRY’S LAND REMAINS INACCESSIBLE AND LITTLE USED. WHILE LESS AND LESS AREAS ARE AVAILABLE FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE DOHA METROPOLITAN AREA, GOVERNMENT OWNED LAND IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY REMAIN UNDERUTILISED.

PROPOSING ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS QATAR > DOHA

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 16

AL SHAMAL

AL SHAMAL

NEW-TOWNS

AL KHOR

DUKHAN

AL KHOR

DUKHAN METRO DOHA

AL WAKRA/MASAEED

TODAY (MONOCENTRIC DEVLOPMENT)

METRO DOHA

AL WAKRA/MASAEED

TOMORROW (POLYCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT)

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 17

ADVANTAGES OF POLYCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT •A MORE BALANCED LAND USE AT THE NATIONAL SCALE •LESS CONGESTION IN THE CAPITAL REGION •A MORE BALANCED DISTRIBUTION OF ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS AT THE NATIONAL SCALE •MORE AFFORDABLE LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES •BETTER PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURES AND ACCESSIBILITY AT THE COUNTRY SCALE •CROSS-BORDER OPPORTUNITIES WITH BAHRAIN •OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) DEFINITIONS

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 24 TOD: A DEFINITION A TRANSIT CITY IS “A COMPACT, MIXED-USE COMMUNITY CENTERED AROUND THE TRANSIT STATION THAT,

BY DESIGN, INVITES RESIDENTS, WORKERS AND SHOPPERS TO DRIVE THEIR CARS LESS AND RIDE MASS TRANSIT MORE” (BERNICK & CERVERO, TRANSIT VILLAGES, 1997).

CURITIBA RAPID TRANSPORT, BRAZIL

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 25 TOD PRINCIPLES •DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED TRANSIT IS WHEN TRANSIT IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CONVENIENT, DESIGN AND SCHEDULES. •DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED TRANSIT INCLUDES CORRIDORS THAT RUN DOWN A MAJOR ARTERIAL AND NOT A FREEWAY AND HAVE HIGHER FREQUENCY SERVICE, RATHER THAN ONLY RUNNING DURING COMMUTE HOURS. •TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IS BROADLY DEFINED AS DEVELOPMENT WITHIN A 5-MINUTE WALK OF A TRANSIT STATION THAT BOTH SUPPORTS TRANSIT AND WORKS AS A VIBRANT, DESIRABLE PLACE. LA MESA RAPID TRANSPORT, CA, USA

TOD ABROAD CASE STUDIES

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 34

TOD BEST PRACTICES : ROSSLYN-BALLSTON CORRIDOR, US THE CORRIDOR IS LOCATED IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA JUST OUTSIDE WASHINGTON D.C. IT IS THE RESULT OF A THREE-DECADE PLANNING EFFORT TO DEFINE AN AREA WITH CLEAR BOUNDARIES WHERE DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE LINKED BY RAIL. BETWEEN 1972 AND 2002 THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 11,000 HOUSING UNITS, 16 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE, 950,000 SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL, AND 1,900 HOTEL ROOMS WITH LITTLE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC. METRORAIL STATIONS ARE SURROUNDED BY PEDESTTRIAN FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT AND EVERY POINT ALONG THE CORRIDOR IS WITHIN A 10-15 MINUTE WALK OF A STATION. RAIL INVESTMENT HERE HAS BEEN USED AS CATALYST FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THIS LATTER HAS BEEN SHAPED TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORARTRIDERSHIP BY INCREASING DENSITY, MIX-USE DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC SPACE QUALITY, AND ECONOMIC DIVERSITY.

TOD FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

QATAR TRANSIT ORIENTED CORRIDOR IMPLICATIONS AT THE LOWER SCALE

DR. AGATINO RIZZO | QATAR > DOHA | 44

GATEWAY CITY A POLYCENTRIC APPROACH TO URBAN PLANNING IN QATAR COULD BE SOUGHT BY CONSIDERING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW-TOWN/URBAN-DENSIFICATION PROGRAM ALONG THE FUTURE RAILWAY FROM DOHA-EDUCATION CITY TO BAHRAIN, THUS DIRECTING GROWTH TO INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY. ALONG THIS RAILWAY AXIS VAST GOVERNMENT OWNED LAND COULD SERVE THE CRITICAL PROVISION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHICH WOULD BE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO RAIL-BASED COMMUTING TRANSPORT, THUS REDUCING BOTH QATAR’S CO EMISSIONS AND TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE CAPITAL REGION. WITHIN THE MASTER IN URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN BASED AT QATAR UNIVERSITY WE EXPLORED POLYCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS ALONG THE DOHA-BAHRAIN RAIL AXIS WHICH COULD BE PART OF THE FUTURE QNMP. GRADUATE STUDENTS ARE DEVELOPING INTERESTING PLANNING HYPOTHESES WHICH WILL BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED AND MADE THEM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE WITH FUTURE GRADUATES’ THESES.

QATAR > DOHA CONCLUSIONS

QATAR > DOHA REFERENCES

END THANKS! AGATINO RIZZO (M. ENG./ARCH. – Ph.D. URP) ASSISSTANT PROF. OF URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING QATAR UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

EMAIL: A.RIZZO@QU.EDU.QA TINO_RIZZO@YAHOO.IT WEB: WWW.CITYLEFT.BLOGSPOT.COM

PRINTED IN DOHA, MAY 2012