By grouping streets with similar allocation of space, few specific groups are identified and explored further. It will soon be argued that proportions are more indicative than the dimension itself. PEDESTRIAN ONLY
WALKABLE BY DESIGN
SHARED STREET
SERVICE ORIENTED STREET
BUSY STREET
VEHICLE ORIENTED
0%
30 - 40%
40 - 50%
50 - 60%
60 - 70%
70 - 90%
A
B
C
D
E
F
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
15
16
17
30
01
27
34
09
10
07
21
36
20
33
06
19
02
32
11
25
26
14
13
08
04
23
28
18
12
35
24
03
31
05
29
22
Allocation of space ■ Pedestrian ■ Greenery ■ Transport ■ Parking ■ Other ■ Bike lane
The above scheme provides a different reading of the collected data during the surveys: instead of providing the precise measures of each street component, the share for each road user is shown, from fully pedestrianized to car-oriented streets. Different combinations and rankings are studied and the one that better describes the perceived reality and the qualities of the street is the one that arranges the streets by their share of driving lanes plus the space for parking. As a result, six different road groups are identified, together with the tipping points where major changes are observed from a fully pedestrianized street to the most car-oriented. It is noteworthy that this is an approximation of the reality and there are surely many cases that do not fit in this classification, however, most of the Dubai streets can be categorized as one of the following.
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●a pedestrian only In these streets, pedestrians can roam freely without paying too much attention to vehicles; this is mostly the case of fully pedestrianized areas such as Textile Souk (#17), the Waterfront Promenade in Marina (#30) and in streets where vehicular access is for deliveries only, like in the case of Bur Dubai (#16). ●b walkable by design These streets are designed with the intent of being walkable, with ample space of up to 60-70% dedicated to pedestrian movements; this is generally also reflected in the choice of material as well as in a step-free environment where sidewalks are connected without changing in levels. This category comprises of streets such as The Walk, The Boulevard or the main street cutting through Citywalk, as well as Al Falak Street, in Dubai Media City, where there is a good mix between vehicle lanes, green buffer and a two-way cycling lane.