Macro and micro scale modelling of multi-modal transportation spatial networks in the city-state of Doha, Qatar

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners have been modeling the street networks of metropolitan and geographical regions using space syntax or configurational analysis since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some models even extend to a national scale. A few examples include the island of Great Britain, within the national boundaries of England, over half of the Combined Statistical Area of Metropolitan Chicago and the entirety of Chatham County, Georgia and the City of Savannah in the USA, and the Chiang-rai Special Economic Zone in northern Thailand bordering Myanmar and Laos. Researchers at Qatar University constructed a space syntax model of Metropolitan Doha in 2018. It covered a land area of 650 km2 , encompassing over 24,000 streets, and approximately eighty-five percent (~85%) of the total population (~2.8 million) in Qatar. In a short time, this model led to a deeper understanding of spatial structure at the metropolitan and neighborhood level in Doha compared to other cities of the world, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. The paper presents the initial results of expanding this model to the State of Qatar, which provides ideal conditions for this type of large-scale modeling using space syntax. It occupies the Qatari Peninsula on the Arabian Peninsula adjacent to the Arabian/Persian Gulf, offering natural boundaries on three sides. Qatar also shares only a single border with another country to the southwest, which Saudi Arabia closed due to the current diplomatic blockade. The expanded model includes all settlements and outlying regions such as Al Ruwais and Fuwayriţ in the far north, Al Khor and the Industrial City of Ras Laffan in the northeast, and Durkan and Zekreet in the west. Space syntax is serving as the analytical basis for research into the effect of the newly opened rail transportation systems on Doha's urban street network. Researchers are also utilizing space syntax to study micro-scale spatial networks for pedestrians in Souq Waqif, Souq Wakra, and other Doha neighborhoods. The paper gives a brief overview of this research's current state with an emphasis on urban studies.

A planning method for transit villages in Qatar: Souq Waqif historical district in Doha

“…In this sense, space syntax modeling can be useful in identifying the dynamics of heritage sites, the history of urban growth and pedestrian accessibility in the urban spatial network (Al-Mohannadi and Furlan, 2022; Major et al. , 2020; Major, 2018; Major and Tannous, 2020; Tannous et al.…”

“…, 2021). Over time, Doha's core shifted to form a North-South corridor an associated with the intersection of Salwa Road and the Doha Expressway (Major et al. , 2020) (Figure 13).…”

Analyzing walkability in the vicinity of three metro stations in Doha, Qatar

“…The model incorporates the public rail network of the Doha Metro and the local tram systems in Msheireb Downtown Doha, Education City and Lusail City. The public rail system connects to the urban spatial network like a separate floor in the urban environment, linking public streets with station entries using a previous methodology (Major et al ., 2020). We measured accessibility based on metric and spatial parameters, including global choice, global and local integration, mean depth, street length, and integration (radius = 7).…”

“…The macro-scale analysis relies on the space syntax “all-inclusive” model of Metropolitan Doha 2020 with its public rail network (Major et al ., 2020). All-inclusive means all pedestrian and vehicular routes represented as the most extended and fewest set of axial lines necessary to encompass the metropolitan region in its simplest form, i.e.…”

Predictive Machine Learning Algorithms for Metro Ridership Based on Urban Land Use Policies in Support of Transit-Oriented Development

“…For the past five decades, notable economic change from a fishing and pearl collecting-based economy to a thriving and varied economy based on the production and export of natural gas/oil has been observed. Today, Qatar has almost 13% of the total international supply of natural gas reserves [43]. The country's growth and hosting of several mega-events, such as the 2006 Asian Games and the 2022 World Cup, led to intensive urban growth and development.…”