Towards Socially Sustainable Waterfront Urban Regeneration: The Case of Zayed Port Design, Abu Dhabi

Abstract

While the urban waterfront is crucial to shaping the city image, it also contributes to the quality of life of the city's inhabitants and visitors. The Waterfront of Abu Dhabi city, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has witnessed influential changes in the last 20 years. This research aims at discussing the relationship between urban form and social sustainability in a very recent urban regeneration of a waterfront project in Abu Dhabi city, the Zayed Port's waterfront project. The attainment of the social sustainability principles in the urban regeneration project was explored through examining the existence of these principles through an established theoretical framework. The theoretical framework included the main social sustainability principles of compactness and density, mixed-use and social mix, mobility, equitable access and spatial integration, safety and security, identity of place, and community participation. The utilized qualitative/quantitative tools of the case study method encompassed Space Syntax analysis of the urban form through relevant DepthmapX simulation variables. The assessment results revealed the gaps and potentials related to the application of these principles in the proposed design of the urban regeneration waterfront project of Zayed Port. Based on these outcomes, a set of social sustainability enhancement strategies has been recommended. The applied method with its tools as well as the revealed outcomes is envisaged to be significant to consider in the current and future urban regeneration designs of waterfront projects in the UAE's cities distinguished with their long waterfronts such as Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, and other cities, to assure the achievement of social sustainability principles in this important type of urban development.

Assessing Mobility Measures for Socially Sustainable Waterfront Redevelopment Projects: A Case Study in United Arab Emirates

“…As an essential contributor to socially sustainable urbanism, a mixed-use development preferably provides local services and public open spaces around the public transport stations. This would make access to local services and amenities much easier by walking, cycling, or via a micro-mobility device [3]. Encouraging local travel through walkability, micro-mobility and public transit would increase encountering and casual meetings of residents which usually result in stronger social bonds and vivid community networks [18].…”

“…Qualitative analysis was utilized to assess the mobility urban design measures of the waterfront urban regeneration project including Comfort and Livability, Environmental Quality and Safety and Security [3].…”

“…Urban redevelopment processes for dilapidated areas usually begin with determining the essential problems and the needed actions to solve them on the various social, economic and environmental levels [2]. An important segment of this urban redevelopment process is the urban regeneration of waterfront regions especially old ports because they have the potential to sustainably reutilize the available vast abandoned land in attracting new mixed land uses that significantly benefit existing urban communities [2,3].…”

“…As part of these SDG 11 and previous urban sustainabilityrelated local agendas, major cities in the UAE such as Abu Dhabi, the capital city, Dubai, Sharjah, etc., have recently initialed ambitious plans for redeveloping their old ports and lengthily coastal areas to facilitate their transformation from the historical socio-economic activities into modern mixeduse sustainable urban areas. From 1962 until today, Abu Dhabi has started to develop most of its urban infrastructure near the waterfront regions, which have been the main concentration spots of the city population [3] (Figure 1). 2) is planned to be transformed into a mixed-use urban region encompassing businesses, touristic facilities, residential development, entertainment and cultural facilities, etc., to ultimately be part of the new Abu Dhabi Central Business District (ADCBD).…”

“…Meanwhile, the new Khalifa Port is planned to replace Mina Zayed as the official trade and commercial port of the city. The new ADCBD, including Mina Zayed, will be connected to the whole urban agglomeration of the city by developed transportation infrastructure and a modern transit system [3].…”