Dubai’s older neighbourhoods could hold the key to encouraging more people on to public transport and help ease the city’s traffic congestion, experts have said.
The areas of Deira and Bur Dubai that fringe the Creek and other neighbourhoods such as Satwa are laid out so everything is walkable.
Urban planners could learn from these neighbourhoods to cut car dependency, ease the severe congestion facing Dubai and help people cope with the harsh heat of summer, it is believed.
It comes as the population of Dubai continues to surge, passing the four million mark in August.
“Everyone wants to move to Dubai,” Dr Simona Azzali, associate professor at Canadian University Dubai's school of architecture and interior design, told The National on Tuesday on the sidelines of Urban Future Week. “It's the city where everyone wants to be.”
To cope with the rising population, authorities are boosting public transport such as expanding the bus network, building the huge Dubai Metro Blue Line extension and are set to start the UAE-wide Etihad Rail passenger service next year.
Still, Dubai remains a car-centric city but this could be eased by learning lessons from a past when people walked more and the car was not king.
“Dubai doesn’t need to look to Europe for models of walkable, transit-orientated districts – it can learn from its own history,” said Dr Azzali.
Well connected
"In places like Deira, Bur Dubai and old Satwa, people still walk, take the bus and use the Metro because daily life is close by,” she said. “Planners can look to these neighbourhoods for making the wider city more transit-orientated.”
Satwa, for example, is a dense, low-rise neighbourhood with a largely migrant community. There are bus networks, homes, offices, cafes and restaurants within a short walking distance from each other. Even in summer it is lively and people shelter under awnings, trees and take refuge in small parks. This could be improved and scaled up for other areas.
“Urban design has to respond to the Gulf microclimate, with shaded streets, short walking distances and comfortable public spaces that work even in the peak of summer, not only on pleasant winter evenings,” said Dr Azzali.
Martin Tillman, a UAE-based transport expert and founder of TMP Consult, told The National it was crucial to consider the scorching summer heat if more people were to be tempted to take public transport – particularly if they had to switch between bus and Metro.
How to beat the heat
“Heat is one of the biggest barriers to first and last-mile travel,” said Mr Tillman. “Continuous shade, trees, cooled waiting areas and more connected pedestrian routes make the five-minute walk to buses and Metro realistic for more of the year. Where distances are longer, segregated micromobility routes and shaded corridors can extend transit catchments without relying on cars.”
Authorities are trying to reduce reliance on the car. Take for example the “Super Block” project unveiled in February that aims to turn some Dubai neighbourhoods into car-free zones. Under the plans, it was announced that Al Fahidi, Abu Hail, Al Karama and Al Quoz Creative Zone would be the first to benefit from the project. More details about this scheme are expected.
But longer term, the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan has called for developing a “20-minute city”, in which a resident can meet most of their daily needs without using a car.
This will not happen overnight but Dubai is also planning more “transit-orientated developments” – planning parlance for additional layers such as offices and restaurants – around the emirate's Metro stations.
An emerging example could be around Dubai Mall which connects to pedestrian walkways, buses and a Metro stop. There are also offices and housing close by but it is not yet fully integrated yet. A major expansion of the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station is planned.
“Transit-orientated development is another major lever,” said Mr Tillman. “By aligning housing, retail and workplaces around high frequency transit, transport planners help create communities where a car is no longer the default."
Dr Azzali highlighted Japan’s capital, Tokyo, which has developments combining high speed rail and metro trains, with malls, offices, restaurants and more built on top.
She also referred to Singapore’s Kampung Admiralty building, a new type of housing for senior citizens combining health facilities and social spaces, topped with plant-filled terraces, that functions as a community park.
“Singapore is an amazing example of the stick-and-carrot approach,” said Dr Azzali. “You have a very well-developed public infrastructure. On the other hand, the government discourages people to have cars.”
Commuter traffic into Dubai, especially from Sharjah, is also bumper to bumper. But there are other public transport solutions. Rail is expensive and complex to build, while conventional buses must navigate traffic. Enter what is known as "bus rapid transit systems (BRTs).
These work by creating dedicated bus corridors and improving reliability to carry large numbers of people. They are used effectively in South America, such as in Bogota, Colombia, and Curitiba, Brazil, and could suit a linear city such as Dubai.
These systems are less expensive than rail but are more flexible and also can be paired with more shading and attention to walkability. "Imagine how a BRT system from Sharjah to Dubai could alleviate traffic,” said Dr Azzali.
Developments around public transport hubs; improved bus and rail networks; neighbourhoods that allow people to work, shop and live in one area – all could offer a way out of the congested streets and lengthy delays facing people in Dubai today.
“All mega-cities are going in that direction,” said Dr Azzali. “Otherwise, you’ll have more people, more cars and more streets.”
