Towards a localized form-based code for Abu Dhabi urban neighborhoods

214 Pages·2016·10.55 MB·English

United Arab Emirates University
Scholarworks@UAEU
Theses Electronic Theses and Dissertations
5-2016
Towards a localized form-based code for Abu
Dhabi urban neighborhoods
Arwa Khalid Sabri
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Sabri, Arwa Khalid, "Towards a localized form-based code for Abu Dhabi urban neighborhoods" (2016).Theses. 322.
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Declaration of Original Work

I, Arwa Khalid Sabri, the undersigned, a graduate student at the United Arab
Emirates University (UAEU), and the author of this thesis entitled “Towards a
Localized Form-Based Code for Abu Dhabi Urban Neighborhoods”, hereby,
solemnly declare that this thesis is my own original research work that has been done
and prepared by me under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Galal Ahmed, in the College
of Engineering at UAEU. This work has not previously been presented or published,
or formed the basis for the award of any academic degree, diploma or a similar title
at this or any other university. Any materials borrowed from other sources (whether
published or unpublished) and relied upon or included in my thesis have been
properly cited and acknowledged in accordance with appropriate academic
conventions. I further declare that there is no potential conflict of interest with
respect to the research, data collection, authorship, presentation and/or publication
of this thesis.

Student’s Signature: Date: ________________
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Copyright

Copyright © 2016 Arwa Khalid Sabri
All Rights Reserved

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Abstract

Form-Based Code (FBC) is a sustainable planning tool that helps realize sustainable
urban form and sustainable communities from different perspectives, including mixing
of land uses, diversifying housing types, achieving walkability and cycling as well as
permitting community involvement in decision making and design processes. It is
therefore considered as a comprehensive tool that regulates different planning scales
from master plan to individual buildings. Locally, Abu Dhabi Emirate lacks a FBC
that could help achieve its sustainability-orientated 2030 vision and thus promote its
envisaged sustainable urban identity. This research aims at studying to what extent the
present form-related standards and guidelines for developing Abu Dhabi new urban
neighborhoods coincide with the common components and process of FBC as a
universal practice. This was achieved through a comprehensive review of the local
form-related standards and guidelines and then comparing them to FBC. It has been
found that these form-related standards and guidelines in are fragmented and lack some
essential components of FBC applications. On the other hand, and in terms of the
process of developing form-related regulations in Abu Dhabi new urban
neighborhoods FBC, it has been found that the community involvement is fairly
limited. Based on these results, the research has proposed some additions and
modifications for what might be claimed as a localized version of FBC for Abu Dhabi
new urban neighborhoods. Consequently, interviews were conducted with different
stakeholders involved in the urban planning process, including central and local
authority representatives, planners and community members in order to identify the
opportunities and obstacles that may face the adoption of the proposed and additions
and modifications.
The conducted interviews evidently revealed that there is a need for some actions to
overcome the obstacles and seize the opportunities in front of the implementation of
the proposed localized FBC to be eventually able to respond to the local urban
character and identity of Abu Dhabi neighborhoods.

Keywords: Abu Dhabi, Form-Based Code, sustainability, urban form, housing, local
character.
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Title and Abstract (in Arabic)

ةينارمعلا يبظوبأ ءايحلأ ينارمعلا ليكشتلل يلحم دوك وحن
صخلملا
ىلع دعاست ةمادتسم طيطخت ةادأ Form-Based Code (FBC) ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوك نإ
كلذ يف امب ،ةفلتخم رظن تاهجو نم ةمادتسملا تاعمتجملاو مادتسملا يرضحلا لكشلا قيقحت
بوكرو ةاشملا لوصو ةردق قيقحتو ،نكاسملا عاونأ عيونتو ،يضارلأا تامادختسا طلخ
.طيطختلا تايلمعو رارقلا عنص ةيلمع يف يلحملا عمتجملا كارشإب حامسلا كلذكو ،تاجاردلا
ىنبم لك ىلإ ةيسيئرلا ةطخلا نم ةفلتخملا طيطختلا سيياقم مظنت ةلماش ةادأ ربتعي هنإف يلاتلابو
قيقحت يف دعاسي نأ نكمي ينارمعلا ليكشتلل دوك ىلإ يبظ وبأ ةرامإ رقتفت ،ًايلحم .درفنم لكشب
.اهل ةاخوتملا ةمادتسملا ةيرضحلا ةيوهلا زيزعت يلاتلابو ،ةمادتسلاا ىلع ةمئاقلا 2030 ةيؤر
ينارمعلا ليكشتلل ةيلاحلا ةيهيجوتلا ئدابملاو ريياعملل قفاوت ىدم ةسارد ىلإ ثحبلا اذه فدهي
ليكشتلا دوك ةيلمعو ةكرتشملا تانوكملا عم يبظ وبأ يف ةديدجلا ةينارمعلا ءايحلأا ريوطتل
ةيهيجوتلا ئدابملاو ريياعملل ةلماش ةعجارم للاخ نم كلذ ققحت دقو .ةيملاع ةسراممك ينارمعلا
هذه نأ ةساردلا تدجو دقو .ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوك عم اهتنراقم مث نمو ينارمعلا ليكشتلل ةيلحملا
ةيساسلأا رصانعلا ضعب ىلإ رقتفتو ةأزجم ينارمعلا ليكشتلل ةيهيجوتلا ئدابملاو ريياعملا
ليكشتلل حئاوللا عضو ةيلمعب قلعتي اميفو ،ىرخأ ةيحان نم .ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوك تاقيبطتل
نأ ثحبلا دجو دقف ،يبظ وبأ يف ةديدجلا ةينارمعلا ءايحلأا يف ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوكل ينارمعلا
تافاضلإا ضعب ثحبلا حرتقا دقف ،جئاتنلا هذه ىلع ءانب .ام دح ىلإ دودحم عمتجملا كارشإ
يف ةديدجلا ةينارمعلا ءايحلأل ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوكل ةيلحم ةخسنب هفصو نكمي امل تلايدعتلاو
طيطختلا ةيلمع يف ةينعملا تاهجلا فلتخم عم تلاباقم تيرجأ ،كلذ ىلع ءانبو .يبظ وبأ
لجأ نم عمتجملا دارفأو نيططخملاو ةيلحملاو ةيزكرملا ةطلسلا يلثمم كلذ يف امب ،يرضحلا
.حرتقملا جذومنلا اذه قيبطت هجاوت دق يتلا تابقعلاو صرفلا ديدحت
ىلع بلغتلل تاءارجلإا ضعبل ةجاح كانه نأ حضاو لكشب تيرجأ يتلا تلاباقملا تفشك
ةياهن يف رداق نوكيل حرتقملا يلحملا ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوك ذيفنت مامأ صرفلا مانتغاو تابقعلا
.يبظ وبأ يف ءايحلأا ةيوهو يلحملا ينارمعلا عباطلا عم بواجتلا ىلع فاطملا
،يرضحلا ليكشتلا،ةمادتسلاا ،ينارمعلا ليكشتلا دوك ،يبظوبأ :ةيسيئرلا ثحبلا ميهافم
.يلحملا عباطلا ،ناكسلإا
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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to my advisor Dr.
Khaled Galal Ahmed for his guidance, support, assistance and encouragement
throughout my preparation of this thesis. I would like to thank the examining
committee members Dr. Mahmoud A. Haggag and Prof. Patrick A. Miller for their
time in reviewing my thesis.
My thanks are extended to the library staff in the University for providing me
with the relevant reference material and to all people who contributed in the
development of this thesis.
Additionally, I would like to thank all engineers from Abu Dhabi Urban
Planning Council, Abu Dhabi Municipality and the planners who shared their
precious time during the process of interviewing. I would like to thank the Emirati
residents who were interviewed for their cooperation and time.
Finally, special thanks go to my parents and all my family who encouraged
me along the way. My thanks are extended to all my friends and fellow graduate
students for their assistance and friendship.
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Dedication

To my beloved parents and brothers Walid, Ahmed and Ziyad