NEIGHBORHOOD -SCAPE AS A METHODOLOGY IN ENHANCING GULF REGION CITIES CHARACTERISTICS – CASE OF DOHA, QATAR
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Sustainability is increasingly being considered as a key aspect in shaping the urban environment. It works as an invention development basis for global urban growth. Currently, different models and structures impact the means of interpreting the criteria that would be included in defining a sustainable city. There is a collective need to improve the growth path to an extremely sustainable path by presenting different suggestions regarding multi-scale initiatives. The global rise in urbanization has led to increased demand and pressure for better urban planning choice and scenarios for a better sustainable urban alternative. The need for an assessment tool at the urban scale was prompted due to the trend of developing increasingly sustainable urban development (SUD). The neighborhood scale is being managed by a growing research committee since it seems to be a pertinent scale through which economic, environmental, and social impacts could be addressed. Although neighborhood design is a comparatively old practice, it is in the initial years of the 21st century when environmentalists and planners started developing sustainable assessment at the neighborhood level. Through this, urban reality can be considered at a larger scale whereby themes which are beyond the scale of a single building can be addressed, while it still stays small enough that concrete measures could be analyzed. The neighborhood assessment tool has a key role of helping neighborhood sustainability to perform approach and fulfill objectives through a set of themes and criteria. These tools are also known as neighborhood assessment tool, District assessment tool, and sustainable community rating tool. The main focus of research has been on sustainability from the economic and environmental aspect, whereas the social cultural aspect is rarely focused on.
This research is based on Doha, Qatar, the current urban conditions of the neighborhoods is discussed in this research. The research problem focuses on the spatial features do not correlate with the socio-cultural aspects. This research is outlined through three parts; First section comprises of review of the latest use of socio-cultural assessment methods in order to improve physical features of the neighborhood . Second section includes urban settlement development with regard to regulations and the process of decision making. An analysis of urban development policy with particular reference to neighborhood development is also discussed in this section. Moreover, it includes a historical review of the urban growth of the neighborhoods as an atom of the city system present in Doha . Last section involves developing quantified indicators regarding subjective well-being through participatory approach. additionally, applying GIS will be utilized as a visualizing tool for the apparent Quality of Life (QOL) that need to be provided in the neighborhood area as an assessment approach. Envisaging the present QOL situation in Doha neighborhoods is a process to improve current condition neighborhood function involves many day to day activities of the residents , due to which neighborhoods are considered dynamic \cite{Choguill_2008} )neighborhood function involves many day to day activities of the residents , due to which neighborhoods are considered dynamic of neighborhoods in Doha.