Understanding Urban Systems and Sprawl in the U.A.E, Case Studies from Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Ali Taileb, Ali Arbaoui & Bouzid Boudiaf Department of Architecture, Ajman University of Science and Technology Network (AUSTN).

Abstract The twentieth-century can be called the ‘era of urbanization’ in most parts of the world. World population, currently about 5.3 billion, is expected to at least double during the present century. According to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), 90 percent of this increase will be experienced in urban agglomerations. In 1990, just 15 percent of the world’s people were urban, today the figure is closer to 50 percent and by 2025 it is likely to be at least 60 percent. In the UAE, the population has nearly quadrupled over the past 25 years, from around 1.04 million at the beginning of 1980 to nearly 4.041 million at the end of 2003. Cities in the gulf are expanding at an unprecedented speed, In GCC countries, like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain; “new cities” such as: King Abdullah the Economic City in Saudi Arabia, the Silk City project in Kuwait, the Financial Harbor in the capital Manama Bahrain are flourishing at an explosive rate. The United Arab Emirates are not an exception; this growth has affected many cities such as Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This abnormal growth is mainly caused by urban expansion that destabilizes the balance between natural resources and the morphological characteristics of each region. Today typical sprawling housing developments, shopping centers, highways and other developments emerged from design principles that did not originate from any sense of the environmental context or to humankind's relation to it. The main objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the issue of urban sprawl that affects cities in the U.A.E; this is achieved through an examination of case studies of Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The study shows that land availability, socio-economic factors and weak planning were the catalyst of flourishing sprawl in the U.A.E. Zoning and separation of activities dictates that people must move daily from home to work and back again, which increases the consumption of energy and resources and effectively doubles the need for built up “dormitory towns” and working centers. The Case of Abu Dhabi has shown that the natural boundaries (sea) limited urban expansion (Sprawl), the city form developed within the city limit, where it has seen the maximum use of land. Consequently land use and transport are better integrated. Keywords: urban sprawl, urban form, sustainable environment

1.0- Introduction

In most parts of the world, the twentieth-century can be called the ‘era of urbanization’. World population, currently about 5.3 billion, is expected to at least double in the present century. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) expects that up to 90% of this increase will be experienced in urban agglomerations (Girardet H, 1992). The proportion of humans living in cities is also rising. In 1990, just 15 percent of the world’s people were urban. Today the figure is closer to 50 percent and by 2025 it is likely to be at least 60 percent. The cities of the world take up 2% of the World’s land area, consume 75 per cent of the world’s resources (50% in buildings, 25% for transport and 25% for Industry) and produce most of its waste (Girardet H, 1992). The increase of the population is forecast to occur mostly in urban agglomerations (in developing countries) which will have an impact on the urban environment.

In the UAE, the population has nearly quadrupled over the past 25 years, from around 1.04 million at the beginning of 1980 to nearly 4.041 million at the end of 2003 and is projected to exceed 4.3 million. Cities in the gulf are expanding at an unprecedented speed. In GCC countries, like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain; “new cities” such as: King Abdullah the Economic City in Saudi Arabia, the Silk City project in Kuwait and the Financial Harbor in the capital Manama Bahrain are flourishing at an explosive rate. The United Arab Emirates are not an exception; this growth has affected many cities such as Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This abnormal growth destabilizes the balance between natural resources and the morphological characteristics of each region. Today typical sprawling housing developments, shopping centers, highways and other developments emerges from design principles that did not originate from any sense of the environmental context or to humankind's relation to it. Many problems caused by urban growth, such as pollution, energy, segregation, sprawl and lack of social and cultural considerations have become unsustainable to the urban environment. The colossal scale of the modern day developments produced a new generation of disconnected people unable to built social bonds in cities of glaring contrast, of separate events. If the city is the place of conviviality, culture and concentration of opportunities for activities and services, the city is also the place for insecurity, precariousness, stress and all sorts of pollution. Urban sprawl is not a new phenomenon; the main reasons which are behind this phenomena are: the increase of population, an increase of the economy and lack of planning regulations. The consequences of the urban sprawl are: increase car accidents and pollution, lack of social life, lack of symbiosis between people and their physical place.

The main objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the issue of urban sprawl that affects cities in the U.A.E which is fuelled by economic growth and technological advancements and facilitated by faster communications; this is achieved through an examination of case studies of Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The following section highlights some concerns related to the growth of cities and sprawl that affected the United State and draw similarities for the phenomenon in the U.A.E. 2.0- Growth of Cities and Urban Sprawl In a 1968 paper entitled ‘How large can cities grow?’ Jean Gottmann posed the question ‘Is there a limit to urban growth?’ (Gottmann, 1968). Gottmann’s main concern was the size to which cities and agglomerations could grow and how agglomerations could support themselves if the percentage of urban population continued to increase. He indicated that the problems of modern city growth like changes in economic function, land use, traffic density, and urban styles of living and working, were usually ‘corrected by urban sprawl’. Urban sprawl relates to areas located at the urban fringe, the outer limits to which a city, town or agglomeration has grown, but are scattered, surrounded by or adjacent to undeveloped sites or agricultural uses. During the twentieth century cities have extended outwards, upwards and even downwards in ways never before envisaged. The internal structure of activities within the city has also changed markedly over time, across a range of dimensions, a trend which is especially evident in low-density sprawling metropolitan regions. These areas have been radically altered by a combination of the decentralization of population and businesses, large-scale exclusionary land-use zoning within the city, and the increasing amounts of space given over to the demands of the motor car. Amidst all these changes, the densities of population in the cities have also changed, most notably in North America, where low-density suburban sprawl has become almost a defining feature of their twentieth century development. The low-density suburban sprawl found in North America is frequently seen as the worst kind of urban structure (Haughton 1994). This form of suburbanization is held by some to lead to atomized lifestyles which deny the emergence of a true sense of local community. Low-density suburbs owned houses are seen as socially stultifying, where residents lead uniform, dull, conformist lives, in part because of the lack of social and economic diversity (Haughton 1994). The environmental implications of low-density urban sprawl which has characterized twentieth-century suburban expansion in some western nations and North America can be summarized as follow: “Consumption of large tracts of productive farmland for both housing and roads. Increased energy usage and air pollution caused by decrease in viability of public transport, walking and cycling. Increased energy consumption in single-storey, detached developments, because of poor thermal qualities relative to more compact housing form. High per capita petrol consumption and resultant polluting car emissions” (Haughton, 1994: 85)

3.0- Urban Systems Urban sprawl is understood within the context of urban system. Cities, towns and neighborhoods are interrelated complex entities; the notion that urban complexes are indeed systems is far reaching and brings into question the conventional understanding of urban problems and solutions. Often, apparent problems are really syndromes of underlying disease mechanisms (Lozano 1990). Without a systematic understanding of them and their interrelationships, solution themselves have unintended, unforeseen and sometimes disastrous consequences.

The concept of systems was developed before the Second World War in the field of communications but was first used in military applications during the 1940s and especially the 1950s. It expanded into the new fields of systems engineering, systems analysis, systems theory, information theory, operations research, management systems and mathematical modeling, which applied interdisciplinary knowledge from other branches of science to the solving of complex problems. These fields have attracted scientists and scholars from a variety of disciplines; among those relevant to our concerns is Ludwig von Bertalanffy biologist and originator of General Systems Theory (Lozano 1990). A system can be defined as “a group of parts whose interaction facilitates the performance of the parts into an organized whole with characteristic overall responses” or as “a set of interrelated worlds and activities linked together to accomplish a desired end” (Lozano 1990: 74). Basic to the notion of systems are the concept of interrelationship and interaction, which tie together a particular universe for a purpose.

In many instances, urban problems are a manifestation of partial disruption in the system that demands a ‘repair’ solution to bring the system back to its original state. In other instances, urban problems may be symptoms of increasing incoherence within the system of an organization that is no longer able to satisfy emergent goals because they are in increasing conflict with the system. In those cases, a ‘repair’ solution would do no more than buy time, and the only way to bring about a viable new system would be to rearrange it structurally (Ibid.) One of the essential characteristics of systems, including urban systems, is that they have their own internal corrective mechanisms that trigger processes aimed at solving their problems. The behavior of most urban systems “is governed by the dynamic structure of the systems” (Lozano 1990: 76). Lozano (1990) continues, saying that planners and designers must immerse themselves in the urban systems in order to understand them thoroughly, but the more they probe the system, the more complex it appears. Because of their increasing specialization and size, contemporary cities are far more complex than they were a few decades ago. He adds: “The large metropolitan settlement is indeed the locus of a wide variety of activities and it does indeed comprise a more complex network of functional interdependencies than any one man can comprehend” (Lozano 1990: 76). The literature indicates that changes in the economy, land use and traffic density, style of living and working favorites sprawl. Many of the problems due to sprawl are only symptoms indicating the disruption of systems of organizations. The following section will look at the case studies in the U.A.E. For a better understanding, sprawl is understood within the context of the systemic approach.

4.0- Case Studies of Sprawling Cities: Dubai, Sharjah and Dubai 4.1- Why Cities in the U.A.E are Sprawling? The United Arab Emirates today are marked by the extraordinary changes brought about by urbanization. For almost one decade, more than 80% of the population consists of town dwellers. Compared with other developing countries, this rate of urbanization is one of the highest in the world. The urban « explosion » that has occurred in most of the emirates is shown not only in the spectacular growth of the major cities (particularly in Dubai and Sharjah), but also in the rapid development of medium-sized towns (Ajman, Ras El Khaima and El Fujairah) during the last decade. Although these changes show a sustained increase in the Emirates, they give rise to a process of urbanization that is far from uniform. Nowadays, this urbanization leads to consider Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman as a conurbation. The heterogeneity of this conurbation in terms of urban fabric and activities explain the fact that the priority is given to the local development, and the master plans of Dubai and Sharjah are limited to the Emirates. The coordination at the regional level (between the Emirates) is one of the weaknesses. This development leads to a very strong social (Rashidiya in Dubai, Rolla in Sharjah and Al Nakheel in Ajman) and to a physical fragmentation to such a point that Ajman is now considered just as a ‘cité dortoir’.

The growth of cities in the U.A.E has been driven by increasing urban population. A variety of factors are driving cities in the U.A.E to sprawl (Diagram 1). Global socio-economic forces are interacting environmental and spatial constraints to generate the common characteristics of urban sprawl evident throughout the U.A.E today. At the same time, urban sprawl has been accelerated and enhanced by personal mobility (emirates road linking Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman) due to an increase of commuting distance and time. This gave to the people the possibility either to live increasingly farther away, from city centers, while retaining all the advantages of a city location, or enabled people to live in one city and work in another. In addition the mix of forces include both micro and macro socio-economic trends such as the means of transportation, the price of land, individual housing preferences, demographic trends, the attractiveness of urban areas, and, not least, the weakness of application of strong land use planning policies at both local and regional scales (no cooperation between emirates).

Diagram 1: Why cities in the U.A.E are sprawling?

Population in main Cities 1975 1980 1985 1995 2003 Ajman 14351 33651 49108 114395 225000 Sharjah 58053 125193 173787 320095 519000 Dubai 179926 263449 354175 669181 1171000 Abu Dhabi 127763 243257 283361 398695 552000 Table 1- Population in main cities reference Tedad (U.A.E) census 2003

4.2- Land Availability, Urban Growth and the Urban Environment Dubai is expecting 59 per cent urban growth by 2015. Residential land use will occupy the largest percentage of land in Dubai with 30 per cent; roads by 19.3 per cent, industrial will occupy 14.2 per cent, government, institutions, sports and recreation institutions will occupy about 12.8 per cent. In 1993, the developed area in Dubai constituted 149.6 square kilometers, and in 2005, it grew to 244 square kilometers and in 2015, the urbanized area is expected to grow to 604.8 square kilometers, or a growth rate of 59 per cent as compared to 2005 (Khaleedj Time, June 18, 2005).

4.3- Population Growth The average population growth rate stood at around 6.4 per cent between 1980 and 1985 while it picked up to 7.7 per cent from 1986 to 1995 and 8.8 per cent from 1996 to 2003. According to independent estimates, UAE citizens account for around 25 percent of the total population. The UAE's population has nearly quadrupled over the past 25 years. From around 1.04 million at the beginning of 1980, the UAE's population surged nearly 4.041 million at the end of 2003 and is projected to exceed 4.3 million (Ministry of Planning). Table 1 shows the growth and the distribution of the population in major cities U.A.E. From 1995 to 2005 the population in Ajman has doubled in less than ten years passing from 11.4395 to 22.5000 similar population growth is seen for the city of Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 4.4- Migration of population Migration of population plays a central role in the urbanization process of the U.A.E. Experts attributed the rapid increase of the population of the U.A.E to a massive influx of foreign labor. Over the world some 20 million people move to cities every year. From 1950 to 1990 the population of the world’s cities went up from 200 million to over two billion, with three billion expected by 2025. In the U.A.E population growth is due to the migration of foreign labor, According to the Ministry of Labor foreigners make up about 85 percent of the population. There are 4.5 million foreigners compared with 800,000 Emirati citizens (Khaleedj Time, June 18, 2005).

Main features Main issues Characteristics Observations

Sprawl development;Deterioration of the Physical Fragmented traditional area;Most of the buildings development;Massive and rapid are developed from the Rapid development; public buildings with needs and the familial Disproportion of the new programs; organization. land use. New floating cities. Fragmented industrial Rapid socio-economic structure; changes;The functional issues Lack of coordination;Adaptation of new are shaping the micro Socio- Dependency on oil; technology;and macro economicalStandards of Urban growth with a environment. sustainable very high percentage of environment ignored; urban population. CulturalDeterioration of Misunderstanding of The city is determined traditional traditional architecture;and shaped by the environment; financial power.

Table 2- Impact of Sprawl

4.5- Unequal distribution of wealth

Unequal distribution of wealth among the different Emirates (Table 2 and 3) was one of the main issues of the segregation (Physically and socially: Rashidia in Dubai; Rolla in Sharjah and El Nakheel in Ajman) (Picture1). Abu Dhabi, Dubai and to a certain extent Sharjah have developed social amenities while Ras al khaimah, Ajman, Fujairah and Oum Al Quaiwin are still grappling with lack of adequate housing.

Picture 1-Expansion of Dubai, Sharjan and Ajman (Photo courtesy Google)

Emirate Main Area Population Density. Characteristics Aspect Main cities (km2) ( Inhab) (inhab/km2) privileged objectives Abu Dhabi Abu 67000 1900.000. 28.3Diversification of Built Dhabi; the economy, environment. Global image Al Ain 85%of the total oil output capacity. Dubai Dubai; 4114 1300.000. 315.9 Real Estate; Economical Modification Hatta Finance; poleof the urban Oil. fabric. Sharjah Sharjah; 2600 780.000. 300 Industry;Aesthetic and Symbolical Khor Tourism; cultural values. aspects Fakkan Education. Ras Al Ras Al 1680 250.000. 148.8 Agriculture; Improve Improve the Khaimah khaimah Material of quality of daily quality of construction. life. urban life. Fujairah 1150 130.000. 113.0World’s largest Concentration Creation of Fujairah livestock shipping of maritime services as companies activities network. Oum Al Oum al 750 70.000. 93.3Experimental basis Improve of Ad equation Quaiwin Quaiwin for prawns and quality of daily cost / fish. life. efficiency Ajman 260 240.000. 923.0 Agriculture; Attract Improve the Ajman Ship repair and investors and quality of garment industry. creation of new urban life. districts Abu 77554 4670.000. 60.2 Unbalanced Lack of Dhabi development coordination Capital of the Emirtaes Table 3- Unequal distribution of wealth among the different Emirates

5.0- Impact of urban sprawl The impact of sprawl is described in the following section (Diagram 2). Many consequences are clearly seen in the daily life such as urban land fragmentation, increase of car accidents and commuting distance, increase of environmental pollution etc.

5.1- Urban land fragmentation: segregation of activities One can notice the urban fragmentation of Dubai into chunks and islands of developments without any thought relations between each development: Medina city, knowledge city, Internet city, making city within the city which is a result of zoning and separation of activities dictates that people must move daily from home to work and back again for instance a large number of resident live in Ajman and Sharjah and work in Dubai, which increases the consumption of energy and resources and effectively doubles the need for built up residential entities, calling for dormitory towns and working centers. Meanwhile, sprawling housing developments, shopping centers, highways and other developments have proceeded along design principles that did not originate from any sense of respect for the environment. Breaking the linkage between the city and countryside has given the city the potential to grow and expand virtually without limit with a consequent increase in the consumption of energy and resources. This new structure of distribution has conditioned our behavior; the accepted norm of short distances to work have been replaced by longer distances.

Jane Jacobs' book, ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ (1961), warns that land use segregation and low-density dispersal are killing off the diversity that is the basis of urban life. For Jacobs, the essential phenomenon of cities is the mixture of activities they support and encourage. It is not the first time that cities have been diagnosed as pathological. A hundred years ago the unhealthy living conditions in the industrial city slums of Europe and, later, North America horrified social reformers. Vexed by the impoverished squalor of 1890s London, a court reporter and amateur utopian named Ebenezer Howard came up with a visionary and lovingly detailed plan for what was probably the first deliberately planned ‘Green city’- the ‘Garden City’. Howard believed big cities were doomed. He envisaged a series of new self- sufficient towns; built in the countryside, and surrounded by agricultural belts which would supply the inhabitants with food. The garden city would have its own industry to provide local employment. Decades later, Howard’s thinking was to be picked up a large scale by ‘new town’ developers across the globe. The American ‘father of suburbia’ Frank Lloyd Wright has a dream in the 1930s was to replace large dense cities with spacious low- density housing, linked by highways. He assumed that each family would own a car. This prescient plan was to become the sprawling reality of post-war North America and much of the rest of the world.

5.2- Commuting time and distance

Time spent for daily commuting to work is higher in Sharjah, Ajman than in Abu Dhabi. The effect of low density on transportation is visible in the act of daily commuting in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. A survey conducted in Ajman in 2007 with real state agents has confirmed that the vast majority (80%) of resident in Ajman works in Sharjah or Dubai and the vast majority make 20km daily commuting distance (Picture 2). The separation of work place from residential area, forced by large-scale land use segregation, means that very few people can walk to work, Dubai is based upon intensive use of the private car this has resulted in the segregation of activities and land use. Such forms of development are inherently unsustainable as they lead to the increased use of private transport, which is energy demanding, and are also not easily attained by the whole population. Unity within the built environment has been badly affected by the concepts of car domination and traffic segregation.

Picture 2- High traffic congestion due to high volume of commuters between Ajman, Sharjah and Dubai (by the authors)

5.3- Emergence of Dormitory towns One major impact of sprawl is the emergence of dormitory towns ‘cite dortoir’ such as Sharjah and Ajman that have affected both the social and physical characteristics of the built environment. Urban form has become aesthetically monotonous social life has lost vitality because of the loss of a multitude of diverse experiences when previously a larger number of activities were found in an urban environment. Inhabitants do not show any feeling or responsibility towards the external spaces. They all believed that they are no man's land and it is the duty of the authorities to supervise and maintain them.

Diagram 2: Impact of Sprawl in the U.A.E

6.0- Abu-Dhabi Case: The Compact City

Picture 3: Urban development of Abu Dhabi within the city boundary (by the authors)

Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the UAE, the city lies on a T- shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast (Picture 3). An estimated of population of 1,000,000 in 2000. The development of the city of Abu Dhabi initiated after oil discovery in the seventies. The city developed within the natural limits of the island. Two main bridges connect the island to the mainland, the island is used for residence & services and is at one hour and half far from Dubai centre. The city of Abu Dhabi is characterized by a high density which is a result of the followings; work, leisure and home are within proximity. Closeness and diversity of activities within the city. Distance work leisure home within 6 km radius. Lively Pedestrian spaces and sidewalks. More social and family interaction. Environmental Advantages as a result of the existing built form.

6.1 City Form versus Climate Urban spaces are not as controlled and designed to suit comfortable climatic conditions as buildings. Comfort in outdoor spaces cannot be achieved by mechanical, means as in the case of indoor spaces, but rather by cumulative design solutions that contribute to the reduction of temperature and humidity. Every act of urban planning and urban design is having directly a positive or negative impact on the outdoor climate comfort. During the last two decades, urban development of Abu Dhabi had improved the condition of outdoor living spaces considerably. Today people could move and do activity in the city with improved conditions without feeling the desert. The major improvements of city climate are results of the interaction of building height, street geometry and vegetation, all together offer the city large surface of shadow.

6.2 Street Geometry and Shadow Network A major objective of street orientation in hot cities is to allow permanent shadow on sidewalks for people’s daily activities. The large street of Abu Dhabi existed already from the period of low rise, and sparse buildings. However, with the intensive program of 20 stories high building towers built side by side, a permanent shadow started progressively to take form on urban spaces. Abu Dhabi street geometry and orientation was organized and developed in a form of right angle grid oriented diagonally toward the North (Picture 4). The interaction of different climatic and urban factors such as; Abu Dhabi latitude, 24º 27’ N, summer solstice sun motion, high rise buildings and urban geometry orientation, result in considerable sidewalk shadow. Street orientation and shadow was subject of researches of many urban designers and planners. A similar case, largely applied for Abu Dhabi street orientation is demonstrated by R. L. Knowles, 1981, on two urban grids of the city of Los Angeles 34º N. The impact of street orientation on side walk shadow is done by comparing the grids with its cardinal point orientation and the other one with its diagonal orientation. The results are as follows: The diagonally oriented grid, the Spanish grid is having a summer-time advantage. Shadows are cast into every street all day long, with the exception of short period during mid-morning and mid-afternoon when the sun passes quickly over first one diagonal street and then the other. Unlikely, the cardinal point orientation, East West Street are too bright and hot in summer and the North-South streets, while pleasant in winter, lack any protective summer shadow at midday.(R.L. Knowles 1981). According to this demonstration, the diagonally oriented urban grid of Abu Dhabi is offering shadow network along its major axis. As pathway for shoppers, Hamdan, Khalifa, and Zayed the second (Electra) streets could be upgraded to reinforce more activities as they are within s suitable orientation.

Picture 4: Abu Dhabi as diagonal grid to the Cardinal points (Photo courtesy Google)

6.3 Urban Density and Building Height Dense urban fabric has long been a key effect on creating comfortable microclimate. In vernacular cities of hot dry regions. However, in the case of hot humid climate, the strategy would be based on ventilation in where cooling effect is created by wind blowing urban spaces. Urban form of Abu Dhabi is not responding for such strategy even if it was a case, wind velocity is very low as to be used for such cooling strategy. Nonetheless, the high urban density of Abu Dhabi has resulted in the following: Concentration of urban dwellers to avoid long distance traveling during the hot seasons. The 20 story high towers built separately side by side allow air movement between buildings as well as offering large surface of shadow even when sun is at zenith. As consequences to this, altered shadows from façade to another, during the day is reducing heat loads as well as creating more air currents around buildings. Also, since the roof is the face that receives a maximum of heat from sun rays at this latitude, the tower is a form that provides roof protection for several floors below, consequently this would reduce enormously cooling load through A/C for every floor space. 6.4 Urban Vegetation Vegetation influences temperature, humidity, radiation and air quality as well as the social and psychological well being of urban dwellers. Contrary to the fact that rainfall is very scarce in arid climate, Abu Dhabi is very green. Visitors to the city are very impressed by the planned vegetation using sophisticated seawater irrigation that gives life to every single plant. Trees and green surfaces are taking a significant percentage of land surfaces in Abu Dhabi city that results in a very large area of shadows. Furthermore, the vegetation is source of cooling effect. The process of photosynthesis on vegetation leaves would reduce heat which transformed rather to growing plants. According to Parker, 1983, in an example of hot humid city, the recorded climatic effect of urban vegetation includes up to 15 ºC reductions in surface temperature during hot summer days.

6.5 Effect of Climatic Conditions on the Day/Night Human Activities The climate of the region has influenced greatly on people’s activity. People’s urban activities are shifted to late afternoons, evenings and nights. Housing, work, shopping, mosque and recreation, are all within short distances, avoiding by this exposure and long distances exposed to outdoor conditions. As climate shaped cultures habits, people’s adaptation to hot days mad the city slowing its activity between 2 pm and 5 pm. At this time where temperature is getting its maximum of the day, most people are resting. Later, around 5 pm, life restarts again to be extended at late nights. Winter nights in Abu Dhabi are like summer nights of cold cities, shopping streets, city gardens, parks, and the cornice are night attracting spaces. During extreme period of high temperature and high humidity, shopping malls become the sole solution as an urban refuge for people. Malls could de described as an artificial world. They provide all attractions and recreation facilities in a very controlled indoor climate. Being climatically successful, their numbers increased these past years.

Figure 3- Monocentric Abu Dhabi a result of compact form and polycentric of Dubai as a result of Sharjah and Ajman as being dormitory towns for Dubai (by the authors)

7.0- Conclusion and Recommendations The case studies of Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman showed that land availability, socio-economic factor and weak planning were the catalyst of flourishing sprawl. Zoning and separation of activities had increased mobility and dictated people to commute daily from home to work and back again, which increases the consumption of energy and resources and effectively doubles the need for built up “dormitory towns” and working centers (Figure3). The Case of Abu Dhabi showed that lack of land availability and the natural boundary (sea) surrounding the city limited urban expansion (sprawl), the city form developed within the city limit, resulted in the maximum use of land, consequently land use and transport were better integrated. The researchers condense their understanding in the issue of the urban systems in the U.A.E, sets of recommendations related to sustaining the urban systems are as follows:

Ecological/ Environmental

For a sustainable urban system reducing vehicular traffic is • necessary in the U.A.E: Politicians, traffic engineers and planners should stop giving permanent priority to the motor car. Reduction of pollution, promoting a healthy living, and • maintaining the natural environment for all to enjoy, significantly improves the quality of U.A.E’s lives by the use of a more environmentally friendly mode of transport. Promote trip reduction in order to reduce peak hour trips and • increase the ratio of people to vehicles.

Economical Promoting economic activities that are less polluting; • Promoting a stronger homework relationship is a way • towards a sustainable urban system through decentralized activities Promote efficient use of resources • Social and cultural Enhance social life, social cohesion, a sense of community • and citizenship and interaction, as well as promoting life styles that do not alter U.A.E’s environment. Encourage the citizen, the family and local community to • take responsibility. Spatial Reduce commuting times and distances between home and • work in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman Promoting proximity of activities for a sustainable system • in U.A.E. Urban form High density living Promote compact forms of development in Dubai, Sharjah • and Ajman as a solution to help reduce the tendencies to peripheral urban sprawls and also stimulates urban dynamism and vibrancy. Reduce valuable time and distance in Dubai/ Sharjah and • Ajman spent in commuting at the expense of social activities Reduce sprawl form of development in Dubai by • encouraging high-density living. Promoting stronger home work relationships proximity • between activities in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. Energy • Discourage Low-density suburbs in the U.A.E that demand a high level of mobility for the journey to work and other services. • Encourage energy efficient settlement patterns. • Reduce the physical separation of activities in the interests of energy conservation. Reduce low-density urban sprawl in the U.A.E that • generates a greater need to travel than more compact structures of mixed land uses in which the physical separation of activities is small.

Location Discourage loosely distributed locations in the U.A.E which • is reflected in the dispersion of population and employment and the creation of dispersed centers results in wasted resources.

Distribution • Discourage dispersed distribution which has serious implications for energy and environmental conservation. Mixed land use • Promoting a good mixed use and high density rather than sprawl and homogeneity of use. • Land use planning and zoning needs to be harmonized • Encourage both high density and mixed-use urban environments for decreasing the need for automobile transport, and therefore also the need for road construction. Achieving these objectives will enhance the urban environment in allowing people to be part of the decision-making process, using their knowledge and resources to transform their physical environment, to satisfy their needs and produce better solutions to environmental problems and how to sustain it. Further Research The findings from this research suggest that the relationships between socio-economic factors, land availability and weak planning coordination between emirates were the catalyst of flourishing sprawl in the U.A.E. The issues related to this subject are wide and varied; this research takes only a first step and is restricted to its own objectives and limitations. Therefore, some issues lie beyond its scope and need further investigation. The authors would like to suggest some directions for further research that could be continued by colleagues who are similarly concerned about sustaining the urban environment. This study has been concerned with contributing to understand urban systems in the U.A.E; further research could examine to what extent U.A.E municipal institutions contribute into the topic. The previous set of recommendations could be seen as indicators towards sustaining the urban environment. Further research could involve evaluating those indicators, for example by testing these indicators on different professionals and resident groups. Further research could include professionals (such as architects, urban designers and planners) and the local authority in a triangulation exercise intended to develop a more pan-disciplinary awareness of satisfaction and identify points where professional and non- professional attitudes correlate or diverge. References Anderson P, W (1996) Urban Form, Energy and the Environment: A Review of Issues, Evidence and Policy. Urban Studies, Vol 33, N.1 Baccaini, B (1997) Commuting and residential strategies in the Île- de-France: Individual behavior and spatial constraints, Environment and Planning Vol 29 p 1801-1829 Encouraging Transport Banister, D & Marshall,S (2000), Alternatives Marshall, S. The Stationery Office Barton, H (1991), City Transport: Strategies for Sustainability, Regional Science Association. Barton, H (1996) Sustainable Urban Design: Going Green by Design. Urban design, Issue 57, Jan 1996 Girardet, H (1992) (1996) The Gaia Atlas of Cities: New Directions for Sustainable Urban Living, Gaia books Gottmann, J (1968), “the growing city as a social and political process”. Transactions of the Barlett Society, 5, University College London: 11-46 Haughton, G & Hunter, C (1994) Sustainable Cities, London. Jacob, J (1962), Death and Life of Great American Cities, Cape. Knowles, RALPH , Sun Rhythm Form. Cambridge, Massachusetts, England, MIT. 1981. Lozano, E, E (1990) Community Design and the Culture of Cities, Cambridge Owens, S (1991), Energy, Environmental Sustainability and Land Use Planning Regional Science Association. Owens, S (1991), Energy demand: links to land-use and forward Planning. The Built Environment Vol 11 N.1 p 33 Park, J. (1983). “Do energy conservation landscape work?” Landscape Architecture, July 1983: 89-90. Rutter, A , (2007) The Dynamics of Complex Urban Systems: An Sergio A Interdisciplinary Approach Physica-Verlag Heidelberg Whitelegg, J (1993), transport for a Sustainable Future Belhaven Press London and New York. Climatic Data, Ministry of Communication Meteorological Department, Meteorological Data National Bank.

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