Rethinking Suburbs
Khaled AlawadiRethinking suburbs provides answers to how can we design and plan neighborhoods in which non-motorized mobility is a viable and efficient alternative.
Morphological and Network Analysis Review
Khaled Alawadi
This research addresses Abu Dhabi’s and Dubai’s street connectivity at the neighborhood (local) and city (global) scales. It focuses on two parameters of street network analysis: efficiency and centrality. Efficiency is evaluated in terms of directness, noting that network designs that provide short and direct access between origins and destinations are more efficient. Centrality is evaluated using graph theory metrics that enable the identification of high and lowaccessibility locations within networks. Research has shown that network centrality metrics are useful for capturing location advantage, a significant factor for land use distribution. An understanding of centrality and its impacts makes it possible to plan land uses that bring destinations closer to residences, an important factor in environmental, economic, and social sustainability.
The conventional suburban model of low-density, automobile-centric development with fragmented streets cannot foster high levels of accessibility within neighborhoods. Quantitative examination of case studies in Dubai
40,00€