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Light rail transit (LRT) and transit villages in Qatar: A planning strategy to revitalise the built environment of Doha
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
10
(4),
379-399
(2017)
Abstract
For the past several decades, the car has been the most popular method for travelling within cities, small towns and rural areas. This has caused increasing traffic congestion, which in turn has become a drain on the economy of cities due to lost productivity. Additionally, the impact of climate change, the consequent need of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the wide fluctuations in the price of oil are prompting cities around the world to make large investments in urban public transit. The implementation of public transport has become a critical issue for the urban development of cities: more communities are planning light rail transit systems (LRT) and transit villages (TODs) as part of an integrated transport and land use planning approach for revitalising cities. Middle Eastern cities, known for their extreme dependence on cars, are currently investing large sums on public transit systems. In the past two decades, Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has witnessed unforeseen economic growth due to oil and natural gas production and export. Currently the nation is developing a major urban public transit network consisting of the Doha Metro, the Lusail LRT and a bus rapid transit system. This paper explores: (1) how public transit systems and land use fit into the larger challenge of urban transformation and regeneration (2) the progress and implications of the development of the new LRT system for the planning of Doha’s built environment, and (3) the extent to which TODs are strategies for sustainable urbanism and smart growth in Qatar.
Keywords: Doha; built environment; LRT; transit villages; cultural identity
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Raffaello Furlan holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from IUAV University in Venice (Italy), and a PhD in Architecture from Griffith University in Brisbane (Australia). He has held visiting and permanent positions in Australia (University of Queensland and Griffith University in Brisbane), UAE (Canadian University of Dubai) and Qatar (Qatar University). He has been teaching Art History, History of Architecture, Project Management, Urban Design, Architecture Design and Interior Design. His areas of interest include Vernacular Architecture, Architecture and Urban Sociology, project management, art history. A member of the Board of Architects in Italy and Australia, he has 20 years’ professional experience, split between design management, project management and supervision roles, with some highly respected companies, six years of which were in Italy, 10 years in Australia, and four years in Middle East.
Neil Sipe is a Professor of Planning at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland (Australia). He is a proven project leader of ground-breaking transport and land use studies and member of the Social and Economic Effects of Transportation Committee at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the lead investigator of a large study of transit systems in Australia funded by the Australian Research Council.
