Track: Sustainability and Green Systems

Abstract

Livability is a major principle for urban planning and politics makers, and its definition and assessment have become critical concern upon academics. Therefore, creating livable residential communities that enhance safety, comfort, and social relations is one of the main goals among all planners and policy makers. As socioeconomic development increases, the microscale living conditions necessitate more immediate attention. In the context of the Middle East, the UAE specifically in Sharjah, this study will focus on residential land livability assessment. Different dimensions are considered for livability assessment of residential areas based on people preferences such as housing, mobility, urban function, urban form, and sense of belongings. All these dimensions are assessed using survey based descriptive analysis integrated with the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to rank and prioritize and weight the dimensions. The aim of the study is to assess urban livability in Sharjah city through classifying the residential areas based on people preferences and spatial analysis.  Finally, to propose and develop a livability index for residential area selection in Sharjah city. None of the scholars, however, have addressed the assessment of livability at a finer geographic scale, such as the residential community scale. The finding showed that the Emirate of Sharjah is in dire need of a tool to measure the livability of residential lands.