Urban planning in Qatar: strategies and vision for the development of transit villages in Doha

Doha, the capital city of the State of Qatar, has went through a fast growth in its economy and transformation of its built environment. Currently, major urban public transit systems are under construction. This paper looks at Souq Waqif station and its surrounding neighbourhood as one of the new transit hubs of Qatar. The district is located in the core of Doha and plays a significant role in the social, economic and particularly culture, as a way of life, of the people in Qatar. Within the context of Doha, there is an urge to implement transit villages, also defined as transit-oriented developments (TODs), in most of the existing centres along the rail network. A TOD is a mixed use commercial and residential area designed to maximise access to public transport and to encourage transit ridership. Therefore, it is critical to understand the benefits and impacts that TODs would invite in this context before investing large funds in developing them. The research empirically investigates the level at which transit villages can be implemented and also formed within the built environment of Doha. It is argued that this strategy and vision would encourage sustainable development by supporting better transport integration and land use. The aim is to assess and promote sustainable developments integration in the city of Doha through controlling increasing traffic and planning for transit villages. In order to develop a strategy for intervention, the existing TOD case study of Yeerongpilly in Australia was analysed, followed by the exploration of the conditions of the existing Souq Waqif area. The assessment of the Souq Waqif allowed judgments of the existing development to be made, which in turn leads to the draft of potential recommendations and suggestions for the formation and implementation of transit villages in Doha.