Mar 30 2010
Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), the agency responsible for Abu Dhabi’s urban environment, has unveiled the Urban Street Design Manual for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The manual, developed in association with Otak International, the Abu Dhabi-based arm of Oregon’s award-winning design firm, Otak, Inc., is the design guide for all urban streets in the Emirate.
Otak International was appointed by the UPC in 2009 to provide assistance for research and the subsequent formulation of the Urban Street Design Manual. The key objective of the manual is to address the changing street use priorities and reflect the fundamental principles of the far-reaching “Plan Capital 2030,” which envisions transforming Abu Dhabi into a leading example of a walkable, sustainable Arab city.
The completed manual puts pedestrians first and defines a street design process for enhancing street network connectivity and capacity. It creates a new street typology system and recommends streetscape enhancements, native, drought-tolerant landscaping and “shadeways” that will encourage walking, bicycling and enhanced access to transit. A team of planning experts from the UPC and Otak International worked on the formulation of this manual.
“The Design Manual embraces the concept that streets should be designed to reflect and respond to their local surroundings,” said Colin Hill, Otak International’s Director of Transport. “Its unique matrix classification system can be adapted to any combination of land use and vehicle capacity requirements. It will be a valuable tool for the development, design and construction of truly context sensitive streets.
Source: http://www.otak.com