"The impact of sustainable urban planning in the redevelopment of the Agriculture Area in Sharjah” – Khorfakkan

Abstract

Sharjah is one of the seven emirates of the UAE witnessing a massive change in terms of economic growth. Since the formation of the UAE in 1971, the government has developed residential neighborhoods to accommodate the growing needs of Emirati households. In the cities, it is not an affair of bricks and mortar to improve the standards and quality of residential neighborhoods. Gratification of humans is achieved via various characteristics that involve exciting opportunities, transportation, patterns of land use, public spaces quality, population and convenience in access to all the necessitates, and most importantly the fit with predominant cultural values and beliefs. This research is a revitalization study of the area behind Souq Al Sharq in Khorfakkan. Using the behavioral mapping technique, along with face-to-face structured interviews with residents and survey, the study analyzed how the public areas in the selected case-study location in khorfakkan are used by residents. Most critical is the finding that there is limited use of public areas, hence a low level of social interaction, in the area studied. Based on the reasons given by the interviewees for the limited use of public areas, this study concluded by making specific design and policy suggestions that khorfakkan municipality can consider, to encourage residents to make the most use of the public areas, which the Department of Town Planning and Survey invests in to promote life for citizens full of quality and standards. Sustainable development in the environment involves energy sources of renewable and non-renewable along with plant, human, animal fertilizer, pesticides and components of air. Urban planners are mostly the only specialties who consider all the factors for the sake of planning and management to be sustainable. The revitalization plan of the site is based on sustainable urban development that considers most of sustainability aspects. Its aims are promoting walkability, save energy, preserve native plants existed in the area and enhance social interaction.