Reading of Yas Island 2020 Master Plan in Terms of Accessibility and Walkability by Using Space Syntax

Abstract

The concept of walkability in cities has been spreading wider with time and even more rapidly during the past decade. Due to several factors, including climate change and human wellbeing, expanding the walkability within cities as a substitute for vehicular means of transportation has become a very noticeable change in cities around the world, and in Abu Dhabi city in specific. When it comes to entertainment and tourist destinations, walkability plays as a main factor in enhancing the experience of the users in that area of the city. Yas Island has become one of the main focal points in Abu Dhabi city, and the various and important landmarks, mostly recreational, are placed on the island adjacently and very close to each other, with the hospitality facilities, in a way that encourages the factor of walkability to be added, and therefore enhancing the overall experience of the visitors within the island. The most common Axial Map analysis methods of a street network that were used are Integration, Choice, Mean Depth, and Connectivity, and space syntax is based on four those basic conceptions of space. Using a program named 'DepthmapX,' that was built on mathematical methods and geographical computer technology, we ran different simulations on Yas Island 2020 street network map to get the four main axial maps. In the context of the island being an urban and dynamic system, the study focuses on simulations of street networks as well as spatial integration for urban walkable regions of different areas of the island. The analysis, at the beginning, aimed to read the simulations to translate the findings, then went in depth on highlighted areas on the street network maps that had critical information that identifies zones for improvement related walkability and spatial integration. The outcome of the analysis, the streets that circulate and revolve around Yas Island's major tourist attractions become extremely segregated and less interconnected. To reach the surrounding closeted tourist attraction it is easy to reach by foot, yet difficult across the island with such hot weather in Abu Dhabi. It also calls for the revision of currently vacant property and the reconsideration of high-connectivity regions, which were originally intended to be solely residential neighborhoods, into more public and communal spaces. This paper demonstrates the usability of space syntax in defining/assessing the accessibility of spaces, its role and importance in mobility and urban planning for the case of Abu Dhabi.