International Journal of Research in Environmental Studies
ISSN: 2059-1977
Vol. 6(4), pp. 47-56, October 2019
doi.org/10.33500/ijres.2019.06.005

Neighborhood sustainability and livability in Qatar National Development Framework 2032

Soud K. Al-Thani

Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University,
Education City, Doha, Qatar.

*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: soualthani@hbku.edu.qa, info@begreentec.com.

Received 17 July, 2019; Received in revised form 17 August, 2019; Accepted 21 August, 2019.

Abstract

Keywords:
Qatar, Sustainable neighborhoods, Livability, QNDF 2032, Urban form, Sustainable mobility.

This paper studied whether QNDF 2032 adequately addresses Doha’s current sustainability and livability problems; and if so, what are the proposed means to achieve these goals, specifically on a granular level? This study employed several methods to address these questions: comparative and theoretical analyses of QNDF sustainability and livability perspectives and a series of semi-structured interviews of experts from various government, NGO, academic, and private organizations and entities. The study concluded with an assessment of the document’s efficacy with regard to neighborhood sustainability and livability, pinpointing areas of improvement to ameliorate future implementation. QNDF 2032 is a recently released master plan that has not been academically examined. This is the first study that examined Qatar’s plans of urban development as laid in QNDF 2032, with special regard to neighborhood sustainability and livability. In addition, this research sought to identify the extent of flexibility in QNDF 2032 to undertake emerging ‘smart transport and communication technologies’ to make Doha more sustainable and livable.