Abu Dhabi among top 50 cities with best street designs

The streets of Abu Dhabi will be included in the first international guide featuring global standards for designing roads and public spaces, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) said on Saturday.
The guide, which aims to set a new global benchmark in urban street design, will feature examples from around the world that incorporate international best practices in designing.
The UAE is the first country from the Middle East to be included in the Global Street Design Guide as part of its Global Expert Network.
The national capital city is one among 50 cities chosen from 32 countries to be featured and will be used as an example for best street design. The UPC has been invited to contribute to the new Global Street Design Guide (GSDG), being compiled by the prestigious US-based National Association of City Transportation Officials (Nacto).
Nacto says the guide is the first of its kind to provide a set of international standards for designing city streets by prioritising safety, pedestrians, transit and sustainable mobility.
Nacto selected Abu Dhabi because of its growing international reputation for improving quality of life for residents by providing sustainable and visually appealing safe streets. It recognises the success of the UPC's highly-acclaimed Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual (USDM), which equips designers with the necessary tools to plan, design and build user-friendly streets for pedestrians, transit users, cyclists and motorists across the emirate. Post-implementation studies on Shaikh Zayed Street (previously called Salam Street), which was rebuilt following USDM standards, highlights remarkable results achieved in terms of pedestrian safety.
The new standards at refuge islands (the pedestrian area located in the middle of the street) resulted in reducing the probability of pedestrian fatalities at right turn lanes from 25 per cent to 5 per cent. Feedback from residents living in the area has also been very positive.
The UPC has provided a series of "before and after" photographs showing how some existing streets, which have improved after being redesigned in line with standards set out in the USDM, as well as the UPC's Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual (PRDM) and Abu Dhabi Utility Corridors Design Manual (UCDM).
Abdulla Al Sahi, Acting Executive Director, Planning & Infrastructure Sector, UPC said: "It's an honour for us to be included in a prestigious publication that highlights best practice around the world...Our inclusion is testimony to the success of our approach to street design guided by innovative tools such as the USDM and Online Street Design Tool, which were implemented to ensure safer and more walkable streets in line with the objectives of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030," he added.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com 

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi