Sustainable Mobility: Investigating Urban Infrastructure Perspectives and Challenges in Abu Dhabi
Fellow: Xander Christou
Supervisor: Prof. Rana Tomaira
As a CITIES’ Post-Graduation Research Fellow, Alexander Christou will be building upon research conducted for his Senior Capstone, “Biking Under the Sun: Investigating the Growth and Challenges of Cycling in Abu Dhabi.” Working under the mentorship of Professor Rana Tomaira, Alexander will use both quantitative and qualitative research methods to better understand how people navigate Abu Dhabi on two wheels, both for commuting and for leisure. He will also expand his research from a focus on cycling to include scooters, an integral part of the mobility of the city. By creating a comparative study between cycling habits and infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he will produce the first comprehensive cycling study in the Arabian Peninsula. At a time when Abu Dhabi is creating hundreds of kilometers of infrastructure after the city’s “UCI Bike City” designation, the findings will have a direct impact on policy-makers and decisions made regarding used urban spaces and challenges. While cycling infrastructure comes from a top-down approach, this project will provide real-world solutions and insight from the bottom-up. This in turn benefits both Abu Dhabi residents and authorities who will better provide for the needs of residents. This research follows an experimental approach in a field-lab setting in Abu Dhabi, and will be the first of its kind in the country, contributing greatly to literature on both Bike Cities and cycling usage. Through this lens, we will be able to see a depth to the city that will become increasingly important, and to better comprehend interdependencies of the urban landscape for a more sustainable future.
Evaluating the Influence of Golden Visa Investment Schemes on Dubai’s Real Estate Sector
Fellow: Ella Goeckner-Wald
Supervisor: Prod. Jordan Norriz
This project focuses on the UAE’s Golden Visa program launched in 2019, for which one of the qualifying factors is investment in property worth at least 2 million AED. There are three broad questions that we seek to answer throughout this year:
- Are property prices manipulated to become eligible for the golden visa in the UAE?
- Do we observe changes in neighborhoods with a higher density of houses above the price limit of the Golden Visa real estate investor requirement (2 million AED)?
- What is the willingness to pay for a golden visa, and how does it change over time?
As many countries pursue residency-by-investment schemes to develop their economies, it is important to engage in thorough research to understand the unintended consequences of these types of policies. The ultimate goal of CITIES is to “foster sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities”. With this project, we will examine a phenomenon that has wide-reaching implications for sustainability and resiliency by examining neighborhood development. It will also allow us to explore equity by understanding the impact of manipulation of the housing market on households of different income levels.