An analytical look at the urban sprawl in the emirate of Ajman (United Arab Emirates)

1. SITE ANALYSIS;
AJMAN
NOOR ALNAHAR 200710345
SHAFIYA RIZWAN 200710923
RITA BENNANI 201011976

2. SITE
LOCATION
CENTRAL LOCATION
AJMAN IS CENTRALLY LOCATED IN UAE. ABU DHABI, DUBAI AND SHARJAH BEING LOCATED BELOW AND UMM AL QUWAIN
AND RAS AL KHAIMAH ABOVE. FUJAIRAH IS SITUATED TO THE SOUTH EAST OF AJMAN. THUS HAVING WATER TRANSPORT
FROM OUR SITE WILL ALLOW DIRECT ACCESS TO ATLEAST FIVE OF THE EMIRATES. IT IS MORE CONVENIENT TO HAVE A
ROAD ACCESS TO FUJAIRAH DUE TO IT’S POSITION. THIS WILL SOLVE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM BETWEEN HEAVILY TRAVELLED
EMIRATES SUCH AS SHARJAH, DUBAI AND ABU DHABI

3. PRIMARY WINDS
NORTH WINDS
SUMMER SUN
5:40 a.m.
7:08 p.m.
6:44 a.m.
WINTER SUN
12:25 p.m.
6:19 p.m.
NORTHWEST WINDS
3:52 p.m.
3:51 p.m.

4. SOUTH WINDS
SECONDARY WINDS
SOUTHWEST WINDS

5. MAPPING THE SITE
-CIRCULATION (AUTOMOTIVE / PEDESTRIAN)
-ZONING
- MASS AND VOID
- PHYSICAL MAPPING
- PLANNING FORM
-- ETHNIC ZONING
AJMAN
-AL BUSTAN
- NAKHIL

6. MAJOR ROADS THE SURROUNDING
WATERFRONTS ALSO
PRESENT AN
INTERESTING AND
PROFITABLE SITE
OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT OMAR IBN AL
OF THE AREA KHATTAB ROAD
SHEIKH HAMID BIN
RASHID ROAD
ITTIHAD ROAD
SHEIKH KHALIFA
BIN ZAYED ROAD
THE SITE IS STRATEGICALLY
SITUATED WITH MANY MAJOR
ROADS CONNECTING TO IT;
DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD

7. Main Streets
ROAD HEIRARCHY
Secondary Streets
Tertiary Streets

8. EXISTENCE OF
PEDESTRIAN
NETWORKS DUE TO; Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
- SETBACK
REGULATIONS Pedestrian Roads
A CLEAR CIRCULATION
ROAD NETWORK
- THE PRE-EXISTING OF MAIN ROADS
CORRIDOOR
CONNECTS THE
CREATION OF
HERITAGE AREAS VARIOUS ZONES TO
EACH OTHER. THE PLOT
DIVISIONS ARE
SUBSTANTIALLY SMALL
CREATING A
COMPREHESIVE
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THE PLOT IS BIG; A SERIES
OF INTERNAL ROADS WHICH ARE
ALL CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER
(IN A CLOSED LOOP FORMAT)
RESULTS IN CLEAR ACCESS TO ALL
AREAS

9. PAVED ROADS
SHEIKH RASHID BIN HAMID ROAD
WELL-DEFINED AXES OFFERING
A CLEAR DIRECTION TO THE
USER MINIMISING THE
POSSIBILITY OF GETTING LOST IN
THE AREA.
PERMEABILITY

11. UNPAVED ROADS
IN PARALLEL THE CIRCULATION
INSIDE THE BLOCKS IS FAILING:
-UNPAVED ROAD
- PERMEABILITY REDUCED BECAUSE OF
THE ABSCENCE OF SEPARATION
BETWEEN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF
USERS OF THE PUBLIC SPACE:
VEHICULES, PEDESTRIANS …
- NO TRANSITION BETWEEN THE
PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SPACE

12. PEDESTRIAN STREETS
NARROW PASSAGES BETWEEN THE
BUILDINGS :
-PROVIDING SHADED PATHS FOR THE
PEDESTRIANS
- MOST OF THESE PASSAGES ARE IN BAD
CONDITION, POORLY MAINTAINED AND
SOMETIMES BLOCKED BY HUGE GARBAGE
BOXES OR WATER TANKS…

14. NODES
Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
Pedestrian Roads ROUNDABOUT
Nodes -CLEAR ENDING OF THE STREET AXES
GUIDE THE USERS EFFICIENTLY
-SELECTIVE USE OF ROUNDABOUTS ENABLE
EASY IDENTIFICATION OF ROADS, AS
DIFFERENT NODES LOOK DIFFERENT
U-TURN
- IMPRESSIONABLE POINT IN THIS
AXES NOTICEABLE FROM FAR AWAY
- CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A
LANDMARK IN THIS AREA. THE DHOW
SIGNIFYING THE HISTORY OF AJMAN
INTERSECTIONS HAVE CLEAR PERMEABILITY
AND ACCESS LINES; SECONDARY STREETS END
IN MAIN ROADS IN A LOOPED FORMAT
A LOST USER CAN EASILY FIND HIS WAY BY
COMING BACK TO THE MAIN STREETS

15. Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
Pedestrian Roads
Mixed Use (concentration of Heritage
buildings)
Service Zones
Mixed Use
ZONING
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
HERITAGE ZONE (LEFT) IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE
HERITAGE MUSEUM (RIGHT) AND
RELIGIOUS SERVICES (RIGHT,
MUSALLAH AND GRAVEYARD) CAN
CREATE AN INTERESTING AND
BUSTLING TOURIST HUB

16. Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
Pedestrian Roads
Mass
MASS AND VOID
THE MASSES ARE SURROUNDED BY
INTERNAL VOIDS. IF DEVELOPED THESE
VOIDS CAN ACT AS SUCCESSFUL
PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS AND PLAZAS

17. Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
PHYSICAL MAPPING
Pedestrian Roads
Mixed Use (concentration of
Heritage buildings)
Service Zones
Mixed Use
Mass

18. Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
Pedestrian Roads
Zones following Organic Grid
Zones following Geometric Grid
PLANNING FORM
Mass

19. THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT :
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT DEALS WITH EVERY
THING IN THE SURROUNDING OF THE URBAN SITE
TO ACHIEVE PSYCHOLOGICAL COMFORT TO THE
INHABITANT.
AIMS TO BE ACHIEVED:
PERMEABILITY
VARIETY
LEGIBILITY
ROBUSTNESS
VISUAL APPROPRIATENESS
RICHNESS
PERSONALIZATION

20. Zones following Organic Grid THE AREA MAKES USE OF TWO TYPES OF GRIDS;
Zones following Geometric Grid
- ORGANIC: THIS TYPE IS SPECIALLY SEEN IN THE HERITAGE
AREA, A LIKELY CONSEQUENCE OF THE HISTORICAL
ORGANIC SPREAD OF THE CITY
- GEOMETRIC: THE NEW AREAS SPECIALLY SEEM TO
FOLLOW A MORE GRID-LIKE FORMAT IN PLOT AND ROAD
DIVISION
THE ZONES FOLLOWING
AN ORGANIC GRID SIT
LIKE A COCOON
BETWEEN THE
SURROUNDINGS.
- THE PRESENCE OF
THESE ZONES WHICH
ARE HIGHLY PERMEABLE
AND LEGIBLE ALLOWS
THE CREATION OF A
ZONE OF
TRANSPARENCY
THESE ORGANIC ZONES
- THE RIGIDITY OF THE
HAVE HIGH POTENTIAL NEWLY PLANNED AREAS
FOR DEVELOPING WITH A PURELY
INTERESTING GEOMETRIC GRID IS
PEDESTRIAN ALSO BROKEN
ENVIRONMENTS

21. PSYCHOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES
WE CAN NOTICE PSYCHOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES WITHIN THE
SITE CHARACTERIZED BY (ETHNIC BOUNDARIES ) .
* IN INTERNAL STREETS WE SEE (SOUTH ASIA) LIFE STYLE.
*IN THE MUSEUM AREA AND IT’S SURROUNDING WE CAN SEE
(LOCAL) STYLE
*IN THE MAIN ROADS WHERE PEOPLE USE TO APPROACH
THEIR DESTINATION WE CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT
NATIONALITIES IN UAE

22. Paved Roads
Unpaved Roads
Pedestrian Roads
South Asian (mostly bachelors)
Mixed Ethnicity (including tourists)
Mixed Ethnicity (mostly families)
ETHNIC ZONING

26. EXPECTATION FACTOR IN URBAN SITES :
IT’S AN IMPORTANT FACTOR TO ENHANCE THE MOTION AND
TO INCREASE THE PEDESTRIAN FLUIDITY WITHIN THE SITE.
THIS WOULD BE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PLAZAS BETWEEN
THE PEDESTRIAN NETWORK.
PEDESTRIAN NETWORK

33. ACTUAL LAND MARKS
LANDMARKS
MOSQUES
AJMAN MUSEUM
DHOW ROUNDABOUT
THE MUSALLAH
THE CEMETERY

34. AJMAN MUSEUM

35. THE MUSALLAH

36. DHOW ROUNDABOUT

37. PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDMARKS
WITHIN THE URBAN SITE PEOPLE WILL START MAKING
THEIR OWN FOCAL POINT BY REFERRING TO
BUILDING WITH BRIGHT COLOR OR A SHOP BOARD.
PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDMARKS CAN BE THE RESULT OF
PERSONALIZATION AS WE CAN SEE IN THIS IMAGE

40. LIFE WITHIN THE SITE
•MAINLY BACHELOR INHABITANTS FROM
MID AND LOW CLASS
•WE HARDLY NOTICE FAMILY
ENVIRONMENT
•WE DON’T NOTICE CHILDREN PLAYING ON
THE SITE
•RARE FEMALE PRESENCE WITHIN THE
AREAS
•MAIN ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES ARE
PEOPLE GATHERING AROUND THE COFFEE
SHOPS, SMALL CAFETERIAS AND ETHNIC
RESTAURANTS
•THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS CAN BE
DESCRIBED AS MIXED USE ESPECIALLY THE
HERITAGE AREA( RESIDENTIAL AND
COMMERCIAL).

45. ARCHITECTURE WITHIN THE SITE
WE CAN NOTICE DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURAL
STYLE(MODERN AND TRADITIONAL).

50. ARCHITECTURE WITHIN THE HERITAGE AREA
*TRADITIONAL STYLE IS NOTICEABLE
*THE INTERNAL STREETS OF THE OLD AREA SHOWS KIND OF
OLD PATTERN THAT IS SEEN IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF
PLANNING WHICH IS TO HAVE NARROW ALLIES THAT ARE OPEN
TO A PLAZA.
*THE MAIN PROBLEM IS A SERVICES PROBLEM DUE TO
MALPLANNING OF SERVICES LINE AND THE LACK OF
MAINTENANCE TO THE BUILDINGS IN THE AREA.
*THE AREA IS SHOWING KIND OF A VISUAL DIVERSITY WHICH
MIGHT BE A DISTINCTIVE AREA IN THE SITE AFTER
RENOVATION.
*THE AREA HAS TRADITIONAL TYPE OF LANDSCAPE MAINLY
PALM TREES THAT ARE SUITABLE TO THE GULF ENVIRONMENT.
*THE AREA HAS FAÇADE TREATMENTS DERIVED FROM
TRADITIONAL PATTERNS LIKE MASHRABIAH , BUT THE IMAGE IS
DISTORTED WITH IMPROPER “MODERN” SHOP BOARDS.
*THE AREA HAS GOOD DAILY CIVIL SERVICES DUE TO THE FACT
OF THE DIVERSITY OF SHOPS THAT EXIST IN THE AREA LIKE :
COFFEE SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, LAUNDRY, CARS FIXING,
GROCERY SHOPS AND CLOTHING.

51. *MISUSE OF BALCONIES (IN SOME HOUSEHOLDS IS USED
AS A STORAGE PLACE)
*OPENINGS THAT LOOK ONTO SITE ALLOW GOOD
SURVEILLANCE
*WE CAN NOTICE IN SOME AREAS THE ABSENCE OF BUFFER
ZONES
*THERE IS A KIND OF GRADATION THAT RUNS INWARD
TOWARDS THE OPEN SPACES WITHIN THE AREA, IF THIS
OPEN SPACE IS DEVELOPED WE WILL HAVE A PLEASANT
VIEW THAT CAN SERVE A LARGE POPULATION OF THE
SURROUNDING PROPERTY.
*THE INTERNAL STREETS OF THE HERITAGE AREA ARE
UNPAVED AND IT’S USED BY PEOPLE AS PEDESTRIAN
NETWORK AND CAR PATH, (THESE PATHS CAN BE
DEVELOPED AS A GOOD PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT), THIS
CAN LEAD TO THE CREATION OF INTERNAL PLAZAS WHICH
CAN BE A SAFE PLAYING ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN

63. AJMAN FORT RESTORATION
THE AJMAN FORT IS ALSO OLD AND IMPRESSIVE.
ITS COVERS 2500 SQUARE METERS AND HAS 2
ROUND AND ONE RECTANGULAR TOWER.
AFTER TWO YEARS OF RESTORATION WORK IT
WAS TURNED INTO A HERITAGE MUSEUM.

64. AJMAN FORT RESTORATION
THE MUSEUM IS DESIGNED TO INCLUDE
MONUMENTS AND CONVENTIONAL INDUSTRY, IN
ADDITION, TO PRESENTATIONS OF THE SOCIAL LIFE-
STYLE AND THE TRADITIONAL PROFESSIONS OF THE
PAST.
IN THE LATE 1980S, H.H. SHEIKH HUMAID BIN RASHID AL-NUAIMI,,
INSTRUCTED THE RESTORATION OF THE FORT CHANGING IT INTO A
MUSEUM HOUSING EMIRATI HERITAGE. THE RESTORATION PROCESS,
COMPLETED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A GROUP OF EXPERTS,
LASTED FOR THREE YEARS

65. SHA’ABE BUILDING, HERITAGE STYLE
TYPE OF BUILDING
SHA’ABE : LOCAL (ABORIGINAL)

69. G+1

70. G+4

71. G+8 AND ABOVE

72. ALL TYPE OF ACTIVITIES
“BANK, MARKETS…”
SUPERMARKET & SHOPS
TO SERVE THE BUILDINGS
TYPE OF ACTIVITIES
SHA’ABE BUILDING
“HERITAGE STYLE”
MOSQUES 10%
SHA’ABE : LOCAL (ABORIGINAL)

73. TYPE OF ACTIVITES

74. TYPE OF ACTIVITES

75. TYPE OF ACTIVITES

76. THANK YOU