Ethnography of Abu Dhabi Corniche
- Architect, United Arab Emirates University
Published in The Third NZAAR International Event Series on Natural and Built Environment, Cities, Sustainability and Advanced Engineering, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 15 July 2017, pages 60 to 74. New Zealand Academy of Applied Research. ISSN 2463-5979 (online), 2463-5960 (print). Indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Clarivate).
Abstract
The present research documents the social impact of Abu Dhabi Corniche development, seeking to identify the social value of the Corniche for local users and residents of the city. The social aspects of urban life continue to be central to urban planning and development. Waterfront areas, in particular, are significant contributors to urban sociality. That is particularly the case for Corniche developments, as these are explicitly oriented to social and recreational activities supporting the needs of urban residents and, increasingly, tourists. Significant issues include competition for limited space along the waterfront, questions involving the definition and demarcation of water edge boundaries, the celebration of the aesthetic values of the thresholds between city and sea, and the concerns over tensions between environmental and conservation imperatives, on the one hand, and typically intensive recreational uses of natural bodies of water and the land areas adjacent to them, on the other. This research considers issues related to public access, resource provision, activity support, urban public identity and other social implications of Corniche planning and development. The research takes a broadly ethnographic approach which includes site documentation, photo recording, field notes, direct in-person observation and indepth interviews, Triangulation across these data collection techniques are used to test and reinforce the study’s conclusions. The analysis concludes with a discussion of the value of Abu Dhabi Corniche for various categories of users and considers the general role and effects of Corniche type development on the social life of areas adjacent to urban waterfronts.
Keywords: Waterfront Activities; Social Value; Abu Dhabi Corniche; Urban Ethnography
Rights
Copyright © New Zealand Academy of Applied Research Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduced in the GDI Academy archive from the original proceedings without change to the authors’ text.