Language
English
English
Degree
M.A.
Select type of work
CIS Program Old
CIS publications
No
CIS Thesis
Yes
Status
Approved
Student Name
Ngom, Ndeye Coumba Gueye
Year of Graduation
2018
QF Thematic Areas
Abstract
| The presence of the automobile has dominated the design of the built environment from the 19th century onwards. This phenomenon has a significant impact on people's well-being. Indeed, the automobile's dominance has resulted in a change of lifestyle from active to sedentary, thus leading to a high rate of deaths related to chronic diseases which are mainly lifestyle ones. In addition, the car presence has created urban sprawl, which increases the carbon dioxide emissions that have a significant impact on the climate change. Unfortunately, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are the most affected, resulting in the interest of the researcher in assessing the planning system of Qatar in terms of environmental health and traffic safety. In order to assess the planning system of Qatar, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. The former consisted of questionnaires distributed to both Qataris and expatriates and 45 respondents were obtained. The qualitative method consisted of interviews with official from the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment as well as an analysis of Qatar's statistics related to the environmental status and the record of deaths related to car accidents and new regulations. The findings show that the concentration of particulate matter 10 (PM10) considered to be clean for some months and normal for the remaining ones are not. Indeed, they surpass the World Health Organization guidelines. Moreover, the nitrogen dioxide also exceeds the 40μg/m3 recommended by the WHO. Furthermore, the culture in Qatar sometimes prevents from implementing entirely the sustainable development measures. Therefore, Qatar should aim to reduce the actual concentration of Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter 10 to be consistent with the WHO guidelines. Moreover, lined-trees forming a canopy should be planted in both sides of the roads, particularly the major ones, to relieve Qatar from its environmental challenges. Finally, Qatar should educate its population to be consistent with its commitment to sustainable development and integrate policies such as the graduated licensing and probationary system to mitigate the number of deaths involving novice drivers. |