RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSESSMENT IN THE CITY OF ABU DHABI AND ALAIN, UAE WITH FOCUS ON OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT (OTC).

Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are two important cities of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE. They have gone thru major increase of the built environment over the last 50 years. These changes impact the development of neighborhoods, especially residential neighborhoods. The morphology of this urban blocks also impacted the heat island effect (UHI). URI is one of the contributors to climate change. Therefore, having sustainable neighborhoods means reducing the URI and make cities more livable. The methodology to be followed in this study is as per the below steps: • Residential blocks in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain • Analysis of current conditions & Proposal for URI reduction thru different strategies • Modelling and Simulations • Create and analyze the models in Rhino Grasshopper • Findings and results The aim is to divide the work for the two cities and then analyze the current conditions of the neighborhoods. Based on the findings different strategies can be applied in the residential blocs in order to reduce the surface temperature of the streets and buildings, therefore reduce the URI effect. This strategies consider urban shading devices and trees. Having sustainable neighborhoods has a direct impact in making cities more livable and improving the climate change. The main tools to be used are rhino/grasshopper. Thru advanced software, the findings can be optimized and contribute to more sustainable neighborhoods.