Border vacuum: a study of walkability, liveability and vibrancy around Dubai mall station

Dubai is a city of rapid urban changes, and superlative architecture. These non-incremental urban changes tend to leave large urban areas unexplored. Dubai metro line and its surrounding area is one of these sites that can be classified under Jane Jacobs' border vacuum. In this study, the authors take on the challenge of transforming a wasted area that is acting as an urban divider and turning it into a walkable, liveable and vibrant public space. This is done through two methods; one is a survey of users that focused on the measures of walkability, liveability and vibrancy. The other one is an urban design analysis of the site's urban morphology and prospects. Urban designers must acknowledge all three measures considered here in order to design context relevant and vibrant spaces.