(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) is preparing a guide 'Doha: A Rough Guide to Healthy Cities' on the importance of creating a healthy environment for its inhabitants.
Due to be launched later this year, the guide will tackle the issue of environmental health of urban areas which is becoming increasingly important to the world's population as a majority of people are shifting towards inner cities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) anticipates that by 2025, approximately 80 per cent of global citizens will live in cities.
Qatar is currently witnessing unprecedented urban development, from the establishment of Lusail City and the development of Doha, to the inception of numerous infrastructure projects which have all harnessed the need to incorporate healthy living into their frameworks.
In light of this, experts at the Green Infrastructure Interest Group, a subcommittee of QGBC, yesterday released an infographic preview of the guide. Highlighting the benefits of planning and designing a healthy city, the non-technical infographic provides design and planning professionals, senior school students and advocates of sustainable development, with interesting guidelines on how to create a healthy city.
The infographic is available as a digital document on the QGBC website, which can be accessed at www.qatargbc.org/app/media/641.
Dr Cynthia Skelhorn, Post-Doctoral Research Specialist at QGBC, said: "A team of sustainability experts and urban planners at the Green Infrastructure Interest Group is working on creating a comprehensive guide to a healthy Doha, which is scheduled for later this year. The guide will explore the key design aspects of Doha's green infrastructure, including the planning, energy, transport, water, waste and biodiversity in detail."
Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, QGBC Director, said: "QGBC works with a number of institutions to introduce innovative concepts to raise awareness about and respond to Qatar's urban growth. The Green Infrastructure Interest Group has worked closely with Atkins, a founding member of QGBC, to design the first phase of the bigger guide."
A healthy city uses less energy, has good air quality, facilitates community interaction, supports active lifestyles and is generally a greener, more attractive and fulfilling
place to live in.
These benefits directly contribute to the economy and desirability of Qatar as a place to live,
work and visit.
Lee Allen, Senior Urban Designer at Atkins, and a member of the Green Infrastructure Interest Group, said: "Doha is an ideal fit for the application of the 'healthy city' concept for a number of reasons. The fact that the development of the city is still in its initial stages allows us to incorporate the principles in the best way possible. There has been some progress in this regard.
The Education City Campus, Msheireb Downtown, Lusail City and other selected development projects have considered a lean towards becoming a healthy city."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.