ABU DHABI // A Government organisation in Abu Dhabi has won the 2013 ITE Award for Best Programme with its Urban Street Design Manual – the first time the award has been given to a non-US group.
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Awards honoured the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council for its achievement in transportation and engineering.
The awards aim to increase public awareness of transport issues in the development of communities worldwide.
“The Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual is based on a strong vision of what the city should become,” said the jury. “The manual will provide on-going guidance as the region builds out. It is beautifully crafted, detailed and comprehensive, yet easily understandable. Abu Dhabi’s programme, of all the entries, will have the longest-lasting and most positive benefits on the community.”
The UPC created the Urban Street Design Manual to address the needs of Abu Dhabi’s growing population and the over-arching principles and objectives of the 2030 Vision.
“The manual is the first of its kind in the region to be tailored to our climate and culture, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and flexibility,” said Falah Al Ahbabi, UPC general manager. “Acknowledgement by such an internationally renowned institute promotes the manual as a global benchmark for best-practice street design, particularly as the UPC is the first organisation outside of the US to win an ITE Award for Best Programme.”
Through a balanced approach to street design, the manual will guide Abu Dhabi’s transition from motor-vehicle oriented cities to multi-modal cities.
The manual’s design priorities emphasise the need to provide a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists – the most vulnerable users of urban streets – and improve walkability, sustainability and public health.
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