Travel Behavior and Transportation Emissions in Sustainable Communities: The Case of The Sustainable City in Dubai

Sustainable communities are increasing in the Middle East and incorporate sustainable design elements like water reuse, urban farming, and green building design to economize resource consumption and keep greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions low. Sustainable transportation is perhaps the most challenging element to implement; it must be tailored to the location, size of the development, demographics, and prevalent culture. The literature on the sustainability and effectiveness of transportation aspects of sustainable communities in the Persian Gulf region is limited. To study these aspects in The Sustainable City (TSC), a 46-hectare mixed-use development housing 3,000 people near Dubai, we surveyed city residents and employees on their current travel behaviors and assessed how they respond to the availability of alternative mobility options. We found that, although residents want to live sustainably and actively attempt to do so, their transportation is sustainable only within the city's boundaries. For external trips, less sustainable options such as long-distance air travel, regular commuting to/from Dubai, and even short trips to neighboring communities drive up total transportation emissions. Residents are interested in shared mobility options, and an electric carsharing service could help reduce some travel impacts. However, the suburban setting of the development, fewer alternative mobility options currently available for trips to and from other locations in Dubai, a strong car culture, the lack of connectivity and integration challenges with neighboring communities, and the existing land-use patterns are major barriers to choosing sustainable transportation options.