Urban form configuration and pedestrian accessibility in CityWalks: A spatial analysis of three cases in Dubai

Dubai’s emerging “CityWalk” districts are part of a wider shift in urban policy towards open-air, mixed-use, pedestrian environments in hot–arid cities, but their spatial performance as walkability interventions remains under-examined. This study investigates how street–network configuration supports neighbourhood-scale walkability, accessibility, and potential social vibrancy in three pedestrian-oriented CityWalk developments in Dubai—City Walk, The Walk and Al Seef. Building on earlier typological work, we adopt a space syntax approach and use DepthmapX angular segment analysis to quantify angular connectivity, integration (R800), and total depth (R800) within an 800-m walking catchment. City Walk, embedded in the inner–urban grid, exhibits the highest internal connectivity and neighbourhood–scale integration. The Walk shows a linear, axis-dominant configuration with moderate integration and the lowest average depth, concentrating accessibility along a single waterfront boulevard. Al Seef’s heritage-inspired fabric combines a moderately connected waterfront spine with sikkas and cul-de-sacs that favor localized movement, producing a more articulated integration pattern. The analysis demonstrates a consistent relationship between higher connectivity, lower depth, and enhanced spatial legibility, and clarifies how distinct CityWalk configurations generate specific movement potentials in a hot–arid metropolis. For planning practice, the findings highlight differentiated design and regulatory strategies for grid-based, linear waterfront and heritage-inspired CityWalks and underpin a syntax-based framework for evaluating and planning more walkable and potentially more socially vibrant CityWalk districts in Dubai and comparable Arabian Gulf urban contexts.