Transit-oriented development for cultural heritage districts: the case of Msheireb downtown Doha

Abstract Decades of heavy reliance on private cars have produced traffic congestion, urban sprawl, and fragmented districts across the Arabian Gulf, prompting Qatari authorities to introduce the Doha Metro and transit-oriented development (TOD) strategies to reconnect urban areas and reduce car dependency. Yet little research examines how TOD can be operationalized within culturally sensitive heritage districts such as Msheireb Downtown Doha. This study addresses that gap through a mixed-methods approach—literature and TOD-index review, a questionnaire survey ( N = 60), interviews, GIS and spatial analysis, site mapping, and design visioning—to evaluate Msheireb’s TOD performance across travel behavior, built-environment diversity and density, and cultural heritage preservation. Findings show strong satisfaction with the Msheireb Metro Station (mean = 4.38; 55% excellent), though 87% of users treat it as a transit interchange rather than a destination. Extreme summer heat was cited by 89% of respondents as the principal barrier to walking and cycling, while parking and cycling infrastructure received the lowest ratings. Spatial analysis revealed an imbalanced land-use structure dominated by special-use (43.4%) and residential (33.4%) zones, with mixed-use development comprising only 5.1%. Heritage assets, including four preserved traditional houses, were rated highly for authenticity (mean = 4.58) and integration (mean = 4.52) but remain spatially clustered rather than distributed across the catchment. These findings inform a context-sensitive regeneration framework addressing multimodal connectivity, thermal comfort, mixed-use intensification, and heritage distribution. The study concludes that heritage-led TOD in car-dependent Gulf cities requires people-centred, climate-responsive design integrating cultural identity with mobility infrastructure, offering transferable guidance for historic districts across the GCC region.