Emirate Of Ajman
Ajman is the capital of the emirate of ajman. Ajman means ‘beautiful jewel’, which is quite justified because the city has a lot to offer and has some major sights to witness at least once. This city is the fifth-largest emirate city of the United Arab Emirates after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Al-Ain. The city Ajman is populated with 90% of the population of the UAE. Ajman is also the home for commercial markets, companies, rulers offices, and fifty local and international retail shops. Most importantly, Ajman port and Ajman free zone are the largest and major contributors to the UAE’s economy, accommodating thousands of vessels a year and 1500 companies. The natural port of Ajman, namely Khor, is along a natural creek that connects with the town. Ajman is also known as the home to industrial setups. Ajman has shown massive growth in terms of development and infrastructure. Attracting tourists and residents of UAE. This city is mostly famous for its cultural attractions.
Reviving The City
This transition of convenience was first implemented in love, Paris. In many European nations, it is now the most important task to be implemented. Ajman would be the first emirate of the UAE to undergo this procedure for nearness and become the first 15-minute city of UAE by 2030. According to the Ajman municipality, the demand for this huge transition will begin with collaboration with critical business and public sector partners. The inventiveness will bring about a tremendous positive change in lifestyles. It is a very common routine in today’s world almost everywhere. People choose to travel via vehicles and ignorantly skip the tougher but beneficial ways such as walking to the destination or traveling via bicycles or public transportation. This ingenuitive contribution can bring a massive change in the lifestyle of the people of Ajman by uplifting the habit of fuel-free transportation and public transport. In addition, there may be a push to provide electronic maps that can be used to compute and find neighboring locations. As per the preparation, it is estimated that this strategy will be completed and implemented by 2030. This nature of development demands density, proximity, diversity, and location.
Why Do We Need A ‘15 Minute City?
The concept of a 15-minute city is adopted to decrease the emission of carbon by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. A segregated urban planning model. The plan offers independent social functioning and accessibilities for each city neighborhood to sustain a good living. During the 1920s, American planner Clarence Perry proposed the whole approach and concept of neighborhood units. It is derived from the theory of ‘new urbanism,’ a design concept that promotes walking and cycling that gained popularity in the 1980s in the US. In the previous decades, the world had witnessed similar concepts known as ‘30-20 minute city’ and ‘urban cells.’ However, living in the era of covid-19, society and survival demanded strategies that involved less physical contact and gatherings. Keeping that a priority, such strategies as a 15-minute city are wholeheartedly welcomed and appreciated. The ’15-minute city’ became popular in Paris in 2019, and the city is a flagship initiative in the current program for the city.
The aim is to promote a green and eco-friendly lifestyle across UAE. The initiative is to begin from Ajman. Each housing society to have its shops and first-hand accessibilities within a 15- minute cycling or walking distance. Bigger cities like Newyork and Paris had launched a participatory budget to promote local engagement as a part of the strategy with the intention of transformation. Cities like Seattle, Milan, and Bogota focus on new urbanism and flexible concepts while prioritizing cycling and walking infrastructure. Such efforts need to be taken for metropolitan cities rather than smaller cities.
Following Are The Brief Reasons Why This Idea Is Relevant For Citizens;
● Sustainability And Enhanced Environment Protection
The strategy of the 15-minute city focused on transit-oriented development that promotes mixed-used and denser development around pedestrianization and public transport services and extends a major shift away from depending on fuel-dependent vehicles. Lesser usage of motorized traveling modes will decrease carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
● Sense Of Community And Increased Convenience
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act has decreased unnecessary requirements of travel and enhanced local community engagement. Reduction of traffic congestion and neighborly relations. The essential needs are met more quickly and easily. Making life convenient and stress-free.
● Affordable Housing Paving Its Way
In the past years, the development of real estate has often directed the displacement of previous residents of the particular area. This development act will lead to affordable housing prices with multiple neighborhoods and immediacy between workplace and home.
● Multipurpose Neighborhood Leading To Improved Resilience
Stabilizing commercial hoods to accept and encourage equality in living structure and local buying along with professional opportunities preparing resilient living.
Ensuring Successful Implementation
Although this idea cannot be implemented in every other city, considering basic rules and principles may establish a strong and flexible city.
Core principles to establish a 15-minute neighborhood in Ajman includes:
- Ensuring easy access to basic facilities, including fresh food, groceries, and healthcare in each neighborhood.
- Construct a multicultural neighborhood that offers different housing types and affordability, availability of convenience for everyone living near their workplace.
- Bounteous green spaces to ensure a free zone for everyone towards clean, fresh air and a natural environment.
- Promote smaller-scale offices, hospitality, and retail so that more people can work in nearby setups.
- Constructing cycling and walking tracks and corridors to facilitate ‘noise-free’ transportation and reduce the usage of cars.
Initiatives To Be Taken To Make Ajman A ‘15-Minute City.’
- Urban planning initiatives and supplement sustainability goals. The plan is to develop a mobile infrastructure targeting lesser carbon release through active travel modes like cycling and walking in each neighborhood.
- Endorsement within the community, a small city, will require significant costs and extensive changes demanding a substantial community.
- Involvement and endorsement are considered a top-down approach in planning regarding the city. A 15-minute city demands the involvement of the residents of Ajman as the structure is designed to accommodate and facilitate the residents. The residents of Ajman need to embrace the change and be aware of the benefits.
- Segregate the services while building smaller communities specifically for services that generate high-traffic sounds like; education, grocery retail, and healthcare.
Conclusion:
While the world heads towards much faster, advanced, and technology-based time, ignoring the norms and basics of life is beneficial. Specifically, those that lead to a healthier and safe lifestyle. Adapting changes and reviving lifestyles is a current global demand. Hence, the change that is yet to be witnessed in the city of Ajman will be worth living for.
