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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
World-class public parks have added value to Qatar’s housing sector in a big way, Al Asmakh Valuations and Research Director Gaurav Borikar has said.
According to Borikar, Qatar has a total of 50 active community and neighbourhood parks including five major parks across eight municipalities.
Managed by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Doha Municipality leads with22 parks while Al Rayyan Municipality has 12 parks.
Al Khor, Al Wakrah, and Al Daayen municipalities have four parks each. Al Shamal Municipality has three parks. Umm Slal Municipality has one park and Al Shahaniya municipality is yet to open a park.
As households prefer to stay around parks for obvious reasons, Borikar said, all these parks are playing a vital role in driving demand for a number of housing projects in the country.
According to Borikar, public community and neighbourhood parks are instrumental in adding value to the real estate sector, community development, and protecting environment by reducing temperature.
“A neighbourhood park can provide up to a 20 percent increase in housing values for those houses facing the park when compared with houses not in the vicinity of parks. This 20 percent figure is highly dependent on factors including the park visibility, park safety, and maintenance, the extent of vehicular access, orientation of houses, park recreation type, and park size,” he said.
However, the same logic in not true for community parks, as houses immediately adjacent to such parks experience the negative extern effects of traffic, noise, and other nuisances.
“The benefits to community parks are actually maximised for those within walking distance of a park, but not adjacent to the park. A community park may provide benefits of up to 30 percent of residential real estate value,” he said.
Highlighting the role of parks in development of communities, he said, “The neighbourhood parks have a potentially positive impact on surrounding residential communities. The community parks which are larger in size cater to the larger area and offer various activities. The major parks such as Al Bidda Park, Aspire Park, MIA Park, Al Khor Park, and Al Wakrah Park include world-class amenities with a long list of activities and family restaurants.
“Cultural amenities and spaces in a park contribute to a community’s sense of belongingness to the place. The open atmosphere of a park enables casual opportunities for interaction and connections among park visitors. People with diverse cultural backgrounds can connect and interact in a shared park environment. These spontaneous connections are a significant contributor to a cohesive neighbourhood.
“The parks also support in maintaining the well-being of children and in ensuring that the community is healthy for years to come,” he said.
Localities around parks are also in high demand as it reduces the temperature in the vicinity, he said.
“Qataris situated in a warm-climate region. During summer, the temperature goes up to48 degree in the country. Studies have demonstrated that the air temperatures in parks are typically lower than in the surrounding urban environment, and the cool air can extend some distance into downwind neighborhoods. It has been unofficially noticed that the temperature around the parks is about 4-5 degree lower than the urban areas those without the parks, and about 10 degrees than the far further areas,” he said.
Doha
World-class public parks have added value to Qatar’s housing sector in a big way, Al Asmakh Valuations and Research Director Gaurav Borikar has said.
According to Borikar, Qatar has a total of 50 active community and neighbourhood parks including five major parks across eight municipalities.
Managed by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Doha Municipality leads with22 parks while Al Rayyan Municipality has 12 parks.
Al Khor, Al Wakrah, and Al Daayen municipalities have four parks each. Al Shamal Municipality has three parks. Umm Slal Municipality has one park and Al Shahaniya municipality is yet to open a park.
As households prefer to stay around parks for obvious reasons, Borikar said, all these parks are playing a vital role in driving demand for a number of housing projects in the country.
According to Borikar, public community and neighbourhood parks are instrumental in adding value to the real estate sector, community development, and protecting environment by reducing temperature.
“A neighbourhood park can provide up to a 20 percent increase in housing values for those houses facing the park when compared with houses not in the vicinity of parks. This 20 percent figure is highly dependent on factors including the park visibility, park safety, and maintenance, the extent of vehicular access, orientation of houses, park recreation type, and park size,” he said.
However, the same logic in not true for community parks, as houses immediately adjacent to such parks experience the negative extern effects of traffic, noise, and other nuisances.
“The benefits to community parks are actually maximised for those within walking distance of a park, but not adjacent to the park. A community park may provide benefits of up to 30 percent of residential real estate value,” he said.
Highlighting the role of parks in development of communities, he said, “The neighbourhood parks have a potentially positive impact on surrounding residential communities. The community parks which are larger in size cater to the larger area and offer various activities. The major parks such as Al Bidda Park, Aspire Park, MIA Park, Al Khor Park, and Al Wakrah Park include world-class amenities with a long list of activities and family restaurants.
“Cultural amenities and spaces in a park contribute to a community’s sense of belongingness to the place. The open atmosphere of a park enables casual opportunities for interaction and connections among park visitors. People with diverse cultural backgrounds can connect and interact in a shared park environment. These spontaneous connections are a significant contributor to a cohesive neighbourhood.
“The parks also support in maintaining the well-being of children and in ensuring that the community is healthy for years to come,” he said.
Localities around parks are also in high demand as it reduces the temperature in the vicinity, he said.
“Qataris situated in a warm-climate region. During summer, the temperature goes up to48 degree in the country. Studies have demonstrated that the air temperatures in parks are typically lower than in the surrounding urban environment, and the cool air can extend some distance into downwind neighborhoods. It has been unofficially noticed that the temperature around the parks is about 4-5 degree lower than the urban areas those without the parks, and about 10 degrees than the far further areas,” he said.
