Public accessibility to urban waterfronts: The case of jeddah city

This study investigates the pedestrian accessibility between Jeddah's waterfront and the nearby Al-Shati neighborhood. Public access is examined from a physical, visual, and functional standpoint with the goal of identifying weaknesses and outlining alterative measures. The scope of the study includes a thorough evaluation of the waterfront neighborhood's existing street networks' pedestrian accessibility. The study makes use of quantitative and qualitative approaches to pursue answers to these research questions: "What is the quality of the built environment for pedestrian access on Jeddah's waterfront in general ?", "What is the quality of the physical access between Jeddah waterfront and the adjacent neighborhood?", "What is the quality of the visual access to the water and scenery?", "What are the aspects that if provided will enhance the public access condition for its physical, visual, and functional dimensions between Jeddah's waterfront and the adjacent neighborhood?". The research questions address the general accessibility quality, the particular physical and visual accessibility circumstances, and the prospective improvements to the accessibility conditions. An online survey analyzed through statistical methods, which are descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation analysis, which is a tool for investigating the data acquired from the survey on visitor's characteristics, preferences, and perceptions of Jeddah's waterfront. In addition, access mapping through geographic information system (QGIS), and on- site analysis are conducted. The results offer insightful information on the difficulties and possibilities for improving pedestrian connectivity and user experience in the waterfront area. The study aims to contribute ongoing urban design implementations to develop Jeddah's waterfront. From the survey responses of 76 city inhabitants, the study findings imply that the upper in-between streets require remodeling, as well as improvements to pedestrian access convenience and street safety, including public space design and connectivity. Notably all the survey participants living in Jeddah believe that a recovery project is needed to reconnect the city with its waterfront through the street's networks, to make it pedestrian-friendly. The waterfront visitors would find it simpler to reach the shore and take advantage of its amenities if the situation of pedestrian access is improved. As most of the streets leading to the shoreline are residential, the findings also highlight the need for public areas along those streets. More research is required to broaden the sample size and examine additional factors that can impact visitors' preferences and views. Keywords: Waterfront Connectivity, Urban Waterfront Development, Pedestrian-friendly Environment, Jeddah, Al-Shati District.