ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Urban Science
Development-Led Low-Rise Housing in Dubai: Translating Resident Satisfaction into Design and Planning Insights
Provisionally accepted
Sabreen Dar Amer1
Nour Abdel Hamid1Fayqa Akram1Hussam Safieh1
Salwa Beheiry2
SERTER ATABAY1*Gokhan Abdullah Yilmaz3- 1American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- 2Cleveland State University, Cleveland, United States
- 3La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
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In a globalizing world, countries continuously strive to enhance quality of life (QoL). This study focusses on the well-being of residents in gated communities in the UAE, focusing on satisfaction with residential units and their communities. QoL, often seen as subjective, is quantified here by transforming qualitative perceptions into measurable data. An online survey assesses satisfaction based on indicators like residential unit features and community amenities. Using linear regression analysis with SAS 9.4, two models are developed: one for residential unit satisfaction and another for community satisfaction. Results reveal kitchen and bedroom sizes significantly impact residential unit satisfaction, with p-values of 0.03 and 0.05, respectively. For community satisfaction, facility availability is the most influential factor, with a p-value of 0.03. The study also considers demographics such as gender, income, and unit size. Comparative analysis shows residents of communities like Motor City Green and Arabian Ranches report higher satisfaction due to larger built-up areas and abundant community facilities. These findings provide practical guidance for developers and urban planners by identifying priority design and community attributes that can enhance residents' quality of life while supporting evidence-based decision-making in development-led residential projects aligned with Dubai's 2040 vision..
Keywords: Gated communities, Low Rise Housing, Quality of Life, Real estate development, Residents' satisfaction
Received: 27 Nov 2025; Accepted: 15 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Amer, Hamid, Akram, Safieh, Beheiry, ATABAY and Yilmaz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: SERTER ATABAY
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