Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2016 Issue 1

Introduction

In many Arab countries including Qatar, the family as a social institution is thought to be the cornerstone of society. The family is particularly important for older individuals, especially when their physical and/or mental health declines to the point where they can no longer function independently. Once this happens, family members (e.g. spouse or child) often become informal caregivers for the individual requiring care (Chappell, McDonald, Lynn, & Stones, 2007). Caregiving often requires caregivers to acquire specialized knowledge unique to the needs of the individual they are caring for, meet with healthcare professionals at different stages of the caregiving process, and gain unique skills often associated with the work of healthcare professionals (Leiter, Krauss, Anderson, & Wells, 2004). Lastly, caregiving roles are ever changing as both the caregiver and care-receiver age and new challenges present themselves. There is an abundance of social research on the experiences of caregivers for aging individuals whose health status has declined. This existing research has primarily focused on the burdens of caregiving and the different strategies and resources caregivers use to cope with the demands of caregiving. Recently, research has suggested that while caregiving can be burdensome, many benefits can also result for caregivers from their caregiving experience (Corman, 2009). However none of this research has been conducted in Qatar and only a few studies have been done in the Arab region. This research gap is especially problematic since reports suggest that there are problems in older persons' care in Qatar (ESCWA, 2013).

Purpose

This study addresses this aformentioned gap in social scientific inquiry by investigating the experiences of Qatari and non-Qatari caregivers in Qatar who provide care for older family members. More specifically, we focus on exploring the stresses and burdens of caregiving, coping strategies and resources of caregivers, and the benefits of caregiving. As such, this research focuses on the lived-experiences of caregivers and the consequences for caregivers (not only negative) that personal home caregivers experience when caregiving for elderly persons who require support.

Theoretical Framework and Method

One of the dominant models used in exploring the lived-experiences of caregivers is the stress process and coping-process models of Pearlin, Mullan, Semple and Skaff (1990) and Lazarus and Folkman (1984) respectively. Pearlin et al. (1990) provided a conceptual framework that looked at the stressors associated with caregiving; the model focuses on the many related relationships, and the developing and changing nature of these relationships over time, eventually leading to stressor-outcomes. This model of stress allows for the investigation of how conditions develop and are interrelated to each other. One way of dealing with stressors and the burdens of caregiving is to use a variety of resources and strategies that act as buffers against them. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) described coping as a shifting process that varies depending on the stressful encounter or experience, allowing for individuals to mediate the effects of stress on their well-being by managing both internal and external demands that are appraised as taxing (Kelso, French, & Fernandez, 2005; Folkman & Moskowitz, 2004). Folkman (1997) described coping as consisting of five different resources: social support networks, utilitarian resources, general and specific beliefs, problem-solving skills, and an individual's health, energy, and morale. In order to gain a more complete understanding of caregiving in Qatar, it is important to account for both the positive and stressful experiences of caregiving, in addition to coping strategies and resources utilized throughout the caregiving experience. The stress-coping process models of Pearlin et al. (1990) and Folkman and Lazarus (1984) were chosen as the conceptual framework because they allow for a scope that looks beyond adjustment and toward positives, thereby forcing attention to both the stressors and benefits of caregiving (Kelso et al., 2005; see also Corman, 2009). Because this study aimed to explore the lived-experiences of Qatari and non-Qatari caregivers caring for older family members in Qatar, this research employed a qualitative research design in order to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon under study; it relied mainly on participants' views of the situation being studied and draws attention to its complexity (Creswell, 2003). Aligned with qualitative research, this study therefore used an inductive approach to generating knowledge by beginning with interviews and moving towards identifying patterns based on the experiences of participants (Rudestam & Newton, 2001). The primary methodological approach used in this study was transcendental phenomenology as purported by Husserl (1970) and modified by Moustakas (1994). Transcendental phenomenology is a qualitative research strategy and philosophy that allows researchers to identify the essence of experience as it relates to certain phenomenon as described and understood by participants of a study (Creswell, 2003; Nieswiadomy, 1993). As Moerer-Urdahl and Creswell (2004) explained, this approach is valuable when a phenomenon is identified that needs further investigation and has individuals who are available to provide descriptions and insights into the phenomenon. Utilizing qualitative, semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions based on the methodological approach of transcendental phenomenology can assist in gaining a better understanding of the themes that arise in peoples' descriptions of the stressors, benefits, and coping strategies and resources for this sample of caregivers. With this said, phenomenology was chosen because of the researchers' intent to explore and gain a better understanding of lived-experiences of Qatar and non-Qatari caregivers in Qatar.

Findings

In total, we interviewed 22 Qatari and non-Qatari caregivers aging in range from 20–50 years. Two of the caregivers were male and 20 were female. The findings reported in this presentation/poster focus on the different stressors and joys of caregiving and coping strategies and resources caregivers discussed. We also discuss the implications from these findings.

Obesity and overweight continue to raise in Qatar due to a confluence of factors such as genetics, overeating, inactivity, tradition of food-centered social events, convenience, and advertising of energy-dense fast foods, and hot climate making outdoor activities impractical most of the year. Estimates by experts within and outside Qatar point to an extremely high rate of obesity and overweight in Qatar, with the World Health Organization placing the rate at 78%. This places Qatar among the top of countries worldwide in the overall prevalence of obesity and overweight. Childhood obesity in particular has also been rapidly increasing with the combined rate of obesity and overweight hovering around 40%, up from below 30% less than ten years ago. This trend is alarming due to the increased risks for obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart diseases, and lower quality of living. Hence, comprehensive obesity prevention interventions are needed to stem the rise of obesity among Qatari children. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated weight loss intervention incorporating lifestyle education, physical activity, and behavioral psychology nudges among Qatari school children. The intervention was designed to integrate family and school support and fit within Qatari school system calendar and schedule. The study was branded Agdar/أقدر and conducted by an interdisciplinary team of collaborators from Qatar (Qatar University, Supreme Education Council, Aspire, Hamad Medical Corporation) and external partners (Imperial College, Leeds Metropolitan University/MoreLife, UK).

In the first year of a three-year intervention study, four randomly chosen schools in Qatar participated in the intervention with a total of 941 Qatari children (316 girls and 625 boys) between 9 to 12 years of age of whom 430 children were qualified to participate in the study. A group of four other randomly chosen schools served as control. Out of 430 qualified children, one hundred children (50 boys and 50 girls) with BMI in the 95th percentile from the intervention schools were enrolled in a two phase weight loss intervention. Phase 1 consisted of an intensive weight loss camp with a highly structured set of activity which combined a range of physical activity, lifestyle learning, dietary control, behavioral nudge techniques, and social activity. The second phase consisted of a ten week after school sessions on lifestyle education and weight management for those children who successfully completed camp. These after school/community clubs were run on school premises to facilitate integration in school schedule. The two phases were designed to be complementary: the camp helps children lose weight and introduces them healthy lifestyle behavior, whereas the after school phase embeds/consolidates the knowledge already learnt and helps in long term weight management. During the camp, children participated in a range of structured interactive and skill based activities including a mixture of water based activity, contact games and electives, where the children were able to choose from a range of physical activities. At camp, participants were subjected to a series of assessments including anthropometric (Weight, Height, BMI, Waist Circumference, Blood pressure), Lifestyle and Physical Activity Questionnaires (diet and physical activity), and Psychometric assessment (self-esteem and subjective well-being). During the clubs, only anthropometric measurements took place to ensure the children get the most out of the sessions focusing on reward and recognition and celebrating success regardless of the magnitude of the health improvement. This phase was designed to provide children and parents with the tools, know-how, and the confidence to carry on with the new healthy lifestyle at home as means to ensure durable weight management.

Data show that out of the 941 children in intervention schools, 430 children or 45.7% were either overweight or obese, having BMI in the top 95th centile by age. This rate is higher than the 42% we observed in a pilot study conducted by our team in 2014 and the 40% prevalence of overweight and obesity among children reported by other studies.

A total of 100 children aged 9–12 completed the camp with a significant reduction in percent BMI SDS of 12.5% (p < .001). The average percent BMI SDS reduction was higher for girls than that of boys (11 vs. 14%). This percent BMI SDS reduction is four times the minimum BMI SDS reduction (3%) required for health benefits in adolescents. The camp also resulted in a significant improvement in self-esteem (p < .001) with females edging males in terms of improvement in self-esteem. A slight but not significant improvement in subject wellbeing was also observed between the start and end of camp (p = 0.128).

These improvements in percent BMI SDS reduction (weight loss) and self-esteem occurred in a group that reported an unhealthy lifestyle profile with respect to physical activity and diet. In fact, participant responses painted a profile characterized by little or no physical activity (1 to 2 times/week) with two thirds of participants reporting fewer than 3 occasions of physical activity in their previous week. Participants' diet was characterized by low intake of fruits and vegetables and high intake of calorie-dense foods including sweets, soft drinks, and fast foods. Girls reported eating more fruits than boys but they seem to indulge more frequently in sweets.

As the camp phase resulted in a significant weight loss among all participants (100% of participant lost weight at variable levels), particularly girls who were more serious in participation, the clubs were found to help participants in weight management. After an initial weight gain during a 3 week period between camp and club phases (percent BMI SDS reduction down to 10%), participants were able to recover and maintain their post camp levels of BMI SDS reduction. Correlations on data suggest that the more clubs participants (particularly boys) attended, the more likely they were to lose weight during the club phase (p = .028).

In summary, the intervention camp was effective in significantly reducing the weight of all participants, despite its short duration of 11 days. After school clubs showed effectiveness in maintaining or further enhancing weight loss achieved in the camp and in engaging parents. The synergistic effect of the camp and after school/community clubs suggests promising potential for successful incorporation of this integrated intervention into the school curriculum, especially since the camp occurs during mid-year school break and the after school clubs during school days. The succeeding cohorts will provide further data for validation of this potential. The one year follow up data are being collected to assess the durability of weight changes and the stickiness of behavioral changes induced by the different phases of this intervention.

Children's social development is generally facilitated in the context of the unique, socialization experiences that they encounter at school and at. Such experiences are likely to manifest themselves in prosocial behaviors (e.g., helping, collaborating, and empathizing with peers), or aggressive behaviors (e.g., hitting, bullying, manipulating, rejecting, and teasing). Schools today are fraught with challenging behaviors that lead to stressful and difficult environments for both students and teachers alike. Anecdotal evidence and empirical research point out to the rise of violent and aggressive acts among school-age children. Anecdotal support, from conversations with local school teachers, pre-service teachers' classroom observations, and round-table discussions with both faculty members and students about the rise of children's aggressive behavior acts in schools motivated our study. We believe that it is essential to conduct a study that would help us gain a working familiarity with the extent to which children's prosocial behaviors are present in the preschool classroom. This is critical because students who exhibit antisocial behaviors are even more challenged with the prospect of social competence and academic success as continual conflict is likely to invade their thought processes and disturbs their ability to learn. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the occurrences of prosocial behaviors in preschool children according to the perceptions of their teachers, examine if variations of prosocial behaviors exist among boys and girls, and analyze whether variations of prosocial behaviors exist among children in Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2.

Thirty teachers from different preschool centers in the community participated in the study. They provided information about their perceptions of prosocial behavior of each child in their classes. The instrument that was used in this study is the Prosocial Behaviors of Children Questionnaire, which consists of 19 items. Four subscale scores are calculated by adding individual items: Prosocial Behavior and Social Competence subscale; School Adjustment subscale; Peer Preferred Behavior subscale; and Teacher Preferred Behavior subscale. A high score on any of the four subscales denotes a great amount of prosocial behavior. Teachers were asked to indicate how frequently they observed specific prosocial behaviors in the children of their class, using a 5-poing Likert scale (never, rarely, sometimes, often, and frequently). The questionnaire was translated into Arabic and then back-translated to English. The final “Arabic” version was piloted in the Early Childhood Center at Qatar University with the participation of four preschool teachers. The first part of the study relied on having the teachers complete the prosocial behaviors of children questionnaire. This type of self-reporting measure, which is based on teachers' observations and interactions with their students, is commonly used in early childhood education research. The second phase of this investigation employed a causal comparative design in which the researchers tested whether children's prosocial behaviors are related to gender and age. Causal-comparative methods aim at investigating whether one or more preexisting conditions have possibly caused subsequent differences in the groups of participants. The causal-comparative approach also has the advantage of establishing relationships that might be studied experimentally at later points in time.

From 2006 to 2012 Qatar University transitioned from doing no program level outcomes-based assessment of student learning to implementation of a robust, effective, and institutionally pervasive Student Learning Outcomes Assessment System (SLOAS) that is characterized by a high level of compliance and meaningful improvements to both learning and assessment processes. Keys to the success of the implementation have been support from campus leadership, creation of a structure and processes that support assessment at all levels, and an intensive program of faculty development and faculty incentives. A unique feature of the system is the auditing of annual program assessment reports by external experts. Comparison of results from the fourth and fifth years of the implementation suggest the following trends: a relatively high and increasing tendency to identify learning improvements involving revisions of curriculum and courses, a low and decreasing tendency to identify learning improvements that cost money, and a high and increasing tendency to make changes to assessment processes that make them more meaningful and more manageable.

This multi-dimensional study will be focusing on investigating the evolution of constitutional position enjoyed by Higher Education while identifying the issues with regard to planning and governance of Higher Education in post 18th amendment scenario. This study will also be emphasizing on governance of higher education at provincial level. Moreover, this research will be giving the recommendations for future course of action in connection with the position of subject of education in the constitution via quantifying the various propositions, which includes: 1- There is the evolution of the constitutional position enjoyed by the subject of higher education. 2- There are the issues with regard to planning and governance of higher education after 18th amendment. 3- There is the moment in the governance of higher education at provincial level. 4- The future of administration of higher education at provincial level is predictable. 5- there is the need for planning and monitoring of higher education at national level. 6-There the need for a body with advocate powers at federal level to interact with international donors for educational funding. 7-There is the need for a body with advocate power to meet the requirements of educational institutions abroad seeking verification and equivalence of educational qualification. 8: There is a bubble in access to higher education in Pakistan. 9: There is gender discrimination in access to higher education in Pakistan. 10: There is no shock in the spending of higher education in Pakistan. 11: There is contribution of universities of Pakistan in generating income for higher education and economy. 12: There is contribution of universities in generating foreign exchanges earnings. 13: Forecasting the performance of public and private sector universities during the period of post 18th amendment in terms of numbers of enrollments, contribution to national income and contribution to Foreign Exchange Earning. 14: There is variance in the perception of public sector Vice Chancellors and private sector Vice Chancellors in connection with the issues raised in the 18th constitutional amendment.

The literacy rate of Pakistan is below average, which describes the education system of our country. The education system of Pakistan requires a complete overhauling from its roots to the top in order to really provide quality education. Higher education is generally expensive for the masses and more so if you're sending your child to private universities. The public and private sector universities do provide scholarships and financial-aid but still the present situation of the higher education requires more and massive improvement. Is the curriculum in public and private sector universities uniform and even if a masters student tries to attain a foreign degree, there are obstacles of bridge courses for him/her to complete first and then to start for the actual degree he/she applies for. All these matters load the individual with monetary burden and in turn effect the growth performance as a nation. With the 18th amendment in place, the government and the universities are trying to take steps to provide quality higher education in Pakistan but still the question of access to higher education to masses, more awareness of the policies of education system remains unanswered. Pakistan has already decided on free and compulsory education for children between 5–16 yrs in the 18th constitutional amendment. Still, children are still not being educated and the education system remains disturbingly poor. The current public and private higher education system requires producing strong youth who can compete in the growing international market with supportive local government system within the country and tranquility at the international level. Actions speak louder than words; This is what Pakistan should do. It is necessary for Pakistan to make substantive investments in higher education, training and curriculum to meet national needs. This will empower our country to produce all-rounded citizens, ready to support the country's economic, political, social, technological, defense needs, partnership for self-defense while safeguarding our religious, cultural heritage and geographical identity. The underlying problems to be explored in this research grant are: 1- Gauging the evolution of the constitutional position enjoyed by the subject of higher education. 2- Identifying the issues with regard to planning and governance of higher education after 18th amendment. 3-(A) Analyzing the governance of higher education at provincial level and (B) forecasting the future of administration of higher education at provincial level. 4- Identifying the need for planning and monitoring of higher education at national level. 5- Identifying the need for a body with advocate powers at federal level to interact with international donors for educational funding. 6- Identifying the need for a body with advocate power to meet the requirements of educational institutions abroad seeking verification and equivalence of educational qualification. 7- The access to higher education. 8- Gender discrimination. 9- Spending on higher education. 10- Sources of generating additional funding. 11- The potential of higher education as a foreign exchange earner. 12- The public and private sector in higher education and its potential. 13- Survey of Vice Chancellors both public and private in connection with the issues raised by the 18th Amendment. The foremost expected benefit on this research sub-theme will help one understand the evolution of the constitutional position enjoyed by the subject of education with particular reference to Higher Education. Identification about the issues, which have come up with regard to the planning and governance of higher education after the 18th Amendment. To explore provincial level role in regards to higher education. Also, the need for planning, monitoring and unit at federal level to interact with international donors in order to facilitate and meet the necessities of educational institutions abroad seeking verification and equivalence of educational qualifications. The major benefit and impact will be achieving future implications of few changes brought about or proposed by the Provincial governments with relation to the higher education administration and to foresee the plans, directions and outcomes by the Federal and Provincial levels, which might entail additional modifications in subject to education in the Constitution. This research study shall be beneficial to the higher education policy makers, public and private higher education institutions, faculty and students of higher education, researchers and all those who are keen to embrace themselves with the post 18th amendment outcomes in relevance to the higher education of Pakistan. The positive and/or negative impacts via various indicators of Higher Education in Pakistan will be forecasted through econometrical techniques to present the post 18th amendment and the future of Higher Education.

This research aims to provide an Islamic Fiqhi perspective on the Options Contract, one of the most prominent contracts in international capital markets. The research begins with a historical introduction that illustrates the emergence of this contract and its evolution. It then moves on to explain its terminology and linguistic meanings. The research also addresses the most suitable Fiqhi adaptation (Takyeef) to this contract. The research concludes with many significant findings. Firstly, the subject of contracting is an abstract right, namely, just the right to purchase or to sell, and not something else. It is not an obligation, because an obligation is only a consequence of this contract. Finally, all kinds of this contract are haram because it contains gharar and maysir (gambling).

The study has revealed the pattern and trends of motor traffic accidents in Kuwait City from 2010 to 2011. It shows that the accident occurrence was increasing every year, passengers and pedestrians are always at highest risk of being injured or killed on the road, young males are highly prone to motor traffic accidents. The study has also identified qualitatively (by interviews) that the technical element of the highway construction, irresponsibility, poor management, cell phones, alcohol and drugs, age of the victims and poor condition of services as the important risk factors associating to the cause of traffic accidents in Kuwait. In order to reduce traffic accidents in Kuwait City, it is recommended that the government should review legislation regarding employment of drivers. Working conditions of police force should be improved, public road safety campaigns should be conducted, and new driving license system should be imposed. The use of cell phones while driving should be restricted. The hospital and police record keeping should be strengthened, the hospital staff, traffic police and ambulance personnel should be considered for intensive training on emergency and preparedness, and regular vehicle inspection should be introduced in Kuwait City.

This paper analyses the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) reconstruction of four abandoned villages in northwestern Qatar, Al Ghariya, Al Jumail, Al Khowir, and Al Areesh, using Building Information Modelling (BIM) techniques developed for contemporary architecture to visualise and understand how the villages functioned and were organised. In addition, we isolate specific buildings and analyze their environmental performance through light and shadow studies, thermal performance of the walls and interior spaces, and wind simulations. Through this interrogative process, we are quantitatively exploring the sustainability of traditional building practices and understanding the underlying geometric logic of spatial organization in historic Qatari architecture. This research is an extension of a reconstruction and analysis of Al Jumail I co-published in 2013 in the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. The additional village models allow for comments on common patterns and individualisation in village and house construction in Qatar prior to oil and gas development. I also identify the innovative ways in which Qatari people dealt with their environment prior to industrialisation that might be integrated into sensitive regional design today. The analyses focus on the ephemeral qualities of these villages to seek out deeper structures and meaning in the organisation of historic Qatari villages – particularly the inter-relationships between what and where people built and how they lived their everyday lives. Other elements, like the location and storage of water, and proximity to economic resources, such as inter-tidal fish traps, are related back to the BIM analyses and primary and secondary qualitative resources on Islamic architecture and urban design. The mapping and reconstruction of each village is based on a combination of photographic documentation I completed when I was in Qatar in 2013, GIS data from Google Earth, and existing AutoCAD plans of each village. I analyse the two-dimensional plans using DepthMap, a spatial syntax visualisation and analysis program. Through this, I map not only the buildings, but also the primary and secondary arterial routes through each village as well as the geometric relationships between buildings. This allows us to identify structures with higher or lower accessibility and relate these to qualitative data on who lived where and did what within the village. It also measures the rate of penetrability of each structure, which sheds light on how architecture embodies Islamic concepts. One of the things that Besim Selim Hakim discusses in detail in his book, Arabic-Islamic Cities and Planning Principles, is the emergence of planning and house models in conjunction with Islamic jurisprudence and the Madhab, or schools of law. Professor Hakim used Tunis and its development in the 8th century according to 12 principles of Maliki law, much of which revolve around notions of maintaining privacy while allowing public access through the urban core. In our first analysis of Jumayl, we discovered that the highest level of public accessibility, the main public roads are clear and run through the town, radiating out from the central public suq and the community mosque. Secondary roads away from the suq are the second order, with the high walls of the individual houses blocking visibility and accessibility into the private residential spaces. Access to the courtyard of an individual house represents the third order. The access to the internal residence blocks (which also exhibit a subtle hierarchy of spatial access as there can be multiple smaller buildings arranged around the courtyard) is the final and most private order. The spatial syntax analysis software visualises a hierarchy of space and spatial permeability. In other words, there are four orders or levels in a continuum of privacy versus public accessibility that are constructed through the courtyard walls, avenues, and building structure and placement. At play are alternating lines of vision and occlusion that reinforce the Islamic notions of gender, home, function and the organization of public and private spaces. One of the main remaining questions I have, though, is how might the topology - what might be described as the “ambient” land in which a building is placed - impact some of these design decisions. I'm also deeply interested in Harriet Nash's work on how stars were used to determine time and the distribution of water in Oman. What's particularly fascinating to me about Nash's work is her identification of a central nexus along the main falaj (or irrigation canal) from its source in the nearby mountains and how this nexus has a specific site line for stargazing built in. In other words, the arrangement of space that begins with all the elements described by Professor Hakim also includes consideration for all these other ephemeral qualities – including the relationship of the individual to the larger cosmos. I know from my other research in different parts of the Gulf that folk astronomy played a big role in weather prediction and the scheduling of economic events, including both maritime and terrestrial navigation. None of this has been documented for Qatar, so it would be interesting to include an astronomic simulation in the digital analysis to see if there are also star-gazing sites in these primarily fishing villages. I plan to import both the 2d plans and the terrain data into a CAD software and then extrude the 2-dimensional plan into 3 dimensions, matching the models carefully with my own database of geo-located photographs and site notes. The resulting models can then be subjected to a suite of BIM analyses that visualises how the buildings performed in different seasons using recorded climactic data on heat, solar movement, wind, and tides. By correlating the results with pre-existing ethnographic data, the analysis illuminates the ways in which social hierarchy was materially and spatially expressed according to Madhab. The results complement and expand upon the existing literature of Gulf architectural history, which has emphasized the use of passive cooling or visualising the typologies of individual house, but rarely explores the range of these strategies within the context of the buildings’ location and orientation. It also allows us to grasp the complexity and diversity of building and settlement typologies and offers a set of methodologies applicable to the analysis of archaeologically recovered structures and towns. This is particularly relevant to Qatar, given that the historic built environment isn't as comprehensively documented as some of the other countries in the Gulf and that access to water on the peninsula was more limited.

Doha, the capital of the state of Qatar, is a small Gulf city that grew as a port settlement on pearling and fishing activities. Since the mid-seventies, Doha has begun the process of accelerated growth based on the rising price of oil. The city witnessed a massive urban transformation in 2005 that continues to the present day. Doha is scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup 2022. Consequently, a number of significant projects and infrastructure works are being undertaken and will continue until the event's launch. Designers and planners usually focus on design merits of tall buildings and the impact on the skyline and the city image, discarding the integration of the building with the ground level. In West Bay, tall buildings meet the ground level with security gates and parking spaces that weaken the buildings' approaches and diminish the vitality of the street. The distribution of land uses complicates the accessibility for people. Insufficient parking spaces and lack of transportation choices exacerbate the traffic congestion problem and reduce the number of visitors to the area. Additionally, West Bay has a non-utilized waterfront allocated for embassies that prevents the entire area from enjoying this interesting waterfront. The current situation in the study area is a result of rapid urbanization, globalization and a non-integrated urban planning process that pressured urban designers and planners to overlook the importance of livability of urban spaces. Livability can be defined as a group of factors that together contribute to enhancing the quality of life and the experience of urban spaces. When governments take into account livability factors in the legislative framework and planning process of the city, the impact on human well-being is significant. Cities from around the world that have integrated livability principles into their regulatory framework have succeeded in having 24-hour bustling high-rise district such as San Francisco, Vancouver, Beijing, and many more. This research investigates the livability of high-rise districts, focusing on the West Bay of Doha as a case study. The study explores the implementation of livability principles through both urban legislation and the urban planning process for high-rise districts in the existing literature. It analyzes a series of case studies from Europe, North America, Asia and the Gulf that are considered to be best practices of livability. The case studies cover all aspects of the research problem and propose best solutions and strategies for a more livable urban spaces. The results of the comparative analysis of case studies produces solutions that have been adapted to solve the problems of livability in West Bay. The site analysis is conducted using data collection tools to: 1. investigate the study area; 2. identify the absence or presence of livability indicators; 3. assess the problems caused by the tall buildings interface with street level; 4. identify the government's plans for developing the study area; 5. and explore people's general perceptions and knowledge of livability. A walk through, social media discussions, interviews, and focused groups were undertaken to formulate an in-depth investigation regarding both the problem and the proposed approach. The study develops and proposes an approach to solve the problem of livability in the West Bay high-rise district and future high-rise developments in Doha. This approach includes a legislative framework for high-rise districts that adopts livability principals within an integrated urban planning process using form-based codes and 3d visualizations which will eventually contribute to the human well-being and overall sustainability and welfare of Qatar. The research investigates the livability of high-rise districts, focusing on West Bay tall buildings as a case study. Tall buildings in West Bay meet the street level with security gates and parking lots that affect both the accessibility and the approach to the buildings. Insufficient parking spaces along with the lack of public transportation choices frustrate people and exacerbate the traffic congestion in the study area. The lack of services and amenities within the residential towers accompanied with poor pedestrian circulation make it hard to perform everyday activities. The current situation has been formulated as a result of uncontrolled globalization and rapid urbanization that have required high-rise building typology as a prerequisite for further development of the country. The development of West Bay was focused on the design qualities of tall buildings, ignoring their integration at the street level which have resulted in having a public realm that does not support daily activities and needs of people. To solve the problem, the research suggests the need to have a framework of regulations that adopt livability principles within an integrated urban planning process and a shift from conventional codes to form-based codes. The following are different hypothesis derived from the research problem: Main problem: Livability of high-rise districts.

Hypothesis 1: The need for a regulatory framework that adopts livability principles.

Hypothesis 2: The need for an integrated urban planning process that adopts livability principles.

Hypothesis 3: The need for shifting from conventional codes to form-based codes Tall buildings in West Bay of Doha are designed to meet the ground level with security gates and parking lots that affect the livability of the area.

To investigate the problem and test the hypothesis, a literature review was conducted in four main subject areas:

1. Livability: generally exploring livability definitions and principles and tackling other specific issues such as: - Livability in high-rise districts, - Integration of livability principles with regulations. - Integrated UPP that fosters livability principals for high-rise developments.

2. Tall Buildings: investigating advantages and disadvantages of tall buildings, impact on surrounding urban space and how to overcome and mitigate the negative impact through regulations.

3. Integrated Urban Planning Process: exploring its definitions, components and benefits.

4. Form-Based Codes: identifying importance, difference from conventional codes and their effect on the quality of public realm.

The conducted literature review revealed the need to propose a legislative framework that fosters livability principles. This legislative framework requires two essential components; an integrated urban planning process and a contemporary version of urban design and planning codes. First, an integrated urban planning process that includes all possible stakeholders along with community engagement in a process of complex and collaborative communication. Second, a contemporary type of codes that is presented in both text, illustrations and utilizes the building form as a main organizing element. Form-based codes is an example that have proved its capability to visualize the resulting space before its establishment. On this basis, the research analyzed eight case studies of best practices from Europe, North America, Asia and the Gulf to cover different aspects of the problem.