How Accessible Is Public Transport in Gulf Cooperation Cities? A Multimodal Residential Access Assessment

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cities are rapidly evolving regions characterized by large-scale developments and substantial investments in transportation infrastructure. This study examines the accessibility of public and private residential neighborhoods in seven GCC cities to public transport stops, and investigates how residential characteristics influence the number of reachable stops within 5-, 10-, and 15-minute thresholds. Accessibility to public transport by walking and cycling was evaluated for 477 public and 151 private residential neighborhoods across the region. The results show that residential neighborhoods in Dubai, both public and private, have the highest number of reachable stops, followed by Doha and Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Kuwait, while Manama records the lowest values. However, when a composite accessibility index is evaluated relative to average travel time and the number of reachable stops, Dubai, Doha, and Manama show the highest proportion of residential neighborhoods classified within the Top 10% accessibility category for both walking and cycling. Higher plot density and vertical developments such as mid-rise, high-rise, and mixed-rise forms are associated with greater accessibility compared with single-family neighborhoods. By contrast, private residential neighborhoods, longer mean travel times, and reliance on walking significantly reduce the number of reachable stops. These findings suggest that improving residential design, density, and multimodal connectivity, particularly through the enhancement and provision of walking and cycling facilities, can improve multimodal accessibility in GCC cities.