Tactical interventions to transform behaviours - The case of Al Falah Village

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority has partnered with Gehl on a visionary initiative to drive behavioural change across the emirate, through different initiatives. One of the initiatives is to run a tactical intervention in public spaces. A tactical intervention was conducted in Al Falah neighbourhood to study the behaviours of the community in public spaces, tests key design & behavioural change principles and allows us to assess results, influencing the final design for permanent intervention, and to engage local communities and build sense of ownership. The tactical intervention in Al Falah Village also provided an opportunity to test the effect of cross-sectoral engagement in designing public spaces. The tactical intervention included hardware elements such as furniture, play elements and landscaping, as well as software elements that included activations for younger children and community-led activations.

The event will showcase Al Falah Case Study Publication which highlights the goals, process and results of the tactical intervention. The publication also highlights the plan and process of scaling up across the city.

About ECA: The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) is a governmental organization established in 2019 and based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. ECA promotes collaboration to help all of Abu Dhabi’s young children flourish and they do this across four pillars: health and nutrition, child protection, family support, early education and care; from the early stages of pregnancy to the age of eight years old.

About Gehl: Gehl is a networked urban design and research consultancy, offering expertise in the fields of architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, and city planning. We address global trends using empirical analysis to design for social behaviour that drives meaningful change.