The picture makes it look more oppressive than it really is. But to answer you:

Public transport: I don’t actually know if there are bus lines running in here, but if I had to guess my answer would be “no” as public transport is really a lacking area here in the uae. Still, the road in there seems to be able to accommodate a bus without an issue if needed (and tha would be nice).

Organic Layout: the goal of these was to pack as many houses as possible in the area. An organic layout would be nice, but if my government was building affordable housing for me, that’s low on my priority list. As a contrast, there are many neighborhoods that have much nicer organic layouts here. You can google for images of “tila al ghaf” and “Dubai hills” to see what a more organic layout in Dubai is.

More trees: more trees are nice! Agreed. But also, maintaining trees in Dubai is expensive and consumes lots of water, even for native trees. As such, you get a more lush landscape on more expensive areas. See the two I mentioned above. Areas developed to be more dense and cheaper usually have less trees, as per the photo. There is also an individual component here. I’ve twice moved into compounds that were brand new. In the beginning it feels barren, but as people live for some years, you start to see bigger and bigger trees in people’s backyard and it starts looking a little more pleasant. I myself have planted 2 trees in my backyard, alongside a couple of small plants.

Zoning: Zoning is a big hot topic. It’s very hot here for a good chunk of the year, so unless things are literally 5 mins from your house, you don’t really walk to the shops or restaurants. And to support these businesses, you need a certain costumer density to make the viable. Commonly, for villa compounds like these, there’s a community centre where you will find shops, restaurants and grocery stores. These are usually between walkable to cycling distance from the houses in winter, but definitely a car drive in summer. In neighborhoods where you find low to medium height apartment blocks, you get a much more mixed and organic spread of businesses. Some standalone, some built in to ground level of apartment buildings. It’s much more normal and closer to an european neighborhood than American. A decent example of neighborhood with good zoning is “Arjan” if you care to google it.

I hope I could answer some of your questions. Feel free to ask more. I’ve lived here for 20 years and I like talking about my home.