Dubai is set to become a city with ‘the world’s greenest highway’ after revealing the transformative project named The Dubai Green Spine. The project was designed by URB, a Net Zero Sustainable Cities developer, and is aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
The Dubai Green Spine is a 64-kilometre-long sustainable corridor that will transform the Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (E311) and will also include an extensive solar-powered tram system connecting different neighborhoods of the city.
This ambitious project will turn Dubai into “a 20-minute city” with residents being able to get anywhere using pedestrian paths and cycling tracks within, you guessed it, 20 minutes.
This ambitious project emphasizes Dubai’s intention to become an innovative and sustainable city with perfected urban planning. Improving environmental quality is especially significant as the city is expected to become an 8-million-resident metropolitan city by 2040.
Dubai is known for its rapid expansion, so it is no surprise that the city is evolving further by converting one of its major roads into a sustainable highway that is promised to improve the city’s air quality, reduce the urban heat, and provide better accessibility for the residents.
As Dubai aims to transform into a global hub of sustainability, the Dubai Green Spine is set to become an example of its successful implementation by improving residents’ quality of life and urban regeneration of the city.
The project will cost more than 36 million Dirhams ($9,8 million) and would integrate renewable energy sources, reducing Dubai’s carbon footprint. Most importantly, the residents and visitors will have an opportunity to experience an enhanced quality of urban life by having more accessible and attractive routes with more than a million trees, urban farms, and gardens implemented into the project.
Although Dubai is known for its lavish lifestyle, sustainability seems to be something the city aspires to become associated with in the future. The Green Spine might help tackle this task by fostering a resilient infrastructure that can adapt to changing climate conditions and urban demands.
By creating more accessible green spaces, the project promises to be “a green heart of the city” with its remarkable biodiversity within the interconnected green sanctuaries along the urban corridor contributing to the city’s environmental health.
The construction materials of the highway, such as heat-resistant pavements and permeable hardscape surfaces, are advanced and durable making the future project resilient to any extreme weather conditions.
However, the sustainability of the project is not limited by the wildlife implementation alone. Its main emphasis is the utilization of renewable energy to power the project’s infrastructure. Due to the city’s dry climate, the primary energy source is going to be solar energy, with solar panels integrated into the architecture.
Additionally, the tram system will use a trailblazing technology of incorporating solar panels directly into the tram tracks to provide a constant source of power to the tram network. What’s more, it will remove the extensive overhead power lines making the corridor more aesthetically pleasing.
In true Dubai fashion, such a project wouldn’t be complete without implementing commercial and leisure spaces for residents’ convenience. The motivation behind that is to create a space that everyone can access and benefit from. Educational and cultural facilities will be incorporated as well, to enhance urban connectivity and efficiency of the corridor. Visitors will be able to attend interactive public art installations, outdoor learning programs, and cultural events that will enrich the social life of the city.
The Dubai Green Spine is pivotal in sustainable and innovative urban planning not only for Dubai but also for cities around the world. Set to become a blueprint for metropolises ready to manage multidimensional aspects of urban development, it provides lessons on sustainable city planning and connectivity for a global audience.
Even though the construction of the project hasn’t yet been started, one thing is for certain, once The Dubai Green Spine is finished and revealed to the public, it will transform Dubai and its infrastructure by minimizing the city’s automobile dependency, decreasing traffic, and most importantly, reducing its carbon emissions.
