Dubai is set to gain the world’s “greenest” highway, if plans by city development firm URB go ahead.
Aiming to turn the existing Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (E311), one of the city state’s main axes, into a 64-kilometer-long “human-centric” corridor, URB’s design for the new thoroughfare includes a solar-powered tramway, smart traffic management, integrated parks and community gardens, and pathways shaded by over a million trees.
The concept, though not yet confirmed, takes a main arterial roadway and transforms it into a multifunctional public realm, introducing recreational spaces, non-motorized transport and reducing Dubai’s annual carbon footprint by a million tonnes.
“First of its kind”
The so-called “Green Spine” is a “first-of-its-kind project”, according to URB founder and urban planner, Baharash Bagherian. “Dubai is rapidly expanding, with its population expected to nearly double to 8 million by 2040,” he told CNN. “This growth necessitates creativity and innovation to address both current and future challenges.”
As well as rapid growth, those challenges include the city’s “diverse population, urban sprawl, and extreme climate conditions,” Bagherian said.
Water-sensitive design
As one of the world’s biggest consumers of water, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) uses around 550 litres per person, per day. (In the US, it’s 310 litres and in the European Union, it’s 144 litres.) Farming and land management are the worst culprits. A project such as the Dubai Miracle Garden for example, where 150 million flowers are exhibited, is not able to survive by miracle alone, but relies on a colossal 757,000 litres (200,000 US gallons) of water every day.
The Green Spine, on the other hand, would employ a “water-sensitive landscape design” that Bagherian has created to include climate-appropriate native flora and drought-resistant plants, as well as soil mixed with zeolite, a substance that boosts water retention.
On top of that, smart irrigation technology, would “use real-time data to adjust watering schedules based on soil moisture levels, weather forecasts, and plant needs,” Bagherian said.
Clean energy to spare
And if that weren’t enough, the project, if approved, would embed 300-megawatt solar panelsand a storage system in its tram tracks, not only to power the transport but also providing enough clean energy for up to 130,000 homes.
Authorities and public sector stakeholders are yet to back the Green Spine, but having aligned the project with the government’s priorities, Bagherian has expressed confidence that it can gain “the necessary support, regulatory framework, and infrastructure integration” thanks to the way the project matches with the government’s 2040 Urban Master Plan, which aims to add another superlative to Dubai’s impressive list of “biggests” and “tallests” by earning it the title of the most liveable city in the world.
