Dubai, will you ever cease to dazzle? We hope not! Dubai-based URB has just revealed the design for the urban highway that aims to make cycling and walking to work possible for 80% of residents by 2040. Adding to the impressive repertoire of attractions, architecture, and ingenious innovations is a 93-kilometer, climate-controlled highway titled ‘The Loop.’ No small feat, The Loop will redefine urban living as the primary mode of transport for Dubai’s residents, in line with the emirate’s 20-minute city initiative. The zero-emissions transport system would be powered by kinetic flooring enabling it to operate on 100 percent renewable energy. This innovation will allow more than 3 million residents and many visitors to commute via a healthy mode of transport to key locations within minutes.
Baharash Bagherian, CEO of URB, said: “Dubai is the best place for entrepreneurship in urban mobility. THE LOOP project is an embodiment of that entrepreneurial spirit, which aims to make Dubai the most connected city on earth by foot or bike.” He continued, “In Europe most people ride bicycles or walk to get to work. In Dubai, our aim is to get more than 80% of people to use a bike on a daily basis.
Dubai is currently primarily built for car travel. Its major road infrastructures and networks have disconnected communities by walking or cycling, thus we need an entrepreneurial mindset in reconnecting these neighbourhoods, whilst making cycling or walking the primary mode of transport all year round to any part of the city.”
Bagherian explained, “Our aim is to re-engineer the future mobility infrastructure in Dubai to become more than sustainable transport systems. To think of such infrastructures as much as spaces and utilities for people, where various leisure and community services can also be provided. These types of infrastructures should be an enjoyable mode of sustainable transport, no matter the weather conditions.” The Loop will indeed amp Dubai’s ambition of becoming a 20-minute city, where residents are able to access daily needs and destinations within 20 minutes by foot or bicycle. Like The Line in Saudi’s Neom City, an eco-conscious train will help residents travel end to end within 20 minutes.
It looks like leaving your own footprint to reduce your carbon footprint is the way of the future. The Loop is currently in the research and development stage and, if approved, will encompass all essential areas like Expo City, JLT, Al Quoz, Downtown Dubai, Meydan, and Academic City.
