Dubai Is Building a Mile-Long Elevated Walkway—and It’s Air-Conditioned
Dubai’s bonkers cityscape is about to get a pedestrian-friendly upgrade.
As part of a larger plan to make the metropolis more walkable by 2040, local authorities have approved the construction of an elevated path dubbed the Future Loop in addition to over 4,000 miles of other new walkways that will be placed throughout the city, according to Dezeen. Measuring just over a mile, the Future Loop will provide nearly 323,000 square feet of air-conditioned space and the same amount of shaded outdoor areas, both of which are designed to encourage walking year round—even during Dubai’s notoriously hot summer.
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“Dubai is a city of the future, committed to creating a healthy and happy urban environment,” Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, said in a statement. “The Dubai Walk masterplan promotes active lifestyles and provides exercise opportunities for all, making walking a central part of our culture and daily lives. This vision will position Dubai as one of the world’s healthiest and most sustainable cities.”
Al Maktoum released renderings of the Future Loop on his X account that depict what the more deeply linked city center will look like. Many of Dubai’s most important institutions and visual landmarks, including the Museum of the Future, Dubai World Trade Centre, Emirates Towers, and the Dubai International Financial Centre, will be newly connected via the loop, along with nearby metro stations.
And those train stops are just one type of public transportation scheduled for improvement within the plan, with new bus routes and cycling routes also in the works. Construction of 110 bridges and underpasses are also on the docket, creating new paths that offer travel options to city inhabitants and tourists alike.
These projects are aligned with another initiative, Quality of Life Strategy 2033, and the 20-minute city goal it has pegged as part of the 2040 master plan. The latter intends to give 80 percent of residents ready access to necessary amenities within a 20-minute commute. Dubai will also substantially increase green space over the same timeframe with a major 40-mile, plant-covered highway that will act as a central pedestrian route through the urban space.
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