A new concept announced in Dubai foresees a 93-km climate-controlled cycle highway called ‘The Loop’. The aim is to connect more than 3 million residents to key services and locations within minutes by walking and cycling, to promote a healthy mode of transport in the city, and counter climate change.
The Loop was designed by local studio Urb, which is on a mission to improve Dubai’s infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, to the point that cycling and walking become the primary mode of transport for daily commutes for most of its residents.
URB is headed up by Baharash Bagherian, the former design director of Diamond Developers, which is behind Sharjah Sustainable City and Dubai’s The Sustainable City. The Dubai-based developers said the project aims to create a “new benchmark” for the world’s smartest cycling and walking infrastructure.
“It will provide an enjoyable climate-controlled all-year environment to make walking and cycling the primary mode of transport for Dubai’s residents,” the company said. Dubai, known for its creative structures and tourist spots, is planning to develop a 93-km long air-conditioned walking and cycling track. Called “The Loop,”
The Loop will provide a climate-controlled environment, making cycling and walking easier for people, especially in summer when temperatures are nearly 50°C.
In addition to its areas for jogging, walking, cycling, and related facilities, the Loop would also be packed with lots of greenery, with large numbers of plants and trees. There would be multiple pocket parks, sports facilities, and urban farming to improve the area’s food production.
Being an environmentally friendly project, The Loop will be powered by 100% renewable energy, use recycled water for irrigation, and also have vertical farms. Below is the map showing the areas covered under this 93-km-long project.
“The Loop is planned to connect more than 3 million residents using a healthy mode of transport, to key services and locations by walking and cycling within minutes,” explained Urb’s press release. “It will provide an enjoyable climate-controlled all-year environment, to make walking and cycling the primary mode of transport for Dubai’s residents, in line with its new 20-minute city initiative. The aim is to make cycling and walking the primary mode of transport for daily commutes for more than 80% of Dubai’s residents by 2040.”