Dubai has been presented with a bold proposal for a 93 kilometre fully air conditioned walking and cycling corridor known as The Loop, part of the broader Dubai Cycle City 2040 initiative. The route, proposed by urban planning firm URB, aims to make everyday travel on foot or by bicycle viable despite the city’s extreme heat.
The planned circular alignment would link major urban nodes including Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina, Downtown and the Burj Khalifa precinct, as well as Al Barsha, Al Quoz, Meydan, Nad Al Sheba, Academic City, Dubai Land and Expo City. Proponents say the scale of the 93km route is designed to integrate with daily movement patterns across the emirate.
One of the central ambitions of The Loop is to shift mobility behaviour so that more than 80 percent of residents rely on walking or cycling for routine needs rather than cars, aligning with Dubai’s 20 minute city concept where essential services are reachable within 20 minutes.
Design proposals for The Loop include a year‑round climate controlled environment, pressure‑sensitive pads that generate electricity from footsteps, a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy, and recycled water for irrigation. The concept also envisions fitness stations, parks, community spaces, sports courts and vertical farms, with planners estimating direct benefits for over three million people.
Despite the detailed concept, authorities confirm the project remains at proposal stage. First presented in 2023, The Loop had not entered construction by 2025. Dubai continues to advance a separate Dubai Walk Master Plan that envisages some 6,500 kilometres of walking paths by 2040, of which some air conditioned segments are planned, but the 93km Loop remains a distinct and unrealised idea.
Experts quoted in the plan note that if realised, The Loop could significantly reshape sustainable urban mobility in cities that face extreme heat, offering a model for large‑scale, climate‑controlled active transport infrastructure.
