Dubai is building the city’s largest public park, as big as London’s Hyde Park, in DubaiLand, it was announced on Saturday.
Dubai Holding and Dubai Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the park that stretches across 1,430,000 sqm, Dubai Media office said in a press release on Saturday.
Once complete, the new park will be almost equal to the size of London’s Hyde Park spread across 350 acres and three times bigger than Dubai’s Zabeel Park. It will act as a new destination for residents and tourists and provide a vibrant, natural environment, encouraging individuals to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
The park will provide a number of spaces that encourage exploration of nature and year-round activity for its visitors, including 30km pedestrian pathways, 20km jogging track, over 14km cycle tracks and over 7km nature trails. It will also include 55 playgrounds for children, 45 sports grounds, five major events areas and retail space for shops, restaurants and coffee shops.
The large amount of natural landscape and trees is expected to improve the air quality of surrounding area, facilitate the preservation of existing biodiversity and an opportunity to enhance the urban ecology.
In addition to being a sports and entertainment destination, the public park will host innovation and smart-solutions, including sustainable on-site power generation, waste recycling and natural shading. The park will also have smart cards for ticketing, purchasing and Wi-Fi connectivity throughout.
The construction of the first phase of the park, covering 318,000 sqm, is scheduled to commence later this year, and will offer a 4km jogging track, 7km of pedestrian pathways and a 2km cycling track.
The public garden will also include 10 sports grounds and one major events space. The park will also help preserve the environment through reducing water consumption by 5 litres per sqm and will be home to up to 15,000 trees of native and adopted species.
Through developing the park under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Holding and Dubai Municipality said they aim to elevate the city’s fitness levels, as well as consolidate Dubai’s position as one of the happiest cities around the world.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said the project will establish the longest public park in Dubai, and will meet the highest levels of sustainability while raising environmental awareness among its visitors.
He highlighted that Dubai Municipality is committed to establishing additional public parks throughout the emirate in the future, and will continue promoting active lifestyles and environmental stewardship.
Targeting the highest international standards, Dubai Municipality seeks to achieve a density for the city as a whole of 12.5 sqm per person.
When completed, this park will increase public space in Dubai by 17%.
Ahmad Bin Byat, vice chairman and managing director, Dubai Holding, added: “In addition to enhancing the natural landscape and attracting tourists, every major city, including New York, London and Singapore, has an iconic park that reflects its cultural and social identity. The provision of green, open spaces plays a pivotal role in elevating the quality of life among residents, creating a desire to explore new pursuits and enjoy favourite pastimes.”
“In addition, such parks act as important links between different parts of the wider city, positioning them as popular destinations drawing people together. The development of this park, in partnership with Dubai Municipality, aims to show off Dubai’s remarkable landscape and position it among the most prominent global cities.”
He noted that it is a viable example of private and public partnerships that help achieve the social and economic goals of the local community and increase competition in the market. Both Dubai Holding and Dubai Municipality are committed to such partnerships as part of their efforts to support the development of the UAE’s sustainable economy.
As per the MoU, Dubai Municipality will provide technical support to establish the project, in addition to implementing infrastructure work relating to irrigation connections and planting green areas. Dubai Holding will develop and operate the park and other facilities such as the playground and F&B area, as well as provide administrative support associated with the park’s operations.
