Could Dubai follow London's Oxford Street and go car-free?

Dubai: London's iconic Oxford Street went traffic-free in October, with nearly 1km of the busy shopping destination closed to vehicles in a move aimed at attracting more visitors, boosting investment and supporting local businesses. But could Dubai's shopping streets undergo a similar transformation?

In a city where summer temperatures can reach 45°C and cars remain a preferred mode of transport, pedestrian-only streets might seem impractical. Yet urban planning and architecture experts say pedestrian-only shopping streets could work in Dubai. The key, they argue, is not simply removing cars, but designing shaded, accessible and well-connected spaces that make walking an attractive alternative.

“Pedestrian-only shopping streets could certainly work in selected areas of Dubai, but their success would depend on much more than simply removing cars. Pedestrianisation needs to be understood as part of a broader urban strategy that integrates public transport, accessibility, parking management, commercial activities, and the everyday needs of residents,” Dr Simona Azzali, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design at Canadian University Dubai, told Gulf News.

Dubai is already moving towards more walkable neighbourhoods. Alongside expanding public transport, which recorded 802.1 million riders in 2025, the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan promotes the concept of a 20-minute city.

A key initiative is the ‘Super Block’ project, announced in 2025, which aims to create car-free, pedestrian-friendly areas and reduce carbon emissions, starting with Al Fahidi, Abu Hail, Al Karama and Al Quoz Creative Zone.

However, Dr Azzali said the focus should be on how easily people can move between neighbourhoods, rather than simply creating large car-free zones.

“Large urban blocks can sometimes create barriers and longer walking distances if not carefully designed. What matters is a fine-grained network of accessible, shaded routes connecting homes, shops, public spaces and public transport.”

Dubai's traditional souqs offer lessons in walkability

According to Dr Azzali, the concept is hardly new to the region.

Dubai's traditional shopping districts, from the Gold and Spice Souqs in Deira to Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai and the historic streets of Al Fahidi, have long been designed around walking, with connections to public transport, including the Metro, buses and abras.

“There are valuable lessons in the region's own urban traditions. The narrow lanes, shaded passages, and courtyards found in traditional souqs illustrate how urban form can moderate solar exposure and support social interaction,” she said.

“Dubai's climate undoubtedly presents challenges, but it should not be regarded as a reason to abandon pedestrian-friendly urban design. Rather, it calls for a different understanding of outdoor comfort, one that reflects the region's environmental conditions, cultural practices, and daily rhythms.”

Regional examples include Msheireb Downtown Doha, which combines pedestrian-friendly streets with public transport, underground parking and managed vehicle access. Dubai's Al Seef and Doha's Souq Waqif also demonstrate how shopping and public spaces can be designed around pedestrians.

For Dr Azzali, the lesson is not to replicate London's Oxford Street, but to develop an approach suited to Dubai's own climate and lifestyle.

“The goal should not be to reproduce the experience of a European pedestrian boulevard under very different climatic conditions. It should be to develop a locally responsive model of walkability that recognises seasonal, daily, and sociocultural rhythms while at the same time creating comfortable, inclusive, and socially meaningful public spaces.”

According to Dr Azzali, the key is designing pedestrian-friendly spaces that are suited to Dubai's climate and environment. “In Dubai, this means prioritising passive design strategies such as continuous shading, appropriate street orientation, shaded arcades, climate-adapted vegetation, carefully selected surface materials, and well-ventilated transitional spaces.”

Her research, published in August 2026, examined how people use and experience different indoor and outdoor spaces at City Walk, a mixed-use shopping and leisure destination in Dubai.

The study found that shaded and partially covered areas encouraged people to stop, wait and spend more time outdoors, while exposed spaces were mainly used for passing through. “These findings suggest that pedestrian comfort is not determined by the absence of cars alone, but by the quality and variety of the spatial environments people experience.”

Could temporary car-free streets be the answer for Dubai?

While year-round car-free streets may be challenging to implement in Dubai, temporary closures during evenings or cooler months could offer a practical starting point. Such trials would allow authorities to test pedestrianisation before introducing permanent changes, according to Dr Rana Shakaa, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the College of Architecture, Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah.

“Closing streets when people actually want to walk makes sense, and other cities show it can work. Bogotá has closed main roads to cars every Sunday since 1974, across more than 100 km of streets, and research links it to higher physical activity, including among children,” Dr Shakaa said.

“London's Oxford Street also experimented with a one-day traffic ban in 2025 before becoming traffic-free this October. Such trials allow authorities to assess traffic diversions, visitor behaviour and the impact on businesses before committing to permanent changes,” she explained. 

Alserkal Avenue offers a real-life example

One Dubai destination is already putting the idea of temporary pedestrianisation into practice.

At Alserkal Avenue, the arts and cultural district in Al Quoz, pedestrian-friendly weekends have been extended to weekday evenings from 7pm, offering a practical example of how reducing vehicle access can change the way visitors experience a space.

The initiative began as part of a broader effort, developed over several years, to understand how visitors use the district and identify ways to improve their experience.

“The study gave us some interesting insights into how we could make the space more welcoming to visitors. Pedestrian-friendly evenings and weekends were part of that plan, alongside more green spaces and seating inside Alserkal Avenue,” Basmah El Bittar, Director of Alserkal Avenue, told Gulf News.

One of the findings came from the public realm study by international engineering consultancy Buro Happold, which identified vehicle traffic and exhaust as contributing around five degrees to the high temperatures experienced in the Avenue's lanes. Reducing vehicle movement was therefore seen as a way to improve the pedestrian environment while creating more space for visitors to walk, explore and spend time outdoors.

However, introducing the changes was not without challenges. Dubai's hot climate and residents' preference for parking close to their destinations meant encouraging visitors to change their travel habits required careful planning.

“We have regular discussions with business owners to find workable solutions and work closely with the RTA to optimise public parking around Alserkal Avenue.”

To make the transition easier, Alserkal Avenue has also been encouraging visitors to use public transport, including the nearby ONPASSIVE Metro Station and connecting bus services, alongside promotional offers with Careem and Uber.

“Shifting away from a vehicle-first culture to a pedestrian-first culture is a challenge, but we’re finding that the answer lies in a concerted effort by all who are involved – the authorities, visitors and ourselves.”

What happened when Alserkal Avenue restricted cars?

According to El Bittar, the success of pedestrian-friendly weekends prompted Alserkal Avenue to extend the initiative to weekday evenings, following positive visitor feedback and a consistent rise in weekend footfall.

“We started pedestrian weekends to see how the public would react to the change, and the feedback we’ve had from visitors and community members has been phenomenal,” she said.

Beyond the positive feedback, El Bittar said visitor numbers had consistently increased on weekends, encouraging the Avenue to expand its pedestrian-friendly hours.

“The absence of cars makes for a safer environment for everyone, especially families and pets. People spend longer in the Avenue and spend more time walking and discovering concepts with ease and at their own pace,” she added.

Would car-free streets help businesses or drive customers away?

“The biggest worry for shops is losing customers who drive, but research shows this fear is often exaggerated, because shop owners overestimate how many customers arrive by car,” Dr. Shakaa, said.

She pointed to research from Bristol and Berlin that revealed a striking gap between how shopkeepers believed customers travelled and how they actually reached their stores.

A 2006 survey of two shopping streets in Bristol found that shopkeepers estimated 41 per cent of customers arrived by car, compared with an actual figure of 22 per cent. Similarly, a 2021 study in Berlin found that businesses estimated 22 per cent of customers drove, when the figure was just 7 per cent. Those motorists accounted for only 9 per cent of spending.

“Most customers on busy local streets already arrive on foot, and they are the people a pedestrian-friendly street serves best. In a dense neighborhood like Al Karama, where many shoppers live within walking distance, that is likely to hold true. Residents gain safer, quieter streets that are easier to walk, meet in and let children play in.”

However, pedestrianisation could shift traffic and parking problems to neighbouring streets. “In Barcelona, some cars simply moved to surrounding streets, so the roads around each area need planning too,” Dr Shakaa said.

She added that parking alternatives would be essential in areas such as Al Karama, alongside access for older residents, people with disabilities, taxis, deliveries and emergency services.

Car-free streets could help cool Dubai's neighbourhoods

Removing cars alone will not make Dubai's streets cooler. According to Dr Shakaa, the real difference comes from shade, trees and heat-resistant street design.

“The bigger heat problem is the sun hitting hard surfaces. Research in hot, dry cities shows paving can reach 50 to 65°C in summer, so a car-free street with no shade is just a hot, empty plaza.”

Dr Shakaa cited studies from Cairo and Dammam highlighting the benefits of shade and trees. Research in Cairo found that shading could reduce the temperature pedestrians feel by up to 2.3°C, while a study in Dammam found that 60 per cent tree canopy coverage offered the best balance between cooling and cost. Lighter paving materials and better airflow could further improve outdoor comfort.

Car-free streets could also reduce local exhaust emissions, but they would not eliminate desert dust. Dr Shakaa pointed to research near a Sharjah highway identifying traffic as a significant source of airborne particles. However, the benefits could be lost if vehicles simply moved to neighbouring roads.

“So the benefits will be limited if Dubai only closes streets, but meaningful if it pairs car-free streets with shade, trees and cooler surfaces that make walking possible for more of the year.”

For Dubai, the question may not be whether it can recreate London's Oxford Street, but how it can develop pedestrian-friendly shopping streets that work for its own climate, businesses and residents.