It appears that UAE has already reserved its place in the front pages of smart city history for its glorious accomplishments since they started planning the roadmap in the year 2014. The country has incredibly planned a smart city roadmap until the year 2117 where it envisions to establish the first human settlement on Mars. Dubai is currently at the heart of the UAE smart goals, where dozens of initiatives in the field of environment, transportation, infrastructure, education, tourism, and science are making headway. One of the most-talked initiatives these days is the construction of a climate-controlled city within a city like Dubai where summers go extremely out of control.
Remarkably, this initiative is going to play a vital role in Dubai when global temperatures are rising. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in October explained that even half a degree rise in the global temperature would lead to harsh, catastrophic effects. This will make drought-prone areas much more susceptible to encounter the worse conditions while areas inclined to heat waves will face more of it. In other words, climate will give rise to conditions that are less livable, especially in places that are already prone to high temperatures.
So, what we are exploring next is just the answer to how the world can make the outside more livable during climate change – much like the human way!
Plan To Enwrap One-of-a-kind Smart City Under A Giant Glass Dome
The emirate of Dubai is adapting to the changing temperatures by developing a line of indoor spaces that are climate-controlled. These places include 65 malls, residential societies and even entire indoor cities that are integrated with a car-centric design that allows people to move around without the need to walk. Hence, people can spend entire days without even stepping outside.
Coming to the gist of the context, Dubai is planning to build a climate-controlled city covering an area of 48 million sq.ft under a giant glass dome – equivalent to 100 football stadiums. It is a 2 billion dollar project called ‘Dubai Square’ which will be designed by Dubai Holding developers in association with Emaar Properties. The project will impersonate the cultural district of New York’s Broadway and Oxford Street in London. About 180 million visitors are foreseen to the new complex annually even during the harsh summers.
Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has announced the plans for a complex that will have the largest shopping centre in the world while also being the first ever temperature-controlled city in the world. According to Sheikh Mohammed, the project complements their plans to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist, and economic hub for about 2 million people living in the emirate. He continued confirming that the emirate is determined to fulfill the vision.
Exclusive Features Of Dubai Square For All Generations
Dubai Square, the region’s most ambitious smart city initiative will have an entire city built inside a giant retractable glass dome. The Square will be built around a four-lane “avenue” that will include a wide city street, a recreational centre on the ground floor for concerts and theatre shows, cinema, largest indoor amusement park, and sports arena. Additionally, it will have the Middle East’s biggest Chinatown and an 8-million sq.ft mall that can accommodate 15,000 people at once. The mall will be a social space instead of just being a shopping space. In short, Dubai Square will have everything for every generation, so that entire family can enjoy the stay!
Furthermore, the complex will also include 100 hotels with 20,000 hotel rooms. 25 hotels will be directly linked to the mall and 75 hotels will be accessible through air-conditioned walkways. It will also have 20 residential apartments and a 3-million sq.ft “wellness district” for medical tourism that will be accessible via air-conditioned pedestrian paths. The buildings constructed in the city will be linked by promenades spreading across 4.5 miles. Transportation system will be backed by a tram network that will stretch across all the parts of the mall and a huge parking space to accommodate 50,000 cars.
Dubai Square From Environment Viewpoint
Dubai is a city that experiences long summers stretching from mid-April through October. The temperatures generally range between 41 degree Celsius to 48 degrees Celsius and sometimes as high as 50 degree Celsius with a high percentage of humidity in the atmosphere. Hence, such extreme temperatures make it unbearable to even spend a few minutes under the sky.
Considering the climatic conditions of Dubai, the new climate-controlled city will be no less than a boon. The retractable glass roof will make the temperatures inside favourable during summers while in the cooler winter season the glass dome will be exposed to fresh air.
As we know that the entire globe is struggling to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the case is not different here in Dubai. Dubai Square is a project that covers the environmental responsibilities of urban planning. According to Ahmad bin Byat, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding the technology deployed here will focus on reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint while attaining high levels of environmental sustainability and operational efficiency.
The Tech Factor
The tech factor of Dubai Square is the most engaging. Dubai Square will actually go beyond the limits of modern retail and recreation by deploying next-generation technology. It will have a tech-enabled space for the customer and residents of a new era – people who are digital and tech-savvy.
The entertainment space will have 3D projection mapping, theatrical sound, and lighting. Moreover, the retail space will provide a fascinating experience to anybody who visits by having VIP dressing rooms, smart fitting rooms with interactive mirrors and curated individual fashion collections. The retail space is said to be of “omnichannel” style, connecting the digital platforms with the brick and mortars. The new technology will enable people to make purchases through mobile devices or desktops and even directly via store counter. The shopping experience will be expanded by combining custom-designed mobile apps, barcode scanning application and radio-frequency identification (technology not just for inventories but also for checkout without cashier).
An intriguing factor for the retailers targeting the Middle East region is that the percentage of the young population is highest in the region. Approximately, half of the population in the Middle East countries is below the age of 25. More importantly, the younger consumers are well-to-do professionals which opens up a tremendous market for the next two decades.
The cost and the timeline of the Dubai Square project are yet to be revealed. However, the ambitious plan is anticipated to be the highlight at the World Expo 2020 Dubai. This is the largest trade fair in the world that is taking place for the first time in the Middle East region. The most-awaited event will witness 180 countries and millions of people coming together to mark the beginning of a new tech-driven future. The event will exhibit state-of-the-art innovations and trends in the field of technology which is set to bring immediate impact in the region and in the lives of the people.
