The introduction of greenery and vegetation requires great coordination among all consultants and designers throughout the different project phases.

Vegetation is one of the few elements that is able to convey the spirit of a place in a very direct yet subtle manner; consistency and variations of trees throughout a neighborhood or a city influences the perception of the places significantly. Dubai, despite its climatic conditions, is planting lush vegetation in its main arteries and some selected areas; a significant maintenance effort is essential since the planting costs might be relatively low, operation costs of greenery have to be borne forever.

Besides its purely aesthetic and poetic qualities, the cultivation of trees and greenery is excellent for increasing thermal comfort for pedestrians, providing shading and cooling temperature in their proximity. Despite the common belief, proper plantation of trees in new master plans is a tough task requiring great coordination among all consultants and designers in different phases of the project: the type and location of trees depend strongly on the location of utilities, and vice versa. Tall trees subtract space from utilities, which generally cannot be located underneath vehicle traffic lanes resulting in widening the Right of Way, detaching the plot boundaries and reducing buildings footprint.

By re-thinking the way utilities impact on the composition of Dubai’s roads, it is possible to design new generation of roads, which are more compact, green and therefore shaded, walkable, with higher urban quality.

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Green Pedestrian Walkability