Dubai to be transformed into pedestrian-friendly city under new masterplan


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Dubai on Saturday announced a major project to transform the emirate into a "year-round pedestrian-friendly city", with more than 3,000 kilometres of walkways and 110 new bridges and tunnels.

Dubai Walk Master Plan, announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, is to drive efforts to boost quality of life and encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles.

It will include a walking network featuring 112km of waterfront paths, 124km of green walking paths and 150km of rural and mountain paths for pedestrians.

Sheikh Mohammed said 3,300km of pedestrian paths would be constructed as part of the vision for the future. A further 2,300km of existing walkways will be upgraded by 2040 under the plan, with another 900km of walkways to be constructed after 2040.

The Dubai Ruler said the initiative will help position the emirate as "one of the world’s healthiest and most sustainable cities".

The pilot phase of the scheme will run from 2025-27, with the entire project to be completed in three stages by 2040.

“We have approved the Dubai Walk Master Plan, a 6,500 km network of modern walkways covering 160 areas across the emirate," Sheikh Mohammed said, in comments shared by Dubai Media Office.

"The plan includes constructing 3,300 km of new walkways and rehabilitating 2,300 km of existing ones by 2040, in addition to more than 900 km of walkways planned beyond 2040. It also involves developing 110 pedestrian bridges and underpasses to enhance connectivity. This ambitious plan aims to increase pedestrian and soft mobility from 13 per cent to 25 per cent by 2040.

“Dubai is a city of the future, committed to creating a healthy and happy urban environment. The Dubai Walk Master Plan promotes active lifestyles and provides exercise opportunities for all, making walking a central part of our culture and daily lives. This vision will position Dubai as one of the world’s healthiest and most sustainable cities."

Three types of pedestrian paths will be developed, with scenic walkways focused on leisure, as well as areas promoting community and connectivity.

Dubai wants to increase pedestrian and soft mobility, which covers all forms of non-motorised transport, such as walking and cycling, from 13 per cent to 25 per cent.

Celebrating history and modernity

Two key routes will take shape as part of the Dubai government drive in Al Ras and the area surrounding the Museum of the Future.

The Al Ras Historical Route will serve to connect the area's treasured landmarks and will span 15km, including 5km along a revitalised waterfront. Rest areas, green spaces and art and cultural displays are also planned to line the route.

The Future Loop - which will have the Museum of the Future at its heart - will feature an elevated 2km walkway and a 30,000 square-metre, air-conditioned zone to encourage year-round walking.

Creating greener communities with amenities within walking distance is central to Dubai's development strategy as it seeks to meet the demands of a growing population.

In 2022, Sheikh Mohammed set out the next stage of the city's 2040 Urban Master Plan, with new housing and easier commuting among the top priorities.

The master plan calls for developing a '20-minute city' to give residents access to 80 per cent of their daily needs and destinations within 20 minutes by foot or bicycle.

Melbourne and Paris are considered two of the best examples, with public transport, shopping districts and schools clustered within a certain distance.

The plan includes efforts to enhance and use urban spaces, such as alleyways and spaces underneath bridges and squares, “by augmenting the elements of well-being to make them attractive for residents and visitors”.

Enhancing quality of life

In May, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, approved the Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 2033.

To be carried out in three phases in the coming years, it will aim to increase the length of beach cycling tracks by 300 per cent, extend the length of night swimming beaches by 60 per cent, and designate new beaches for women.

More than 30 parks with new designs will be developed across the emirate within three years. Under this plan, more than 115km of pedestrian and cycling tracks will be constructed and more than 3,000 trees and plants will be planted.

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

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Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Price: On request

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The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
 

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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail

Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press

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Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer

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Produced: Panorama Studios International

Directed: Abhishek Pathak

Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla

Rating: 3.5 /5 stars

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Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Updated: December 07, 2024, 2:56 PM`