Dubai could become a new centre for sustainability and wellness, if developer URB gets its way. The Dubai-based firm has proposed a series of ambitious, environmentally focused designs to transform the emirate — including an indoor climate controlled “sustainable urban highway” stretching over 93 kilometres (58 miles).

If built, ‘The Loop’ would be the ‘smartest’ cycling and running infrastructure anywhere in the world, according to URB’s CEO Baharash Bagherian. “The project aims to make Dubai the most connected city on Earth by foot or bike,” he added. The massive structure is designed to wrap around Dubai, providing a car-free green corridor filled with trees and plants for residents to walk or cycle around the city.

URB has also devised a huge agritourism project for Dubai’s desert which it says could become a new benchmark for sustainable agriculture, environmental education and green tourism in the region, if it were built.

Separate from The Loop, the “Agri Hub” would cover roughly 40 hectares and host spaces for education and research, as well as eco-lodges, farm shops, and farm-to-table restaurants and cafes. Bagherian says that a visit to the Agri Hub would help guests to understand and engage more in sustainable practices. “It will open people’s minds,” he says. “People may misunderstand agritourism. They think it’s looking at farm equipment, looking at farms, and going to pick fruit. With this project we’re trying to disrupt the agritourism model, so it benefits everyone. Whether you’re a retailer, whether you’re a farmer, especially if you’re the consumer — there’s something of a greener economy for everyone.”

“Moving towards a greener economy”