Dubai's 20-Minute Cities Defeat Heat

Dubai's 20-Minute Cities: Tackling Summer Heat

Dubai's ambitious goal is to create "20-minute cities" by 2040, where residents can access all necessary services for their daily lives within 20 minutes – on foot, by bicycle, or via other sustainable modes of transportation. The concept aims to foster community life, reduce car usage, and promote energy-efficient and healthy lifestyles. However, the region's climate conditions – particularly the long, hot summers – pose significant challenges to implementing such urban development.

The 20-Minute City Concept

The essence of a 20-minute city is that people's homes should be no more than 800 meters from the public transport network, enabling them to meet 80% of their daily needs – work, school, grocery stores, healthcare, leisure centers – without driving. As part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, the initiative has already launched its first pilot project in the Al Barsha 2 district.

Summer Heat as an Obstacle

While winter months are ideal for walking and outdoor commuting, the summer season – when temperatures often exceed 45 °C – makes pedestrian commuting virtually impossible. This condition raises serious questions about the project's sustainability, as it is impractical to design entire districts for only a few months of the year.

Innovative Solutions at Expo City Dubai

Expo City Dubai serves as an experimental ground for applying and testing the 20-minute city model. Developers are creating climate-controlled zones, shaded walkways, enclosed, cooled community spaces, and smart transport hubs where electric vehicles, bicycles, and e-scooters enable multimodal transportation.

Designers also emphasize that activating the built environment – such as interactive sidewalks, colorful pavements, and urban play areas – can motivate residents to choose walking, especially during the winter season.

Transforming Old Districts

Developers are not only focusing on newly established quarters but also on rethinking old districts. Previously planned residential areas were often more pedestrian-friendly but no longer meet modern transportation needs due to a lack of well-developed parking spaces or public transport links. However, revitalizing these areas is not only important for environmental and social reasons but can also be a profitable investment economically.

The Future City: People-Centric, Sustainable, and Adaptive

In Dubai's case, the 20-minute city concept is more than an urban planning trend – it is an adaptive, long-term response to sustainability, urbanization challenges, and adaptation to climatic conditions. The key to solutions lies in technological innovation, energy-efficient infrastructure, and involving residents in the use of community spaces.

Dubai's example shows that even in the most extreme climates, it is possible to develop forward-thinking, people-centered districts – if proper planning, flexibility, and technological support are in place.

(The article's source is a statement from the designers of Expo City Dubai.)