Dubai Mega Projects: Inside The Loop, a 93km Air Conditioned Walkway

What's On

14-02-2025

Helping you get from A to B in the cool of AC…
Social media seems to be going understandably loopy at the news of Elon Musk's proposed new underground transportation system for Dubai, announced at the World Government Summit (WGS) 2025 today. But the concept left us thinking about another Loop-based UAE megaproject, first touted in 2023 (find out more in the gallery below). 3 of 12
The Loop is a proposed Dubai megaproject that comprises a 93km-long air conditioned walking and cycling route around the city
This map shows the full proposed extent of Dubai Cycle City 2040
You are what powers The Loop. That's not marketing spiel â€' your movement across the kinetic pads of The Loop's walking track generates electricity, making the project a master work of sustainability.
Need to find your Zen? The Dubai Loop will include social spaces and 'pocket parks'.
This anatomical diagram of The Loop shows the various levels of its construction. The more keen-eyed amongst you may have spotted a subterranean slot at the bottom for… Mr Musk's Hyperloop
The Loop futuristic looks are a perfect fit for Dubai
The Loop is expected to serve communities of more than three million people
Do you even lift though? The Loop's structure will contain fitness and wellness features along its length
As well as more off-piste activities
The Loop aligns with the Dubai 20 Minute City scheme which aims to make the city point-to-point accessible within 20-minutes no matter the location.
Even in the height of summer, The Loop's cool climes will make it an in-demand destination of its own
Part of the sustainable promise of The Loop is to include vertical farms, irrigated with 100 per cent recycled water.
The Musk endeavour would resemble his existing Las Vegas underground Loop, which reduces surface traffic in the congested desert city by ferrying passengers in autonomous Teslas via a series of subterranean channels.
The Loop Dubai – a concept from sustainable city developer URB – also seeks to soothe our traffic woes but in a very different way. It's now part of a larger proposed undertaking by the firm, Dubai Cycle City 2040 which aims to turn this urban expanse into the most bike-friendly city in the world. Loop-the-loop
Talking about the project, URB CEO, Baharash Bagherian said 'our aim is to get more than 80 per cent of people to use a bike on a daily basis. Dubai is currently primarily built for car travel. It's major road infrastructures and networks have disconnected communities by walking or cycling, thus we need an entrepreneurial mindset in reconnecting these neighbourhoods, whilst making cycling or walking the primary mode of transport all year round to any part of the city.'
The Loop's blueprinted route could see it serving three million residents – to either walk or bike through segments of its 93km-long, air-conditioned expanse. Where will The Loop take us?
Join us on a whistle-stop, unsurprisingly circular (given the name) trip around the outlined orbit of The Loop. As you can see from the map below, the westerly quadrant traces the Sheikh Zayed Road bisector (in a similar way the Red Line of the Metro) – stitching together communities such as Jebel Ali, JLT, Dubai Marina, Barsha, Al Quoz, Business Bay, Downtown, DIFC.
The Loop then heads off through Meydan and Nad Al Sheba into Academic City before taking a cheeky handbrake turn through to Dubailand and Sustainable City before curving into DIP and Expo City to close The Loop.
Green roots
It comes with some great green credentials too. It's expected to be 100 per cent powered by renewable (kinetic) energy; the irrigation of the indoor biome will be entirely serviced by recycled water; and it will include vertical farms, a vital component of the region's food security efforts. Plenty of room for activities
Beyond its primary role as a purveyor of cool air conveyance – The Loop will also house a series of leisure and wellness facilities, including fitness stations, social spaces, 'pocket parks' and sports courts.
Interestingly – the original designs included provision for another level which would house the Hyperloop. The Hyperloop is of course another Elon Musk-conceived rapid transit concept.
 Powered by you
But where is the energy coming from to power all this? As mentioned above – the idea is to run the project on renewable kinetic energy. The force of movement. You, the visitor's, movement.
The kinetic walkways are built out of pressure-sensitive pads that use displacement technology, to drive induction which converts into usable energy. Your step count literally pays the energy bills. Take note DEWA. The wider Dubai Cycle City 2040 project
The Dubai Cycle City 2040 scheme aims to roll out an integrated bike path system, lacing together Dubai's network of residential communities with a total track length in excess of 1,000km.
Within that network there will be purpose-built bridges, and community loops that provide challenges to all levels of cycling proficiency.
Images: URB
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