Dubai completes $52m beauty project with 300,000 trees and smart irrigation tech

Arabian Business

14-07-2025

Dubai Municipality has completed a sweeping series of landscaping and afforestation projects across major roads and intersections in the emirate during the first half of 2025, investing AED190m ($51.7m) to beautify more than three million square metres of urban space.
The works are part of Dubai's wider Green Dubai initiative and align with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability, improving quality of life, and reinforcing the city's status as a global leader in urban innovation.
The landscaping efforts covered key corridors and entry points to the city, including Al Khail Road and Latifa bint Hamdan Street; Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan and Tripoli Street; Sheikh Rashid Street to Al Mina Road; 7th Interchange of Sheikh Zayed Road (Abu Dhabi entry) and Al Khawaneej and Al Amardi Street.
Dubai Municipality beauty projects
In total, the Municipality planted more than 300,000 trees and seedlings, along with 222,500sq m of ground covers and flowers.
The beauty projects also incorporated smart, sustainable irrigation systems featuring underground pump designs to optimise surface space.
These systems are connected to remote-control networks supported by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, enabling real-time monitoring and water-use efficiency to ensure sustainable irrigation practices.
The projects incorporated the planting of native trees such as sidr, ghaf, and neem, alongside ornamental varieties including chorisia, washingtonia, royal poinciana, millingtonia, albizia, and bougainvillaea.
Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of the Municipality, said: 'Our aim is to reinforce Dubai's distinctive urban and aesthetic identity and solidify its position as a leading sustainable global city.
'We seek to offer a vibrant and healthy living environment that upholds the highest standards of quality of life for residents and visitors, while maintaining a harmonious balance between the urban, architectural, and environmental landscape.'
In addition to greenery, Dubai Municipality integrated architectural design elements to elevate the city's visual identity. At the Al Khail and Latifa bint Hamdan intersection, vertical lighting installations inspired by traditional Arab architecture were added. These lights change colour to mark national events and blend with surrounding landscape design.
Dubai Municipality's broader afforestation and landscaping efforts have accelerated rapidly:
Metric Value (as of Q1 2025)
Total trees and seedlings managed 5.5m
Green areas 8.7 million sqm
Seasonal flowers 2 million sqm
Ground cover 6.3 million sqm
Plant fencing 1.3 million linear metres
Trees planted in 2024 216,500 (600/day avg)
Increase in green space (2023–2024) +157.5 hectares (from 234 to 391.5 ha)
Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said: 'The landscaping projects were developed in accordance with specific urban and environmental criteria, with a focus on selecting diverse plant species adapted to the local climate.
'This enhances the beauty and unique character of public spaces. We also increased the planting of native and ornamental species cultivated in Dubai Municipality's nurseries.
'In addition, we unified the aesthetic of Dubai's main entry points by installing similar decorative fencing, using carefully selected colour schemes that reflect the emirate's identity and provide visitors with a welcoming sense of arrival.'
Dubai Municipality's efforts are part of a broader transformation to position Dubai among the world's most liveable, environmentally conscious, and aesthetically distinctive cities.