How Dubai’s 20 minute city plans to keep you walking; even in 45°C heat

Dubai’s ambitious "20-minute city" concept, part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, aims to place essential services, transit, and leisure facilities within a 20-minute walk, cycle, or scooter ride for residents. However, the city’s sweltering summer temperatures significantly hinder this vision.

At Expo City Dubai, officials are pioneering solutions to beat the heat. Ivan Kyselov, Senior Manager of City Operations, told Mobility Live attendees that shaded walkways, interactive pit stops, and electric shuttles are being introduced to make short journeys bearable, even inviting. “In the winter, people are encouraged to walk … in the summer, we add climate-controlled zones,” he said.

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These interventions include enclosed cooled spaces to offer relief during transit, smart mobility hubs for e-scooters and bicycles, and electric vehicles to ensure constant connectivity across zones.

While new districts like Al Barsha 2 are being built specifically for 20-minute living, retrofitting older areas remains crucial.

Transport mobility expert Martin Tillman noted that transforming established neighbourhoods is tougher, but essential: they often already have pedestrian-ready layouts that shouldn’t be lost to urban decay.

Dubai’s goal is to ensure that over 55% of residents live within 800 meters of a transit station and can meet 80% of their daily needs within a short walk or ride. Achieving this in summer demands climate-sensitive solutions, shade, air-conditioned hubs, and carefully designed pathways.

Dubai’s summer climate routinely exceeds 40 °C, with humidity pushing “feels-like” temperatures close to 45 °C. The heat not only discourages walking and cycling but also poses health risks and threatens to undermine years of planning and investment.