News

Dubai Unveils Plans For Climate-Controlled Cycling Highway

The city aims to promote walking and cycling as primary modes of transport for residents by 2040.

Published

3 years ago

February 1, 2023

Nour Nasir

dubai unveils plans for climate-controlled cycling highway

URB

When it comes to sustainable modes of transport, countries like the Netherlands have it pretty easy with their temperate climates. On the other hand, the sweltering heat of the Middle East isn’t ideal for cycling or walking to the office.

Arab countries, therefore, need to think outside the box when implementing sustainable (think car-free) forms of transportation, especially if they aim to meet emissions targets as we head toward 2030 and beyond.

A recent announcement by Dubai authorities provides a glimpse into a different green future. City planners have recently unveiled a 93-km climate-controlled cycling highway, named The Loop, with the aim of making cycling and walking to work feasible for up to 80% of residents by the year 2040.

Dubai-based sustainable developer URB is leading the project, and the route will feature a “climate-controlled all-year environment” to make walking and cycling more viable for residents, in line with the Emirate’s 20-minute city initiative.

Also Read: Toothpick Is Aiming To Digitize Dentalcare In The UAE & Beyond

The elaborate cycle track is currently still at the R&D stage but is already set to feature leisure and community spaces along its length, providing “an enjoyable mode of sustainable transport, no matter the weather conditions,” the development team said in a recent statement.

In November 2022, URB won two contracts for cycling paths in Dubai’s Al Khawaneej and Mushrif, which form part of a 278-km cycling masterplan for the region. The team will use their experience to develop the new climate-controlled urban highway.

News

At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value

Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

at io 2026 sundar pichai concedes ai must deliver real value

Google

Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.

The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.

Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.

The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.

Also Read: DJI Teases Dual-Camera Osmo Pocket 4P For 2026 Launch

Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.

What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.