Khaleej Times     November 24, 2009   By Sajila Saseendran

DUBAI — Parking lots in Dubai are set to go green with the Dubai Municipality launching a plan for introducing green specifications for parking areas. The green parking project aims to transform all parking areas in Dubai to “cultivated areas”, said the Director General of Dubai Municipality Hussain Nasser Lootah.

Officials told Khaleej Times that a panel of experts will soon come up with an action plan for turning this experimental project into a successful model of sustainable development. Lootah said the project will be implemented gradually, in line with Dubai’s green buildings and green roofs projects.

“Dubai is witnessing tremendous growth in urbanisation and as a result, temperature in the region is rising. Green parking area is one of the environment-friendly solutions adopted by the Dubai Municipality to meet the expected urban expansion,” he said in press statement released on Monday.

Green parking lots will be a part of the new criterion in green building specifications.

Though he did not elaborate on the methods to be used for turning paved parking lots into green areas, Lootah said the municipality would seek the cooperation of the Roads and Transport Authority on the possibility of the project’s application in all areas in the Emirate of Dubai, as per technical regulations. 

“We will start the project with the Municipality parking areas and the parking lots of the (municipality) projects, and the commercial and residential complexes,” he said, indicating that parking lots in shopping complexes will also have to abide by upcoming green specifications.

He said the project would be implemented in cooperation with the authorities concerned.

It would also strengthen the culture of having a green environment and improve the visual harmony in the urban fabric of the city. 

“This is in line with our vision to create an excellent city that provides the essence of success and comfort of living through the development of laws and regulations to keep pace with international standards in the field of sustainable development, by cultivating parking lots in the Emirate of Dubai.”

Lootah said the project is also significant in improving the environment and air quality, thereby enhancing public health and preserving the ecosystem.

Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Ahmed Abdul Kareem told Khaleej Times that certain areas in public parks would be chosen to implement the project initially.

“Then we can show others the materials used, the technique used for helping cars drive into the parking lot without affecting the grass and the special design used for water irrigation system,” said Abdul Kareem.

“The type of grass to be used will not be the normal one that you see around and the technique used in irrigation will be different from that in the normal grass areas. We will make sure that the cars and the public will not get wet,” he said.

He said the municipality will conduct comparative studies on the paved parking lots and green parking areas in future to highlight the positive impact of the initiative.

Many countries in the West have been experimenting with green parking concept which uses several techniques to reduce the impervious cover — the hard, solid surface that does not allow water to percolate — in parking lots. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has replaced some of the paved parking lots with permeable pavement and has planted rain gardens to remove pollutants from storm water, and help water filter back into the ground.