Aimed to enhance the quality of life with increased green spaces, focusing on redeveloping Karama with a green corridor and community spaces.

In 2021, Dubai launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, a 20-year strategy for sustainable development aimed at enhancing residents' happiness and quality of life, with goals to double green spaces, expand nature reserves, create green corridors, and increase educational and healthcare facilities by 25%. One of the neighborhoods set for significant redevelopment under this plan is Karama, one of Dubai's oldest residential areas, known for its vibrant community and diverse street life, featuring over 300 restaurants within a two-square-kilometer area. This layered context presents both challenges and opportunities for design interventions.

In alignment with the Dubai 2040 Master Plan, the second-year architecture design studio ‘Karama 2040’ at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, led by Associate Professor Shameel Muhammed, proposed a green corridor linking key neighborhood nodes to Zabeel Park. The design included transforming surface-level parking into community spaces while integrating subterranean parking.

Karama 2040 showcased student design projects, including a community center, children's library, and coding school, which addressed the lack of educational facilities in the neighborhood and aligned with the Master Plan's goals. The project featured a scaled model of southern Karama, highlighting changes since the demolition of some residential buildings in 2023.

About Heriot-Watt:

The BA (Hons) Architecture program at Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus was launched in 2015 and has since grown to over 150 students, establishing a unique presence within Dubai's design community. Positioned within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), the program incorporates expertise from various disciplines related to the built environment. It aims to equip students to address global challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Throughout their studies, students will develop projects that aim to create a positive impact through diverse design practices and innovative solutions relevant to the industry.