This for me raises a number of questions. First of all, where do we really have that many large car parks? I thought they were all disappearing.
Secondly, would one still have to pay for them? Sounds strange but I guess one could claim anyone parked on grass even needs a ticket.
Thirdly, although I agree greener is nicer, how practical is this? Doesn't the grass die with cars driving on them..specially the car parks as they are always jam packed over here. Most grass car parks I've seen abroad are just temporary car parks used for some big event, and not on daily usage.
Fourth, watering will be a pain. Can't really use sprinklers, and how often would one like to walk on wet grass to get to ones car?
Fifth and most important, will this really be environmental friendly and 'carbon neutral'? Our water comes from de-salination, which comes from burning fossil (carbon) fuel. So the net environmental effect is probably more negative than positive.
Sixth, do we have money for these type of projects
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll ... NALFINANCE
DUBAI // Dubai is about to become a little greener, and its car parks a little softer underfoot.
As part of its efforts to increase the amount of green space, the municipality announced plans yesterday to gradually replace the concrete and sand surfaces of all car parks with real grass.
Large car parking areas are now being identified so that they can be converted to grass. Grass car parking spaces will also be introduced as a new criterion in green building specifications, authorities said.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, the municipality’s director general, said the green parking project aimed to transform all parking areas in the emirate to “cultivated areas”.
“We will start the project with the municipality parking areas and the parking lots of the projects, and the commercial and residential complexes.
“We will also seek the co-operation of the Roads and Transport Authority on the possibility of its application in all areas in the emirate of Dubai, as per technical regulations,” Mr Lootah said.
The exact date for commencement of the project was not revealed. Although most of Dubai’s car parks are surfaced with concrete, a few are little more than giant sandpits, meaning motorists sometimes have to make their way through thick dust after parking their cars.
Environmental experts and motorists like the proposal. Ibrahim al-Zu’bi, an environmental expert, welcomed any plan that might add to the amount of greenery, provided irrigation and maintenance costs were reasonable.
“It is a very good initiative as long as it does not consume too much water, and does not need much maintenance,” he said.
“There is one such green parking lot in Emirates Towers and it works well. Green parking would be a nice sight for the eyes and also good for the environment.”
Krishna Nair, 45, an Indian residing in Bur Dubai, said: “We need more greenery in Dubai. Instead of large, boring parking lots, some greenery would change the look of the city.”
Nicola Scott, 32, from the UK, said: “It would be refreshing to see and feel some grass in this desert while you’re busy with your daily routine. It is also good for the car as it’s a break from the sand pits and dust.”
Work will start with the large parking area at municipality headquarters on Baniyas Road and its offices in Karama, Al Rashidiya, Al Twar, Umm Suqeim and Hatta.
Other areas owned by the municipality will follow, including the Shindagha fish market, the fruit and vegetable market, and municipal parks and recreation areas.
The conversion of car parks will be implemented gradually, authorities said, in conjunction with other environmental initiatives.
“Dubai is witnessing tremendous growth in urbanisation and as a result temperature in the region is rising,” Mr Lootah said.
“Green parking is one of the environmentally friendly solutions adopted by Dubai Municipality to meet the expected urban expansion.”
He said the green parking area project is also expected to improve the environment and air, thereby improving the health of the community and the preservation of the ecosystem.
The municipality announced last year that 113 hectares of greenery would be added to the urban landscape as part of the emirate’s Strategic Plan for 2007-2011.
Hamdan al Shaer, director of the municipality’s environment section, echoed the views of Mr Lootah, and said the project “would help in reducing [the UAE’s] carbon footprint and benefit the environment”. When questioned about the preparation and maintenance cost for grass car parks, Mr al Shaer said: “Everything requires maintenance, whether it’s green roofs or grass car parks. The idea here is to introduce a perspective of using a parking lot as a green area.”
Major parking areas would be targeted first. Negotiations are under way with developers as well as owners of the car parks.
“The budget has not been finalised yet but after we reach an agreement with developers we will decide the monetary value of these projects,” said Mr al Shaer.
Currently, technical staff at the municipality are checking the feasibility of the project in various areas, officials said.
“Among the benefits is that instead of tarmac, such surfaces will be of grass and hence it’s a porous surface.
“When rainwater falls it goes straight into the ground thereby increasing groundwater level,” said John Wigham, the director of Cracknell, a landscape architecture firm that worked on the Yas Island development and provided a grass parking area outside the circuit in Abu Dhabi.
“The downside, however, is that grass requires irrigation and hence water would be used.”
Mr Wigham said the municipality’s initiative was critical for creating more of a “human living environment” in the emirate. His company has already provided grass car parks in some areas of Dubai.
He said that typical maintenance costs per square metre of reinforced grass car parking would be strongly affected by economies of scale.
“Large areas, such as we have provided in Zabeel Park, could cost in the region of Dh6-8 per square metre per annum, whereas small urban plots might be as much as Dh20 per square metre per annum,” he said.
Irrigation in regularly used car parks would also be a concern as sprinklers cannot be used when cars are in the lot.
