Monday May 15, 2023
CNN —
In a city known for superlatives, it’s no surprise that someone in Dubai plans to build another of the “world’s largest.” But unlike the tallest skyscraper or the deepest pool, the latest proposed project is not simply an architectural feat, it’s a win for ocean conservation too.
Dubai Reefs bills itself as the world’s largest ocean restoration project; if built it would consist of 77 square miles of artificial reef that will create a home for more than one billion corals and 100 million mangrove trees.
Plans for the project were announced this week by URB, a Dubai-based developer of sustainable cities, whose previous designs include an indoor cycling super highway in Dubai and sustainable cities in Egypt and South Africa.
“The health of our cities is intrinsically tied to the health of our oceans,” URB CEO Baharash Bagherian told CNN in an email. “We need an entrepreneurial spirit in the planning of coastal cities.”