The very first ‘Hewi’ community space will be unveiled in Dubai on January 1, 2026. This was announced by officials at the Urban Future Week on Tuesday. Designed in collaboration with children and the communities that will use them, the neighborhood parks will offer UAE residents a new opportunity to bond.
According to Bader Anwahi, CEO of Public Facility Agency at Dubai Municipality, the project will attempt to recreate Emirati values. “For example, the Hewi will be located close to a mosque where our senior citizens can keep an eye on children as they play,” he said. “We didn’t need security guards when we have our grandfathers watching. Those were the values we grow up with.”
The joint project by Dubai Municipality and Dubai Future Foundation is currently in the production and fabrication stage. It will be rolled out to other areas of the emirate in the coming years.
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The design of the park also comes from Emirati roots, said Abdulaziz Aljaziri, Deputy CEO of Dubai Future Foundation. “We didn’t look at data,” he said. “We observed how families interact with each other and how they use the parks.”
He explained how authorities handed out paper and colors and asked children to draw what they wanted in a park. “They came up with things that we never thought about,” he said. “We also found that over manicuring a park or facility doesn’t allow children to be free.”
Meanwhile, Bader gave the example of a children’s play area in the usual community parks. “It is located a little away from the family area,” he said. “But here, we have put a coffee shop with glass walls next to the play area so families can still watch their children while relaxing,” he said.
First announced in May this year, the initiative will create community spaces that reflect the essence of traditional Emirati neighborhoods. The initiative is spearheaded by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
