Forget driverless cars, experts have predicted a future where our roads will have designated lanes just for robots.
The futuristic vision was laid out at the Gulf Traffic conference in Dubai on Monday.
Robots will deliver directly to the doorstep, and there will be significantly fewer private cars on the roads as cities rely increasingly on public transport.
Autonomous vehicles will also play a bigger role in everyday life.
Here are four ways our cities are changing:
Rise of the robots
"Robot lanes are already being introduced in the UK," said Lukas Neckermann, managing director of mobility firm Neckermann Strategic Advisors at the event.
“Groceries and mail are already being delivered by robots.”
He said lanes designated for robots could become the norm all over the world.
The conference also heard how robots were being used for home deliveries.
Last year, UK supermarket chains Tesco and Co-Op announced they would be using robot buggies to deliver orders of up to 10 kilogrammes in less than 15 minutes.
Less congestion
The recent trend of city centres being pedestrianised will continue as urban areas around the globe strive to reduce congestion.
“Countries across the world have already shown what can be achieved with good planning,” said Martin Tillman, director of strategic planning for infrastructure firm Aecom.
He said some cities had already made significant changes to their urban centres to make them more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.
Large sections of Paris's centre are closed off to cars each weekend, while the city of Bogota in Colombia closes off many of its roads, only allowing access to pedestrians, runners and cyclists.
More than 1.7 million people turn out there each week to take advantage of more than 120 kilometres of roads that are closed to traffic.
Mr Tillman said there was still a challenge to make major cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, accessible to pedestrians, especially during the scorching hot summer months.
However, he said pedestrianisation in both cities was still a necessity.
“Not everyone is privileged enough to have access to a private car or can afford to take a taxi,” he said.
“You are still going to find people who have to walk even in the middle of the summer.
“There are ways around this, such as providing shading in certain areas.”
Road to nowhere
Cities that continue to build more roads to try to reduce the levels of congestion are fighting a losing battle, said Eugene Chao, a researcher into urban transport who has worked on projects with both the US and UAE governments.
“Building cities around cars only leads to a disastrous expansion of highways,” he said.
“Expanding the number of roads will only make the matter worse. It only leads to more and more congestion.”
Instead, governments should invest more in public transportation systems to encourage people to leave their cars at home, he said.
Some cities offer public transport services free of charge.
Kansas became the first large US city to adopt this policy when it dropped charges for public transport in late 2019.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has also made public transport free.
Going green is not enough
Another transport expert said the future is one of cities with no private cars and that converting electric vehicles would not be enough to solve the world’s congestion problems.
"Even if you made every car on the road an electric one it wouldn't solve the issue," said Florian Lennert, head of mobility at Saudi Arabia's Neom, a $500 billion megaproject that has been called the next stage of the evolution of cities.
“There would still be issues around the size and volume of the cars on the road.
“We need to develop a city with no private cars and autonomous shuttles transporting people.”
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LAST 16 DRAW
Borussia Dortmund v PSG
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Atalanta v Valencia
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
Chelsea v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Juventus
Tottenham v Leipzig
Napoli v Barcelona
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
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Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.