DUBAI: The Arab world is often associated with deserts and dry landscapes, but across the region people are proving that greenery can thrive in cities.
For the first time in history, more people live in cities than in rural areas. By 2050, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will be urban, according to the UN’s World Urbanization Prospects report.
Across the Arab world, that shift is already visible in how urban greenery is quietly reshaping city life.
Neglected spaces are being transformed, with rooftop gardens in Jordan and inner courtyards in Egypt. Meanwhile, community plots in Morocco and shaded biodiversity projects in Dubai offer new ways for residents to reconnect with nature.
A view of green park in the eastern part of Cairo, Egypt. (AFP)
But these initiatives are not just about plants — they are about food security, community life and mental well-being. At Expo City Dubai, recent projects highlight how greenery can serve all three goals.
“On a Dubai summer’s day, a rooftop can feel like an oven,” Phillip Dunn, senior manager of sustainability at Terra, an immersive educational and cultural space promoting ecology, sustainable technologies and design at the Expo City, told Arab News.
But with just a few design tweaks, such as trellises for shade, vertical screens to slow hot winds and condensate water reuse, those same slabs can be transformed into cool living habitats.
“Vegetated surfaces can be up to 40 degrees centigrade cooler than adjacent bare concrete,” said Dunn — a vivid reminder of how transformative even small pockets of greenery can be in some of the world’s hottest cities.
In Jordan’s capital Amman, the greater municipality has turned unused rooftops into productive green spaces.
A woman looks towards forests at the Al Ajloun reserve in Jordan. (Reuters/File photo)
In the citadel area alone, around 100 rooftops have been cleaned, prepared and planted with vegetables and herbs with the aim of improving the environment, creating cooler spaces and giving families access to fresh produce.
Nonprofits have also been central to this effort.
Anera provides emergency relief and sustainable development to improve the health, education and well-being of refugees and vulnerable communities in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan.
Its rooftop garden program has helped families set up small-scale gardens with barrels, soil, seeds and even greenhouses.
A lovingly arranged rooftop farm has become an integral part of “Jadal” culture centre in Amman. (Photo Credit: Greening the Camps)
In 2025, it reported 79 new rooftop greenhouses in Marka and Wehdat, many of which are used by families to grow food, save money and sometimes sell surplus vegetables.
One participant in the program described their rooftop plot as both “a source of food” and “a mental relief.”
Studies by researchers at the University of Petra add a technical perspective.
They show that lightweight planting materials, proper waterproofing and smart irrigation like drip systems or greywater reuse are critical, offering “a unique chance to transform thousands of traditional roof surfaces to green life-giving environments.”
Amman’s rooftop gardens support biodiversity, sustainable absorption of rainwater, reduce ambient temperatures and foster social interaction
Amman’s rooftop gardens support biodiversity, sustainable absorption of rainwater, reduce ambient temperatures and foster social interaction. (FaceBook: High Garden Rooftop)
Other case studies in the city highlighted families growing thyme, basil, lettuce and cherry tomatoes — simple crops that thrive in rooftop conditions.
But this need for innovative green solutions is not unique to Jordan. In Cairo, for example, the shortage of accessible greenery is stark.
Urban Greens partners with Cairo schools to teach young people gardening. (Image courtesy of Urban Greens)
According to a study published in SpringerOpen’s Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, the average green space per person in Greater Cairo fell from about 0.87 sq. meters in 2017 to just 0.74 in 2020.
Of the city’s 37 districts, 22 — representing roughly two-thirds of the population — had less than 0.50 sq. meters per capita.
Over the same period, the city lost more than 900,000 sq. meters of green space.
To address this, Egypt’s Ministry of Environment launched a nationwide green-roof initiative in 2019.
That same year, the “Green Food from Green Roofs” program, funded by the Scientific Research Academy, promoted rooftop farming, sustainable diets and public awareness.
Egyptians gather in a park in the city of Qanater Al-Khayria in the province of Qalioubia. (AFP)
Technical research has shown that installing green roofs on Cairo’s social housing could cut energy demand for cooling by up to 39.7 percent.
Elsewhere in North Africa, similar approaches are taking shape. In Morocco, urban agriculture is reshaping both city edges and historic centers.
According to one study, peri-urban farming in the Casablanca metropolitan area contributes not only to food supply but also to job creation, income generation and cooler microclimates, though it faces challenges such as water scarcity, urban sprawl and fragmented land tenure.
Community gardens in crowded districts also mitigate floods, improve air quality and create multifunctional spaces.
In Fez, the restored Jnan Sbil Gardens — a 19th-century royal park — remain one of the few public green lungs of the medina, offering shade, heritage and community interaction in the heart of the city.
In Morocco, Casa Anfa City, creates a new oasis in Casablanca. (Shutterstock file photo)
Dubai, meanwhile, is positioning itself as a regional testbed for scaling these solutions.
At Expo City’s Jane Goodall Pollinator Garden, the planting strategy follows a “3×3×3” method — three species blooming in spring, three in summer, and three in fall/winter — to ensure year-round food for pollinators.
The palette combines native ghaf, samar, sidr and miswak trees with hardy species like lantana, basil and rosemary. “Pollinator counts more than doubled in areas planted with this mix compared to controls,” Dunn said.
The city’s first City Nature Challenge also showed how even balcony planters can become micro-habitats, logging more than 1,300 observations and 320 species in just four days.
“The lesson is clear: Biodiversity is not confined to reserves or large parks,” said Dunn. “Every courtyard, every balcony planter, every patch of green has a role to play.”
The new International Union for Conservation of Nature fungi center at Terra adds another dimension by demonstrating how mycorrhizal fungi expand root surface area up to 400 times, boosting water and nutrient uptake.
A visitor explores the interior of Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020, on October 3, 2021, in the gulf emirate of Dubai. (AFP)
Dunn said this low-cost, nature-based method “improves survival rates and reduces irrigation” with simple measures such as woodchip mulch and compost teas.
Cooling benefits are equally measurable.
“Greened surfaces can be 20-40 C cooler than bare concrete, lowering surrounding air temperatures by 2-6 C,” said Dunn.
Once established, he added, plants need just 3-7 liters of water per square meter per week with drip or wicking systems, which can even be powered by small solar pumps.
For long-term success, he stressed the importance of shared responsibility, with residents handling light care, NGOs providing training, and professional teams conducting technical checks.
“Policy support matters too — cities should fast-track rooftop permits and incentivize the reuse of condensate or greywater,” he said.
In , similar efforts are taking shape under Vision 2030, where small “urban pockets” are being integrated into cityscapes to improve environmental conditions and community well-being.
Under the Green Riyadh Program aims, more than 7.5 million trees are targeted to be planted throughout the city until 2030. (Royal Commission for Riyadh City photo)
These pocket parks, often created in unused lots, rooftops, or courtyards, are already appearing in Riyadh’s retail districts, offering shade, cooling and air purification in one of the world’s hottest climates.
Civil engineer Mohamed Khattab told Arab News that such spaces are “essential components of sustainable city planning,” noting their role in cutting temperatures, improving air quality and fostering healthier, more inclusive urban living.
Dr. Aseel A. Takshe, acting dean of the School of Health Sciences and Psychology at Canadian University Dubai, said the impact of these green spaces ran deeper than aesthetics or comfort.
“Exposure to plants and trees reliably lowers cortisol levels, helping to alleviate the chronic tension that underpins anxiety and depression,” she told Arab News.
Cairo-based organization Schaduf helps city dwellers grow leafy greens in hydroponic rooftop gardens. (Photo courtesy of Schaduf)
Contact with nature, she said, enhances mood, focus, and cognitive function — a counterbalance to the sensory overload of modern cities.
“Community gardens and shared spaces go even further, building networks of mutual support, strengthening resilience, and helping families adapt to challenges such as food insecurity or climate anxiety,” she said.
Building on that psychological perspective, Sheena Khan, head of environmental programs at Terra, underlined that while cities drive progress, they also come with costs.
She pointed to research from Stanford University showing that people living in cities face a 20 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders and a 40 percent higher risk of mood disorders compared to rural residents.
Sheena Khan
“Physiologically, even 20 minutes in nature lowers cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, providing immediate stress relief,” Khan told Arab News.
According to World Health Organization data, an estimated 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental health disorder, including 14 percent of adolescents.
Khan said the pathways to relief can be both passive and active, whether through tree-lined streets, shaded courtyards and small urban parks, or more immersive practices such as desert meditation or forest bathing.
For the Arab world, home to some of the fastest-growing cities globally, Khan said “this makes access to nature not optional, but essential.”
