Green public spaces across Abu Dhabi were upgraded recently to offer residents and tourists healthier outdoor living and improve the appearance of the city. More than 100 areas, including leisure facilities, running and cycling tracks and play areas, were given a facelift. The work was part of the Department of Municipalities and Transport's For Abu Dhabi initiative that began in 2019. "The upgraded areas include more leisure facilities, innovative misting systems, 'green' (planted) walls, lightweight concrete and native plants and trees to help cool the areas," the Abu Dhabi Media Office said on its Twitter account on Saturday. The upgrades were a part of the Dh8 billion initiative designed to make improvements across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions. Some of the improvements in Abu Dhabi include public art projects, street regeneration, the building of four parks, the upgrading of 16 community parks, and the completion of the city-wide cycle network. "For Abu Dhabi will focus on enhancing the vibrancy of the city of Abu Dhabi through the addition of creative, colourful artworks and providing a network for active recreation," Falah Al Ahbabi, chairman of DMT, had said when the initiative was first announced. In 2019, Abu Dhabi set a plan to transform its public places and parks into community spaces for all residents to boost the emirate's liveability by 2021. From water features and community ponds to playgrounds for children, more than 300 small and large-scale projects will be undertaken in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. Contracts have already been awarded to international consultancies to modernise Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street and Hamdan Street – two of the city's main thoroughfares.