UAE-based developer Meraas said the work at its ambitious project, City Walk, a major open-air shopping and entertainment destination in Dubai, is progressing well with the second phase already completed, said a report.

The UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, lauded Meraas' achievement after touring the development, which is spread over a 10-million-sq ft area along Safa Street, reported the emirati news agency Wam.

Sheikh Mohammed also studied the unique design of the green buildings and more than 200 shops, restaurants, cafes and cinemas, in addition to a five-star hotel and Valiant Clinic, an outpatient facility.

He was accompanied by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Abdullah Ahmed Al Habbai, the chairman of Meraas Holding Group, and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, head of Dubai's Protocol and Hospitality Department.

Sheikh Mohammed later inspected both the indoor and outdoor areas of the new development, including plaza spaces, a mosque and green areas between some 34 blocks, stated the report.

A key highlight of the project is Green Planet, the region’s first bio-dome that recreates the captivating world of a tropical forest with a rich biodiversity of a large number of plants and animals, it added.