If you live in Dubai, take a good look at the city’s skyline, your neighborhood, your favorite neighborhood. With so many megaprojects planned in the city, take photos if you can, because in a few years this view may look completely different.
First, there’s a new airport that will take you from entrance to gate without waiting in line. Plus, there are flying taxis that will soon take off, and a floating community dedicated to saving our oceans.
The world is impressed with how far Dubai has come, transforming desert landscapes and fishing villages into a megacity. And with cranes and machinery still in continuous use in various parts of the city, the emirate’s development is clearly far from complete.
Below is a list of projects that will change the face of Dubai:
Al Maktoum Airport
What was once considered Dubai’s “backwater airport” will soon be the world’s largest. And its most modern transport hub. Planned to be five times the size of DXB, Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be a “city within a city”, complete with monorail and a mini forest. And the best part? There will be no queues at check-in or entry. In 10 years, all flights to Dubai will be operating from this huge piece of infrastructure.
Beach makeover
Two of the city’s most popular beaches, Al Mamzar and Jumeirah, are being transformed in a project costing a massive AED 355 million. They will feature floating footbridges and over-water decks, some with restaurants. There will be bike paths, walkways and tree-lined streets. Can’t wait? It will be completed in about 18 months.
Dubai Reef
It’s the world’s largest marine conservation plan, aiming to see “more than 400,000 cubic metres of coral reef” thrive in the Emirate’s waters. But it’s more than just an eco-project. According to developer Arb, Dubai Reef will be a “plankton laboratory for ecotourism”. It will include housing, F&B, retail, education and research facilities. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, recently went on a diving trip to inaugurate the impressive project.
Palm Jebel Ali
With stunning waterfalls, lush green spaces and unique waterfront experiences, these palm-shaped man-made islands will extend Dubai’s coastline by around 110 km. Once completed, around 35,000 families will be able to enjoy luxurious beachfront living atop this palm tree-lined complex.
Dubai Creek Tower and ‘Water, Colour and Fire’ Plaza
If the Burj Khalifa has the dancing Dubai Fountain, the upcoming Dubai Creek Tower will have its own plaza representing ‘Water, Colour and Fire’. A combination of ‘Colour and Fire’.
Emaar’s next superstructure, planned for construction at Dubai Creek Port, has been dubbed the “female Burj Khalifa,” but it’s not yet clear whether it will be the new tallest building.
The latest information suggests it will be surrounded by a plaza that will host glamorous shows.
A Bigger Dubai Mall
Just when you thought Dubai Mall couldn’t get any bigger, Emaar recently announced plans for a massive AED 1.5 billion expansion to the shopping destination and tourist hotspot, which will create space for around 240 new luxury shops and restaurants.
Vertical airport for flying cars
UAE residents may be driving flying taxis and cars as early as 2025, and a vertical airport or vertiport will be built to support this futuristic mode of transportation. The air taxi terminal will be built near DXB and looks like this:
Another vertiport is planned for Atlantis The Palm, mainly for four-seater air taxis that will be able to transport passengers from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. Up to 30 minutes.
Burj Azizi, the second tallest tower in the world
The structure is being built on Sheikh Zayed Road opposite the World Trade Center and is set to be the “second tallest tower in the world” when completed. In 2028. Private developer Azizi said it would include luxury amenities such as a vertical shopping mall, luxury apartments, an observation deck and a seven-star hotel.
Al Wasl Tower: A Sustainable Superstructure
Another tower under construction, 302 metres high, is also set to join the list of the world’s tallest structures. But what sets Al Wasl Tower apart is its focus on sustainability. Its façade features a series of delicate ceramic louvres made from clay and simple glazed ceramic in an aluminium casing, designed to provide shade, enhance wind cooling and direct indirect sunlight deep into the building’s interior.
Ghaf Woods ‘Forested District’
The heart of Dubai is being greened with the first ever ‘forestry residential community’ called Ghaf Woods. Scheduled to be completed in eight phases between now and 2031, Ghaf Woods will span 738,000 square metres of land off Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Highway near Global Village, Majid Al Futtaim said at the recent project launch.
More than 7,000 homes will be built across the forested land, offering residents breathtaking views of the forest ecosystem.