His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan that maps out the future sustainable urban development for Dubai.
The Plan is focused on enhancing people’s happiness and quality of life by making Dubai the best city to live in the world. This is the seventh plan for Dubai, with th first in 1960, then further plans in 1971, 1985, 1995, 2008 and 2012.
Five main urban centres, three existing and two new ones, will be focused on increasing job opportunities, provide lifestyle facilities as well as support the economic sectors.
The existing urban centres include Deira and Bur Dubai, the historic areas that highlight the Emirate’s tradition and heritage, Downtown and Business Bay, the business and financial side of the city and Dubai Marina and JBR, the international tourism and leisure hub.
The two new centres include Expo 2020 Centre, the economic and growth area with a focus on exhibitions, tourism and the logistics sectors and Dubai Silicon Oasis Centre, a science and technology and knowledge hub for digital economy development.
Under the new plan, the population of Dubai is expected to reach 5.8 million residents by 2040, space for hotels and tourism activities is set to more than double and increase by 134% and space assigned for public beaches to increase by 400%. Green and recreational areas are set to more than double in space and over half of the Dubai population will live within 800 meters of a main public transport station. It is also planned that space for health and education facilities will increase by 25%, and 60% of the total area of the Emirate will be rural areas and nature reserves.