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List of Dubai mega and not so mega projects

See separate list of Dubai property developments. This is a list of other large, or not so large but inspired or fanciful project developments in Dubai. A very incomplete and random list, needs an update.

• Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Jebel Ali as part of the Dubai World Central development, being described as the world's first purpose-built aerotropolis (yes it's a real word, yes we had to look it up).
• Al Habtoor City - AED 11 billion development announced 08 Oct 2013 (WAM).
• Al Sufouh Tram
• Apeiron 7 star hotel
• Aquiva Floating Hotel megayacht (to be moored on the Thames River in London)
• Arabian Canal - not the same as the Dubai Canal (Business Bay Canal) project through Jumeirah and Al Safa.
• Bluewaters Island (AED 6 billion) - residential, commercial, retail area, including the Dubai Eye Ferris Wheel. Located near Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), developer Meraas Holdings.
• Burj Dubai - renamed as the Burj Khalifa when opened on 04 January 2010.
• Business Bay Canal - 2km from Business Bay to Jumeirah Beach across (or under) Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Safa Park and Al Wasl Street, estimated cost over AED 1.5 billion.
  • Will include a suspension canal rising above the Dubai Metro (Dec 2012 reports). Or not. Later reports and images showed the Sheikh Zayed Road being elevated over the canal.
  • Updated information (Dec 2013?): Dubai Water Canal (AED 7.3 billion) - 3km long water connection from Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf through Jumeirah, scheduled completion date 2017. Along the canal will be several hundred cafes and restaurants, yacht marinas, hotels, and a Trade Center.
  • 29 Dec 2013: Excavating work has started near Al Safa Park for the Dubai Canal project. Project cost reported as AED 2 billion ($550 million), not clear why the amount revised from previously reported AED 7.3bn. Contractor is Mapa and Gunal Constructions from Turkey. Consultants appointed by the RTA are Halcrow and Parsons. Other number reported include:
    • Sheikh Zayed Road bridge with 16 lanes, 1 km long, 8.5 meters high.
    • Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road bridges over the canal with 6 lanes each.
    • Canal width 80-120 meters.
    • Safa Park shopping mall to be constructed, area 50,000 sq m.
    • Other leisure areas and waterfront walkways area total 80,000 sq m.
    • New beaches total length of 6 km.
• Deira Islands (Deira Project, Deira Palm Island Project) - mixed use area on 4 islands already constructed as part of the Deira Palm Island project. Developer Nakheel Properties, area 1600 hectares with 40 km of coastline including 21 km of beaches. Includes hotel resorts, large souk are, amphitheater, yacht marinas, residential and commercial areas.
• Deira market expansion (same as Deira Waterfront?) - 4 km between Dubai Creek and Hamriya Port, estimated cost AED 3 billion for phase I and II. Facilities include 6 hotels, residential and commercial towers, a marina, storage facilities, loading and unloading bays, and parking lot.
• Deira Waterfront - developer Deira Waterfront Development LLC, a subsidiary of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). Announced 14 April 2011? Phase one a marketplace to replace the existing fish market next to Hamriyah Port, completion scheduled for Q3 2013.
• Downtown Jebel Ali (DJA)
• Dubai Adventure Studios (AED 10 billion) - theme park located in Jebel Ali area, developer Meraas Holding. Completion date scheduled for 2014 (not clear if entire park or just Phase I). See Dubai Adventure Studios theme parks for more info.
• Dubai Canal Project - same as or renamed Dubai Creek Extension, Business Bay Canal? See Business Bay Canal heading. Not the same as the Arabian Canal project.
• Dubai Creek extension - through Business Bay, Safa Park, Jumeirah to the coast near Jumeirah Beach Park. Part of which will be suspended above ground as a hanging canal, project cost AED 1.5 billion, construction timeline 2013-2015 (Dec 2012 reports). Update: Canal excavation started late 2013, completion expected in 2016, canal extension does not appear to be suspended anywhere along its length. See Business Bay Canal heading.
• Dubai Frame - Dubai in a Frame, in Zabeel Park
• Dubai Lighthouse - at The World Dubai
• Dubai Metro
• Dubai Opera House
• Dubai Planetarium
• Dubai Rainforest - part of the Akoya Oxygen project by Damac Properties, located next to the Trump World Golf Clubhouse. Construction timeline not given except to say it will be completed before Expo 2020. Will include visitor tours of the ground up to the canopy, a zip wire for thrills, and a spa for relaxation. Announced Feb 2015.
• Dubai Sustainable City (DSC) - part of the Dubailand project. Developer is Diamond Developers (DD). Total area 5 million sq ft (46 hectares). Location behind Arabian Ranches community?
  • 07 Oct 2013 (E-247) - first 100 of 500 villas to be ready by Dec 2014. Prices from AED 1,000 per sq ft. Chairman of DD, Faris Saeed quoted as saying "Our package will include zero service charges, zero community fees and zero maintenance fee for villa owners. We will even give our buyers a golf cart that they can use within the city and a subsidy to buy another electrical car." Project includes retail area of 55,000 sq ft, and office block also 55,000 sq ft.
  • Facilities to include bicycle track 3 km long, commercial and retail areas, equestrian area, hotel resort with 143 rooms, planetarium, school (KG to Grade 6), university.
  • Also green belt with 20,000 trees, water canal 5,000 feet long (?), minaret with viewing platform height 100 meters, solar farm area 600,000 square feet generating 50% of cooling requirements for DSC. Bus routes serviced by electric buses.
• Dubai Water Canal - see Business Bay Canal.
• Dubai Wheel (also called the Great Dubai Wheel).
• Dubai World Central (DWC) - an "aerotropolis" with Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in the middle of it.
• Dubai World Central golf community project - MoU signed between Emaar Properties and DWC, announced 11 Dec 2013 (PR). Area of 13.6 million sq meters with Phase I to include a golf course villa community, hotels, shopping mall, leisure attractions, business hub for young entrepreneurs. Not clear from press release if an actual golf course would be built as part of phase I. Project value, start and end dates of construction, not supplied.
• Dubai Zoo and wildlife park.
• Dubailand - with many sub-developments which are megaprojects themselves.
• Falconcity of Wonders, Dubailand.
• Free zones in Dubai
• Global Village
• Hydropolis Underwater Hotel
• Jebel Ali entertainment area (complex, zone, hub) - announced 26 November 2012. See Dubai Adventure Studios theme parks for more info.
• Jumeirah Corniche Development Project (WAM 26 Oct 2013) - beachfront construction from Dubai Marine Beach Resort (Open Beach) to the Burj Al Arab Hotel, total length of 14 km, and will link to the Dubai Canal Project. Completion scheduled for October 2014. Development will include:
  • Pedestrian footpath and walkway 5 meters wide, and jogging track 4 meters wide. Unknown if all of it will be usable - car owners currently use the Jumeirah Beach Road cycle path and footpath as carparks.
  • Other facilities such as kiosks, shaded seating areas with beach views, lighting, landscaping.
• Jumeirah Gardens - a Meraas Development (Meeras), AED 360 billion. A massive project to redevelop Satwa, Al Bada'a, Al Safa, Al Wasl, and Jumeirah areas in Dubai between Safa Park and Al Diyafah Street, and Sheikh Zayed Road and the coast. Announced in 2008? Unclear if it is still a real project.
• Madinat Jumeirah - a complex of hotel resorts, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, cafes, with an Arabian souk theme. Near the Burj Al Arab. Expansion announced 17 November 2012, worth AED 2.5 billion, to extend inland towards Mall of the Emirates, will include a luxury five-star hotel, villas, more restaurants and retail stores. Expansion project completion date planned for end of 2015.
• Mall of Arabia.
• Mall of the World, MBR City, Dubai - shopping mall announced as part of MBR City, Nov 2012.
• Mall of the World, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Sufouh, Dubai - mixed use development including shopping mall, announced Jul 2014.
• Meydan City project.
• Meydan racecourse - part of Meydan City project.
• Mohammed Bin Rashid City (MBR City) - announced 24 November 2012, a joint venture between Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties. Will include the largest shopping mall in the world (Mall of the World - to be developed in conjunction with Universal Studios), over 100 hotels, golf courses, arts hub, small business development center. Will also include the previously announced Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens project. Location is between Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road and Al Khail Road. Art hub, or avenue with art galleries, to be called "Cultural Crossing", will link MBR City with Downtown Dubai and Business Bay. Also includes a Universal Studios family theme park, a business and entrepreneurship zone, MBR District One project.
• Mohammed Bin Rashid City District One (AED 21 billion) - part of MBR City with luxury villas, water park, lagoon, artificial beaches, shopping and sports facilities. Completion date between 2019-2021. Joint venture between Medyan and Sobha Group.
• Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens project - announced in 2008. Updated version to become part of the MBR City project announced in Nov 2012?
• Mughal Gardens development - part of the Falcon City of Wonders in Dubailand.
• Palm Islands on Dubai coast - Deira Palm, Jebel Ali Palm, Jumeirah Palm.
• Ski Dubai - indoor skifield in Mall of the Emirates.
• Taj Arabia - 350 room hotel and apartment building designed as a replica of the Taj Mahal in India. Part of the Mughal Gardens development in Falconcity of Wonders. To be managed by The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts Group in India.
• The Lagoons - waterfront city as part of the MBR City development, area 6 million sq meters, located in the Dubai Creek Ras Al Khor area to Al Khail Road. Developers Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties. Will include Dubai Twin Towers, a central business district, residential buildings, hotels, medical and healthcare facilities, schools, cultural facilities, retail and hotels.
• The Universe Dubai
• The World Dubai
• Union Oasis Project - at Union Square (Al Ittihad Sq) metro station in Dubai. Announced 11 Dec 2013 (?) by the RTA (WAM). Area 19,000 sq m with residential, commercial, and recreational areas and towers. A Transit Oriented Development (TOD) destination project to be developed as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Dubai RTA and a private developer yet to be announced. Project value and timeline not supplied.

Todo list

• Need defining criteria for what is "mega" and what is not. Also for not-mega pages to include or not - based on size, value?
• Merge with Dubai property developments, or separate pages but reduce overlap.
• Reformat as table? Announcement date, start date, completion date, status, value, area.
• Categories and sub-categories, organise other pages - related, parent, or child.
• Overall parent page list of developments in Dubai or developments in Dubai.
  • Accommodation, tourists and visitors - hotels, serviced apartments, guest houses
  • Commercial - office towers, industrial, services
  • Free zones
  • Infrastructure - Etisalat, DEWA, Du
  • Leisure and entertainment - Dubai Wheel, parks
  • Mixed use
  • Residential property - towers, villa and mixed use communities.
  • Shopping malls
  • Terraforming - Deira Islands, Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali Port (and free zone), Jumeirah Lake Towers, Palm Islands, The World by Nakheel, The Universe by Nakheel.
  • Transport - airports, Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, Palm Jumeirah monorail, ports, roads.
• Related pages - sort into parent, related, child, or merge.
• Communities in Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Ain, Dubai, Fujairah, RAK, Sharjah, UAQ. List of areas, communities, suburbs - Ajman, Dubai, UAQ.
• List of Dubai mega-projects
• Property developments in Dubai, RAK
• The World Dubai
• The World Dubai list of developments

Last update Sunday 08-Mar-2015. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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