Dubai Hills, Dubai Creek, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) and Dubai Marina, offering a wide range of facilities for leisure, shopping and closeness to high-ranked educational institutions, are rated as the top four residential areas for families with children in the city, a new market study revealed.
The four neighbourhoods are also preferred for their easy access to most of the key administrative, commercial, healthcare and metro facilities, besides their walkways and green surroundings.
Incidentally, these areas are also the most preferred locations for property investors in Dubai because of their high rental demand, the study by Colife, a leading property management and rental services company, showed.
“Families prefer to rent apartments that are as close as possible to kindergartens, schools, pharmacies, hospitals, children’s playgrounds, shops, parks, and walking areas,” Nina Novikova, Chief Business Development Officer of Colife Dubai, told Arabian Business.
“These areas also figure high on the list of expats arriving in the city as in most cases they may not have a car and walking distance to the nearest subway station is extremely important for them,” she said.
Besides a survey among residents, Colife also analysed requests received by the company for rentals and also for purchases for identifying the top Dubai neighbourhoods preferred by families with children.
Comfort, well-being of children influence neighbourhood preference
Senior executives with property management firms in the city said the key points for most of the families in Dubai, especially the newly arriving ones, is the comfort and well-being of their children.
Availability of nearby playgrounds and closeness to top-rated educational institutions figure on top of the wish list of families seeking houses on rent, they said.
Novikova said those who purchase apartments to rent out also pay attention to these points, because if the apartment is ideal for families with children, the demand for it is very high.
Shopping centres, well developed infrastructure and easy access to move around the city are the other factors which influence families’ decisions to zero in on their new dwelling places in Dubai.
“Finding an area that meets all these requirements and expectations is not so easy, but not impossible,” the Colife Dubai senior executive said, pointing out the rising influx of expats in Dubai.
Dubai is estimated to have recorded a 63 percent rise in the issuance of residency visas in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period last year.
The top 4 Dubai locations tick all boxes on family’s wish list
The Colife research said Dubai Hills, with its number of parks, shopping centers, and well-developed infrastructure, is among the top choices for families with children.
“It seems that one can find everything for a child here,” it said, noting that there are several kindergartens, schools, family restaurants, and places for family leisure in the upscale city neighbourhood.
“Based on the opinions of residents of Dubai Hills, this area is one of the most comfortable and thoughtful for permanent living with children,” Colife said.
Dubai Marina, one of the most popular areas with high demand for rental apartments in Colife, on the other hand, has everything that both adults and children wish and seek, though there is a perception that the area is more suitable for single people and couples than for families with children.
“Located by the water, Dubai Marina has one of the longest embankments where residents can enjoy walking, running, or even cycling. The area also has several kindergartens and nurseries, and a large number of children’s playgrounds, besides easy and quick access to reach Knowledge Village, where many highly ranked schools and universities are located,” the study said.
Dubai Creek Harbor, another favorite of families with children, is billed as a “pedestrian paradise”, with its many walking areas.
The neighbourhood also has several playgrounds for children and access to the beach, besides the presence of supermarkets, cafes, and entertainment centers.
“One of the main centers of attraction is CreekSide Park on the bay shore. The area is attractive because there are many kindergartens and schools with high ratings,” Colife said.
Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), on the other hand, is an equal favorite of adults and children because of its vast green area located along the shores of three artificial lakes and a large park of over 50,000 square meters.
“The area has all the necessary things: playgrounds for children and adults, a hospital, supermarkets, restaurants, and two universities with different education programmes,” the study said.
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