“Ladies and gentlemen, we are not closing down, rather powering forward,” said Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General Expo 2020 Dubai – during her final speech at the 170th Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) General Assembly earlier this week.
The minister was referring to the vast world expo site in the south of Dubai – where a new futuristic city is about to open in September.
Mega events, such as world expos, have always been criticised for a lack of legacy planning, with governments literally going bankrupt and ending up wasting huge swathes of land post-event.
Dubai, which hosted the world expo from October 2021 to March 2022, was quick to respond to these inevitable concerns – announcing from the outset an ambitious legacy plan that will transform the event venue into a mix-used future-proof district.
Although plans have changed from the initial legacy announcements, much of the initial strategy remained – Expo 2020 Dubai will soon become a new city, with retail offerings, office spaces, and entertainment venues, ultimately renamed as Expo City Dubai.
Construction and refurbishments are ongoing and here’s what we know so far:
80 percent of Expo-built infrastructure will be retained
Officials have recently confirmed that the site’s flagship pavilions, as well as some of its entertainment and technology offerings will still be at the new city. These include the Al Wasl Plaza, the Garden in the Sky observation tower and the Surreal water feature.
Alif, the site’s mobility pavilion and Terra, its sustainability pavilion will live on as “interactive educational experiences.”
Later this year, the opportunity pavilion will become the Expo 2020 Dubai Museum – a new attraction that will “highlight the history and impact of World Expos and celebrate the success of the six-month event.”
Other existing infrastructure that will stay include the falcon-inspired UAE pavilion, Saudi Arabia’s award-winning pavilion, the woman’s pavilion, and the vision pavilion.
Negotiations are also ongoing for some country pavilions to continue operating in the new city – including reworked versions from Luxembourg, Australia, Pakistan, India, Morocco and Egypt.
Dubai Exhibition Centre, the site’s main conference destination, will also remain.
The new city will be ‘clean and green’
Cars will not be allowed across the site, and “soft mobility” options will be provided, including the use of buggies, scooters, and bicycles.
The city will also not allow single-use plastic within its premises.
The buildings will follow international standards of sustainability to reduce water and energy consumption.
Expo City Dubai will be a free zone district
Businesses who want to set up within the new city will also enjoy benefits of a free zone ecosystem. Major firms have already expressed desire to set up shop at the site, including DP World and Siemens.
Other prospective tenants can visit the city’s website to learn more about applying for a space at Expo City Dubai, where they are given access to a fully 5G-enabled environment, with officials saying it will be the biggest city of such kind in the world.
How do I visit Expo City Dubai and will it have an entrance fee?
Similar to the Expo 2020 Dubai event, the site is accessible through the Dubai Metro, but parking setup could change for those visiting through private cars. More details will be announced soon, according to officials.
Unlike during the six-month event, Expo City Dubai will not have an entrance fee, but individual attractions within will have their own ticketing system.
Officials are preparing to announce details of an “attraction pass,” allowing visitors to access a variety of destinations without buying individual tickets.
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