Dubai: About 50 per cent of Dubai's 4,114 square kilometres of land has been brought under urban development, said a top government official, adding that at the current rate of development the emirate might run out of space for growth in a few decades.
Although majority of the projects are not ready for occupation, traffic congestion and skyrocketing rents are already taking their toll on the city's 1.44 million inhabitants. This has necessitated a comprehensive urban development masterplan.
The Dubai Urban Development Framework (DUDF), announced by the government, will tackle all the issues and also take into account the environmental impact. It will offer a strategy for sustainable growth up to 2020 and beyond.
"As Dubai has now become a global city and an important player in the region's economy, we need a different approach for its future development," Ahmad Bin Bayat, secretary-general of Dubai Executive Council, told Gulf News on Monday.
"We have already brought about 50 per cent of the emirate's land under urban planning and with the current scale of growth, the new master plan will guide us to create an ideal living condition for the communities in the emirate," he said.
