Dubai: Dubai’s new masterplan for the Expo City – creating distinct mini-hubs and scope for future attractions – will further build up interest in offplan residential projects there.
The masterplan follows Dubai’s other major announcement earmarked for that area – the creation of the world’s biggest airport and entailing billions of dollars in new investments. (The project was announced in April last.)
“By itself, the Al Maktoum International Airport created one of the biggest boosts for the Dubai property market – and for Dubai South specifically,” said a real estate consultant. “The Expo City masterplan will now become the other magnet for residential and commercial property development and investors.”
Expo City had already seen an initial set of launches targeted at offplan buyers, which went on to get a warm response. It was part of the repurposing that Dubai wanted to do for the site of the six-month long glitzy Expo 2020 event.
The site was split into two main living areas: the Expo Valley for townhouses and villas and Expo Central directly on the site where Expo 2020 Dubai had taken place (around Al Wasl Plaza) had three clusters of high-rises.
But now comes the real buzz of how the Expo City of the future will shape up and what this would mean for people living and working there. Much of that will be on display when a third residential cluster at Expo Central will be launched, which is likely to happen soon enough.
When will first residents move in?
Expo Valley should see its first residents by early 2026. It features 532 villas, townhouses and semi-detached properties. The master-developer had also launched Expo Valley plots, where of 7,500 square feet to 12,500 square feet and with the ‘flexibility to combine areas to suit their needs’.
The Bayut website currently lists four-bedroom villas (3,920 square feet) at the Expo City at Dh7.4 million, and a 5-bedroom unit at Dh8.7 million.
In terms of visibility, there is a lot going for the projects, given the proximity to the expanding Dubai Exhibition Centre and new Al Maktoum International Airport.
As per the masterplan, Expo City will cover all of 3.5 square kilometres, where up to 35,000 residents will find a home and 40,000 professionals will come calling for work.
The new masterplan further validates DP World’s decision to relocate our global headquarters to Expo City Dubai – a prime location next to Dubai’s Logistics Corridor, linking all the major shipping lines of the world that call on Jebel Ali Port with Al Maktoum International Airport
Now, all this build up of the Expo City will happen over years, a lot of which will be in sync with the development cycle for the new Airport. (The first phase of the Airport has a 2030 completion plan.)
This is why the residential launches to date at Expo City could give some indications of likely pricing and price movements in the years to come.
Mangrove Residences
This was the first cluster to launch, featuring three towers with clear line of vision to the Al Wasl Plaza and Jubilee Park and a five-minute walk from Expo City’s facilities and attractions.
The first phase had 450 residences, priced from Dh1.2 million, include one- to three-bed apartments, four-bed loft apartments and three-bed townhouses. Listings for two-bedroom apartments are asking for Dh2.56 million to Dh3 million. These are scheduled for handovers in Q4-2025.
"Closer to the handovers of these initial set of homes would be a good indicator of Expo City's future pricing," said an analyst.
Under the masterplan, there will be five districts designed in a grid system to ensure smooth navigation, circulation and accessibility.
The Expo Downtown will extend from the metro station to Al Wasl, then on to Terra and eastern edge of the City. "Al Wasl will remain as a ‘cultural garden’ and the district will also include the Terra Living residential buildings, the ‘floating’ Terra Garden and Terra Tower – a high-end, mixed-use office and hospitality tower and the tallest building at Expo City," says a statement.
Fitting in the green
"The landscape will be full of greenery and shaded open spaces - ensuring a comfortable micro-climate and plenty opportunities for rest," the statement adds.
"A nature-based design will help to solve a number of the modern city’s challenges, using native plants and biodiversity to better protect against cloudbursts and floods, clean the air of particle pollution, reduce emissions and provide shade during warm weather."
Expo City clearly is factoring in all possibilities into the masterplan. For developers and investors who will shape this Dubai 'City', it will be the intricate and intimate details that matter. Everything else will fall into shape on its own...
