With its macroeconomic fundamentals firmly in place, Dubai is now setting its sights on even more complex and ambitious goals. ‘Vision 2015’ focuses on ensuring a better quality of life and more opportunities for everyone in the emirate while at the same time strengthening the foundations for continued economic development that is truly sustainable.
As Sheikh Mohammed explained when he announced ‘Vision 2015’ last year, “The plan encompasses many new attributes, with a foundation firmly built on quantitative achievements which form a solid base for sustained growth in the era of the knowledge economy. The plan will not be affected by oil-price fluctuations.”
‘Vision 2015’ targets five key areas in which Dubai will strive to ensure the highest possible standards of quality, which are economic development; social development; infrastructure, land and the environment; safety, security and justice; and public-sector excellence. One theme linking these five key areas is a focus on improving quality of life through a range of projects designed to create employment opportunities, exceptional services, a greener Dubai, and more and better educational options that will help build a knowledge economy.
Dubai in 2015
What will Dubai be like in 2015? With around USD 500 billion in projects planned for the next few years, the emirate will certainly look different seven years from now; its skyline, filled with construction cranes, is already changing daily.
Traffic problems should have been alleviated thanks to the Dubai Metro mass-transit project and other initiatives. Dubailand, the mega-tourism project, will be open for business, and its Great Dubai Wheel, bigger than the London Eye, will be a striking new feature of Dubai’s skyline, while new parks and gardens will make strolling through Dubai a pleasure.
The Dubai World Central project will be up and running; this initiative, amazingly ambitious even for Dubai, is a planned 54 sq mile city with six specialized zones devoted to logistics, aviation, golf, commercial ventures, and residential projects, all clustered around the massive Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be open in 2015 as well.
Wealth of tourism, culture, entertainment, and sports offerings
Known worldwide for its exceptional shopping opportunities, which already include the 2.4 million sq ft Mall of the Emirates with its famous indoor ski slope, Dubai will have even more malls by 2015. In fact, shopping space in Dubai is expected to continue to expand faster than anywhere else in the Gulf region. New malls opening in 2015 will include Dubailand’s Mall of Arabia (1,000 shops, 10 million sq ft) and Dubai Mall (1,000 shops, 5 million sq ft) in Burj Dubai.
Yet Dubai aims to become much more than a destination for the ultimate in retail therapy. A key goal of ‘Vision 2015’ is to position the emirate as a global cultural capital, and the vast Khor Dubai project recently launched by Sheikh Mohammed along Dubai Creek will include all sorts of cultural venues as well as parks and gardens, in line with the ‘Vision 2015’ plan to make Dubai greener and more pleasant to live in.
Sheikh Mohammed’s plan calls for increased emphasis on the environment, and Dubai is expected to create more eco-tourism options to add to such offerings as the new Al Sahra Desert Resort in Dubailand, a project by developer Dubai Heritage Vision that has been designed as a perfect introduction to Dubai’s unique natural and cultural heritage.
