Although Expo 2020 ended, the venue will not be abandoned: it will become District 2020, a smart green city of the size of over 260,000 sq ft. Retaining 80% of the Expo 2020 site, it will offer residential areas, co-working spaces, and more. In June 2022, the name of the site was changed to Expo City Dubai.
Expo City Dubai will provide commercial spaces for rent with covered areas ranging from 50 sq m to 800 sq m. The featured offices and co-working spots — skyscrapers with courtyards and campus-style buildings — will fit for businesses of all sizes. The amenities will also be suitable for innovation labs and research and development centres.
Expo City Dubai will be perfect for those who would like to work and live in one place. Many apartments will be offered: 1 to 2-bedroom loft apartments with private courtyards, modern studios to 2-bedroom flats, and co-living apartments for a reasonable price. The facilities will include shops, cafes and restaurants, schools, gardens, parks, vehicle routes to offices, and pedestrian walkways. Besides, there will be 5 km of pathways for jogging and 10 km of bike tracks.
A “15-minute city” (it means that one can cycle across within this time frame), the district will offer smart shuttles and public transport services. The area will be entirely pedestrian-friendly. It will be connected to Dubai via key highways and Dubai Metro’s extension, Route 2020.
In the Expo City Dubai district, there will be plenty of opportunities to have fun. The world’s largest 360-degree laser projection, Al Wasl Plaza, will continue to serve as a platform for live concerts and other performances. Business professionals and entrepreneurs can look forward to the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) events and conferences: they will be hosted regularly there. The Sustainability Science Pavilion will become Terra, a science centre for children.
Among the other Expo 2020 venues which will remain there are Mobility Pavilion (it will house offices), UAE’s Falcon-theme Pavilion; Saudi’s Window on the World, the second largest pavilion; Gravity-defying Water Illusion; Garden in the Sky, where one can enjoy a birds’ eye view of the area; Exhibition Area which will be used for concerts, conferences, award ceremonies, weddings, and exhibitions; Recording Studio (musicians will use it to record albums, film scores, and multimedia projects); and Bike Trails that will be extended.
The district will support the creation of future smart cities. It will employ cutting-edge technologies across key industries, including the Internet of Things, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. It will bring academic institutions and research and development centres together to encourage the exchange of ideas and knowledge, resulting in transformative progress.
To learn more about Expo City Dubai, please visit its official website.
