# The Future of Dubai



## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Work is quiet, waiting till a big project starts up in September. Days are ticking by lazily. There are things I could do but really can't be bothered.

Let's play a game, at least for those of us who still post 

What will Dubai look like 10 years from now? 20 years from now?

Will something ever finally be done with Palm Jebel Ali?

How much further into the desert will Dubai grow?

Will Dubai South ever materialise? If so in what form? 

The canal? The ridiculous flyovers on Al Wasl are now complete and look completely out of place. What else is planned for the area? 

How many buildings left will not have suffered a cladding fire?

What are your thoughts?


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

20 years?
A big sandstorm of a biblical scale will have buried everything, only the top of Burj Khalifa is just a bout visible. A Tsunami swept in and cemented it all.


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

My office is moving to Dubai South in another 1-2 months, once the new Dubai-Abu Dhabi Road is open expect more activity, it will be a good location. 

10 years from now I expect not much difference, 20 is anyone's guess but with costs going up, VAT on the way and fracking in the US I would expect a slowdown in activity overall.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

E-11 will be completely lined with developments all the way to the AD border.

If AD was smart they'd build a major master planned community just south of the border. Maybe alongside the water. Ideal for people where one partner works in Dubai and the other in AD.

Will there ever be a commuter rail? 

A lot more teardowns/infill in Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim. Jumeirah 1 is starting to look a bit shabby in areas and I can't see that lasting.

The camel racetrack behind TECOM will be relocated and the area turned into a major extension of the Springs/Meadows. 

Metro link out to International City and along 611 towards Dubai South. 

Ramadan laws will slowly have been phased out, with restaurants/bars operating as usual. But we won't have shorter working hours any more, except for fasting Muslims.


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## omar92 (Oct 8, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> Work is quiet, waiting till a big project starts up in September. Days are ticking by lazily. There are things I could do but really can't be bothered.
> 
> Let's play a game, at least for those of us who still post
> 
> ...


Some trends will continue to grow: 
10/20 years from now, Dubai will have more taxes and fees on everything for everyone, from personal income to corporate taxes. The upcoming 5% VAT is just the tip of the iceberg.
Fewer public spaces that are free/affordable. Most leisure activities are becoming expensive. That will continue to drive down the quality of living.
Government interactions will become almost fully automated. 
More efficient forms of policing (wider network of CCTVs etc.)

In comparison, think of the changes that happened from 1996-2006, and again from 2006-2016. The 1996-2006 period in particular saw a completely transformation, with Dubai going from being a relatively compact, self-contained, medium-sized city with a relatively low cost of living. In 1996, I think only Al Ghurair and Deira City Center were around. Terminal 1/Concourse C hadn't been built, and Emirates was a much smaller (but nevertheless a well-run, premium) airline. No multi-screen cinemas, Internet and cell phones were still novelties, and this was the pre-9/11 and War on Terror era. Dubai was definitely a shopping mecca and people from Iran, India, and most Arab countries could buy things in Dubai that simply wouldn't have been able to back home (and I believe Dubai had an advantage in terms of price). Today, the latest smartphones or whatever are easily available in Delhi, or Amman, or Nairobi (but people flock to Dubai nonetheless).


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## slr722 (Feb 8, 2015)

*Will something ever finally be done with Palm Jebel Ali?*
I hope so!

*The canal? The ridiculous flyovers on Al Wasl are now complete and look completely out of place. What else is planned for the area?*
I have a feeling this was supposed to be like the River Thames or a London type concept.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

slr722 said:


> *The canal? The ridiculous flyovers on Al Wasl are now complete and look completely out of place. What else is planned for the area?
> I have a feeling this was supposed to be like the River Thames or a London type concept.*


*

1. Its a road over a canal - its not 'ridiculous' - how else do you cross waterway by road ?

2. Go look at the plans - they are online. Its nothing like London. I suspect you have never actually seen London.

More thinking and less typing by you required !*


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## kinshu321 (Jul 21, 2016)

QOFE said:


> 20 years?
> A big sandstorm of a biblical scale will have buried everything, only the top of Burj Khalifa is just a bout visible. A Tsunami swept in and cemented it all.


Quite fatalistic, innit?! However, with global warming and sh*t, not a completely hypothetical scenario. Especially 50 or 100 years down the line. Planet of the Apes style!




XDoodle****** said:


> VAT on the way and fracking in the US I would expect a slowdown in activity overall.


Agreed. Oil is slowly becoming irrelevant as a major energy source. (This) Gas, solar and wind will acquire more importance in the larger scheme of things as clean energy becomes a global focus. Bahrain - the only "post-oil" economy in the region is a fantastic failure (due to multiple host of reasons). Dubai might follow trail. 



omar92 said:


> Today, the latest smartphones or whatever are easily available in Delhi, or Amman, or Nairobi (but people flock to Dubai nonetheless).


That's just inertia. How long will people keep flocking if there are taxes to erode the price arbitrage? 

IMO, anecdotally a lot of tourists from the neighboring regions come to Dubai because it is by far the glitziest city which can be visited on a budget. For the majority of Indians / Jordanians / Kenyans, alternative glitzy destinations in Asia like Beijing, Seoul, or Tokyo are quite expensive. In fact, you will find a lot of budget travellers flocking to other cheap glizty cities as well - Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok.


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## kinshu321 (Jul 21, 2016)

And with even more fantastic schemes on the way, no saying when the government will run out of AD borrowed money. 

There was an interesting study linking large buildings to civilization failures.


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## omar92 (Oct 8, 2013)

Of course Bahrain has something that the UAE still doesn't. And that is a civil society. Human rights organizations, watchdogs, a press, and elected bodies whose members do more than just rubber stamp federal decisions. It isn't perfect, it isn't free, but it is something. Perhaps that will change-and will most likely be a top-down process. 

Then there is the demographic issue as well-after 20 years, will the 90 % still be considered as outsiders, living on renewable three-year residence permits? Or will there be an attempt to cherry pick and naturalize those deemed desirable?


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Well in less than a 100 years the region is going to be too hot for humans to live here. So, well yeah. It'll all move underground.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Chocoholic said:


> Well in less than a 100 years the region is going to be too hot for humans to live here. So, well yeah. It'll all move underground.


Wombles?


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

Chocoholic said:


> Well in less than a 100 years the region is going to be too hot for humans to live here. So, well yeah. It'll all move underground.


Yes, if it goes up 1C like it did the last 100 years I'm outa here!


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## Dave-o (Aug 23, 2015)

Just keep pouring more gas into the power stations to keep the aircon running. That's the answer, moar powar!

Build the longest indoor ski run in one of the hottest countries on earth? Sounds like a sensible idea, especially if it has a world record attached to it. Let's build the world's longest/ coldest/ skiddiest indoor snow hill, and the world's biggest big wheel, and the world's biggest and most pointless staircase, and the world's biggest and most pointless picture frame, even though we've got the world's tallest tower, let's build the world's tallest tower with cables stuck to it. Let's build the world's biggest artificial island, in the shape of Bob Carolgees' moustache, with the world's rowdiest buffet brunch and a huge hotel with the world's wettest water slides.

Future of Dubai? More unnecessary projects, as long as they have world records attached to them. And tax.


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## The Rascal (Aug 6, 2014)

DXB will close and be redeveloped, all traffic will go to Mactoum. Emirates and Etihad will merge, with the shrinking Oil revenue Dubai will surpass AD in terms of GDP.

Maybe even the World Islands will be finished.... Nah, that'll never happen LOL


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## eept2014 (Jul 17, 2016)

A continued dwindling of the Western expat population.


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## Malbec (Jan 2, 2014)

Chocoholic said:


> Well in less than a 100 years the region is going to be too hot for humans to live here. So, well yeah. It'll all move underground.


In 100 years UAE will have smart climate with self controlled outdoor areas, mountains, ski slopes and snow


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

Malbec said:


> In 100 years UAE will have smart climate with self controlled outdoor areas, mountains, ski slopes and snow


Can't decide if this is satire or serious :juggle:


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