Dubai is getting another enormous development, except this time, Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding are pitching The Lagoons as an entrepreneurial and cultural hub for tomorrow’s youth.
Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, and Ahmad Bin Byat, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding, unveiled the joint venture’s masterplan last week Tuesday in Dubai.
The 6 million sq m (over 1,482 acres) waterfront development, which is expected to provide business opportunities for Dubai’s youth, is slated for construction along the banks of Dubai Creek, stretching from land linked to Al Khail Road and across Ras Al Khor.
Not only large in span, The Lagoons will host a smorgasbord of new business, cultural and retail facilities, including a massive waterfront shopping mall and healthcare facilities. Linked via a series of “green boulevards,” these interconnected districts will have at their core two new twin towers.
“The spectacularly designed project underlines the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to develop world-class urban projects that further establish Dubai as a global city of the future,” said Mohamed Alabbar and Ahmad Bin Byat in a joint statement.
“The project gives a significant boost to Dubai’s economy by creating another dynamic urban hub that energises the property, retail and tourism sectors. It will create new jobs and strong business opportunities for our youth to prosper.”
Apart from eco-resorts, which we all know are never really eco in the first place, and water features and lush landscaped spaces that are not necessarily ecologically-sensible in the desert, the project does have at least one green attribute: it will be designed as a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use development linked to both the red and green metro lines.
An eco-tram, light monorail, and water taxis will provide additional, sustainable transportation.
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Dear there
I am from Mozambique in Africa, I would like to invite those who are interested in investing here, I am owning a lagoon in lake Niassa and I am looking for some associetes who can join me in this investment for tourism. it is very beautiful and very exotic landscape seeing the lake Niassa with its colorful water. The lagoon is near the lake Niassa with the dimensions of 600 square meters. in the lagoon you can find hipos, crocodiles, fish, tortoises and other animals, I am owning everything within this area.
should anyone be interested please send an e-mail to my e-mail address [email protected]
I look forward to hearing to any interested folks.
Thank you all
T Intela
This is actually the restarting of a pre existing development that was shelved back in the crash. Probably it’s least notable eco-credential will be that it will be constructed at the end of the Dubai creek, an area currently notable for it’s flocks of beautiful Flamingo. Back in the mid noughties when this development was first announced, a friend of mine actually had a t-shirt printed which said ‘F*** the Flamingos, we’re Making Money!’