Dubai is planning the world’s first temperature-controlled city, which will cover almost 4.5 million m2 (over 1,100 acres).
The Mall of the World will house the world’s largest indoor theme park, which will be covered by a glass dome and open all year.
With an area of 8,000,000ft2, the project, developed by Dubai Holding, will also include the world’s largest shopping mall. This will take the shape of a multi-level retail street network, different from the usual shopping mall idea currently in use in Dubai. The 7-kilometer-long promenades that connect all of the amenities will be covered and air-conditioned in the summer and open in the winter, maintaining comfortable temperatures all year.
A wellness dedicated zone catering to medical tourists, a cultural celebration district, and a wide range of hospitality alternatives, including 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings with 20,000 hotel rooms catering to all types of tourists, would be included in the proposal. On the ground floor, the project will have allocated parking facilities with a capacity of up to 50,000 cars.
The Dubai Cultural District will serve as a focal point for national and international cultural events and festivals in the UAE. A dedicated theatre district with a variety of venues modeled after some of the world’s most famous monuments, including London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. The Celebration Walk, modeled after Barcelona’s Ramblas Street, will link the cultural sector to the rest of the Mall. The Dubai Cultural District will feature a variety of conference, wedding, and celebration venues that can accommodate thousands of people, in keeping with Dubai’s multicultural social fabric.
The City is expected to become a year-round destination, with over 180 million people per year once completed.
“This project complements our plans to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist, and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision,” Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emirate’s ruler and vice president of UAE.
He also added that “The growth in family and retail tourism underpins the need to enhance Dubai’s tourism infrastructure as soon as possible.”
“We are confident of our economy’s strength, optimistic about our country’s future and we continue to broaden our vision,” he said.