Ecopolis

Urban quality and sustainability: a new city is planned to rise from the desert to the southeast of Dubai City. The development zone forms a ten kilometre strip extending along the new main street and is subdivided into several large units. The plan is for an urban centre in the desert – a lively city with high standards of housing and living, endowed with luxurious hotels, offices and commercial premises to form the largest shopping mall in the world.

The "Ecopolis” masterplan report applies to one individual segment of the site and promotes the concept of a car-free district. The tower blocks are easily recognised from a distance and create an iconic gateway. To both sides of the boulevard, which traverses the whole city, are public open areas linked together by an internal network of paths. The apartment blocks are grouped around a total of four elliptical parks with lakes and leisure facilities. Canals between the separate parcels of land can be used as navigable waterways.

A public transport system operates along the parkland, connecting the different areas within the district and providing spectacular views into the green space. Ecopolis is intended to be a meeting point for different cultures and a pioneering place of art and culture. The design of the district is founded on key aspects of sustainability, with ecological values accepted as commercial goals, indicating the way forward for Dubai.