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Take Manhattan, New York’s showpiece island, and multiply it seven-fold and you will have an indication of the scale of the latest project in development in Dubai, known as the Dubai Waterfront. So great is the ambition it will add 500 miles of coastline to the Emirate, creating 45 miles of canals, a new city centre and one of the world’s tallest buildings, which will accommodate over 400,000 people in an area of more than 170 square miles.
Dubai Waterfront is no one-off project. In the last decade three Palm Island developments – Jumeirah, Jebel Ali and Deira – and The World – literally an outline map of the globe – have begun construction locally. If the pace of development wasn’t so breathtaking one might imagine it was a futuristic vision concocted by a fantasist in a dream – but it’s far from that and the man driving the expansion is made of flesh and blood, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
“The ruler of Dubai since 2006, the former Crown Prince took it upon himself to oversee the transformation of Dubai from what was once a minor port into a leading centre of business and commerce and a growing tourist hotspot,” says Peter Riddoch, CEO of DAMAC Properties, a leading developer. “Two decades ago, the ruling family decided to change the country from an oil-focused economy to concentrate on services, particularly tourism, and the city that has been created – and that is still emerging – is as a result of that vision.”
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