The buildings we saw explored the themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, these petal-shaped districts include 86 buildings, some to be used as Country Pavilions, food and beverage outlets, retail and more…..writes Soniya Kirpalani, Photographs – Santosh Rai, theunknownplanet
Dubai’s Iftars are globally famous, the city throws out a party of fasting and feasting, inviting the world to attend. Every hotel, restaurant and chic cafes are filled through the evening. Special tents, hosted by famous families, local conglomerates are held, to breakfast with family, friends and clients. Every mosque is lined with the sense of giving, every evening as people break their fast, Iftar, whether big or small, is celebrated with grace of giving.
This year there was one additional party, hosted by Expo 20/20, the 1st glimpse into this mas dividend’ from the largest event ever to be held in the Arab World will spur economic growth and support jobs for years to come. We were extremely excited, as we had heard that construction was complete on the Thematic Districts and we would be offered an evocative glimpse into the numerous possibilities of this mega event.
During the peak six-month period of the World Expo, the largest event to be held in the Arab World is predicted to add the equivalent of 1.5 per cent to UAE Gross Domestic Product. The buildings we saw explored the themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, these petal-shaped districts include 86 buildings, some to be used as Country Pavilions, food and beverage outlets, retail and more.
We had a wonderful Iftar, with special introductions done by the visionaries behind this project. It was amazing to hear about the scale and size of investments that have been pouring it to construct this event, the ambition in the maths behind the goods and services expected to be consumed by the millions expected at the Expo site in the legacy phase.
If this becomes a reality, then the economic dividend for Dubai and its residents will be enormous, this will provide the much-needed scaling of local businesses especially for the SME sectors, which are currently experiencing a slightly colder economy. Being a long term resident, I have learnt to bet on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s grand schemes.
