What happens after Expo 2020 is over? Meet District 2020: The Future

When I visited Expo 2020 Dubai the other day, I had a profound question in mind. I thought to myself, "What happens after Expo 2020 is over?" 

If you haven't watched our tour of Expo 2020 Dubai, click here. 

Think about it. What will happen to the breathtaking structures that the government spent billions of Dirhams to construct? Demolishing all that infrastructure won't make much sense when the expo is over. I thought to myself, "Nah, I don't think they'd remove all of this. I think they'll find a way to reuse these structures again." 

Fortunately, I was right!

Meet District 2020: The future of Expo 2020 Dubai. It will evolve from Expo 2020 Dubai into a smart, sustainable city and provide a cutting-edge business ecosystem. At the highest level, District 2020 calls itself the "Human-centric city of the future." According to an interview with Khaleej Times, Senior Vice President of District 2020 talked about how the future of Expo 2020 will carry on as a legacy and how it will be an inclusive, human-centric city of the future. The main premise behind District 2020 is twofold:

1- To cater to the needs of everyone, including residents, working professionals, or visitors. 

2- To make something that is "human scale" instead of the monolithic cities and urban planning. So if you walk around Expo 2020, you'd get the sense that everything is very human scale and within reach by walking distance. It's as if you can relate to the entire project as a community that caters to the needs of all types of people, including people of determination. 

According to District 2020's official website, "District 2020 has been designed to support the future of working and living, and facilitate connection and collaboration. It will be home to an inclusive and diverse community seeking a more balanced way of life – a place that prioritizes well-being, inspires new ideas, facilitates growth and enables human potential." 

This means that after Expo 2020 ends, 80% of the infrastructure at Expo 2020 will be repurposed for commercial and residential use. The integrated mix-use community will attract businesses and people so you can enjoy working and living in this modern, sustainable city from the future. 

Imagine living or working there!

District 2020 will directly link to Dubai's metro network and three major highways for convenient access and curate an innovation ecosystem. In this context, the term "curation" refers to District 2020's directive for enticing tenants and equipping them with the technology, connections, and tools they require to grow and prosper. 

District 2020 has already attracted the likes of Siemens, the official anchor tenant, and other small and big companies. It will continue to curate businesses and key players from multiple industries to help support the Emirate's booming economy. The real estate sector is an integral part of that process. 

Examples of curating businesses include crucial sectors such as smart logistics, smart mobility, digital healthcare, and smart cities. In fact, according to District 2020, "In addition, to attracting enabling technologies, such as AI, IoT, blockchain, robotics, and big data — which are all key in shaping the evolution of smart cities. Companies of all sizes are being targeted to curate a broad tenant mix comprised of Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, scale-ups, accelerators, universities, and government entities, all of which contribute to the diversification of Dubai's economy." 

District 2020 will open its doors to everyone six months after Expo 2020 ends. Major perks will include a curated, business-friendly environment that supports innovation and a balanced lifestyle.  

I will stop by one day to check it out, and whether you're an investor or a tenant, perhaps you should, too. 

Sources: https://www.district2020.ae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGZAO63yQNY