Dubai's Mall of the World proposal has undergone a redesign. The new plan focuses on improved transportation and scales back the ambition just a little, reportedly with the aim of making it a more realistic investment opportunity.
The project is now slated for a staggered construction in two phases and will take up a huge total footprint of 1.7 million sq m (over 18 million sq ft) in the center of Dubai. It features a greater focus on transportation and connectivity to the surrounding city, with a network of 33 roads, 152,500 sq m (1,641,496 sq ft) of walkways and plazas, in addition to bicycle routes, bus and shuttle services, metro and tramlines, and gondola rides.
Furthermore, while the original plan called for an ambitious (and rather wasteful) air-conditioned street area measuring a total of 4.3 miles (7 km), the new scheme scales this back and adds more natural means of keeping cool, including shaded parks and sidewalks.
While developer Dubai Holding hasn't explained the impetus behind the redesign, Bloomberg Business reports that recently-hired Mall of the World Chief Operating Officer Morgan Parker criticized the excess of the original proposal and plans to reduce its size and scope in order to make it financially viable.
We've reached out to a Dubai Holding representative for more information.
Source: Dubai Holding
