Residential City

Residential City by Dubai South — The UAE's Most Ambitious Urban Living Masterplan

TL;DR Snapshot

| Detail | Info | |---|---| | Project | Residential City | | Developer / Master Planner | Dubai South | | Location | Dubai South, Dubai, UAE | | Status | Off-Plan / Phased Development | | Property Types | Apartments · Commercial Units · Villas | | Price Range | AED 22,500,000 – AED 33,750,000 | | Amenities | Swimming Pool · Gym · Kids Play Area · 24/7 Security · Parking · Retail | | Vision | Complete self-sustaining city district for one million residents |

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The Dubai South Masterplan: City-Scale Ambition

Residential City is not a conventional real estate project — it is the urban living heart of Dubai South, the UAE Government's most ambitious city-building initiative of the 21st century. Dubai South, formerly known as Dubai World Central, spans 145 square kilometres in the emirate's southern quadrant and is engineered around the singular transformative asset of Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) — the world's largest airport under development, designed for an ultimate capacity of 160 million passengers annually and slated to become the global hub for aviation, logistics, and commerce.

Residential City constitutes the dedicated residential and community services district within the broader Dubai South masterplan. Conceived as a self-contained urban environment with its own schools, hospitals, universities, community centres, parks, mosques, retail precincts, and government services, Residential City is designed to eliminate the commuter-dependency model that characterises most of Dubai's existing residential communities, creating instead a genuine live-work-stay district in which all the needs of daily life are met within walking or short driving distance.

The Dubai South development authority — a government entity wholly backed by Dubai's ruling family — is the master developer and land authority for the entire 145 km² precinct. Unlike private developers who may face financial pressures mid-project, Dubai South's government backing provides absolute certainty of delivery and long-term commitment to the masterplan's realisation. Residential City's phased development is sequenced to match the airport's operational expansion milestones, ensuring that housing capacity is introduced in alignment with the employment, logistics, and commercial activity being generated in adjacent districts.

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Location: The Geographic Pivot of the UAE

Dubai South occupies a uniquely strategic position within the UAE's national geography — equidistant between Dubai's commercial core and Abu Dhabi's capital district, positioned at the apex of the country's primary arterial road network, and adjacent to the airport that will define the UAE's aviation identity for the next century.

| Connectivity Point | Approx. Distance / Time | |---|---| | Al Maktoum International Airport | 5–10 min drive (within Dubai South) | | Expo City Dubai | 10–15 min drive | | Dubai Marina / JBR | 25–30 min drive | | Dubai Downtown / Burj Khalifa | 30–38 min drive | | Abu Dhabi City Centre | 55–65 min drive | | Jebel Ali Port (World's Busiest Transshipment Hub) | 15–20 min drive | | Dubai South Free Zone | Within district (walking/cycling) | | Future Metro Extension (Planned) | Within Residential City |

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) runs directly adjacent to Dubai South, providing high-speed access to the entirety of Dubai's existing urban fabric. Emirates Road (E611) parallels to the east, offering alternative routing toward Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. The planned extension of the Dubai Metro network into Dubai South — currently in advanced planning stages as of 2025 — will, upon completion, connect Residential City to the full Red Line network, including Marina, JBR, JLT, and the existing Dubai South station, transforming public transport accessibility and significantly enhancing the district's residential desirability for non-car-owning residents and international tenants.

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Residential City's Urban Planning Principles

Dubai South's Residential City is planned on contemporary urbanism principles that prioritise walkability, green space, community integration, and sustainability — a deliberate departure from the car-centric suburban models that characterised Dubai's earlier residential development phases.

The district is structured around a series of residential neighbourhoods, each with its own identity, community facilities, and green corridors, connected by pedestrian-friendly boulevards and a comprehensive internal road network. Commercial and retail zones are positioned at neighbourhood edges and arterial intersections to ensure proximity to daily conveniences without compromising the residential quality of neighbourhood interiors.

Community infrastructure within Residential City encompasses:

• Schools and Educational Institutions: Primary through secondary schools following both UAE national and international curricula, with proximity to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and planned university campuses.
• Healthcare Facilities: District-level clinics and planned hospital facilities integrated into the residential fabric.
• Mosques and Places of Worship: Community-scale mosques integrated into neighbourhood planning.
• Parks and Green Corridors: Extensive landscaped open spaces designed for the desert climate, incorporating shaded walkways, cycling paths, and children's recreational zones.
• Government Services Centres: Consolidated service hubs for immigration, licensing, and municipal services.
• Retail and F&B Precincts: Walkable retail streets and community centres serving daily grocery, dining, and lifestyle needs.

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Property Types and Pricing Structure

Residential City's offering encompasses a broad spectrum of property typologies designed to serve the full range of Dubai South's target resident population — from entry-level apartment buyers to high-net-worth investors and master developer plot purchasers:

| Property Type | Size Range | Price Range | |---|---|---| | Studio Apartments | 400–500 sqft | From AED 22,500,000* | | 1-Bedroom Apartments | 700–900 sqft | Price on Application | | 2-Bedroom Apartments | 1,000–1,300 sqft | Price on Application | | Commercial Units | Varied | Price on Application | | Villa Units | Varied | Up to AED 33,750,000 |

*Prices at this level may reflect large-scale development parcels, commercial plots, or premium villa/compound purchases within the Residential City masterplan, rather than individual apartment units. Buyers seeking specific unit types and current pricing are encouraged to consult the Dubai South sales authority or authorised agents for updated schedules.

The price range (AED 22.5M–33.75M) positions Residential City within the ultra-premium and institutional investment segment — consistent with master developer plot transactions, large-scale villa compounds, or commercial development rights within the Dubai South masterplan framework. Dubai South's government backing ensures that plot and parcel pricing reflects long-term land value appreciation rather than speculative premium.

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Amenities & Community Infrastructure

Residential City's amenity provisions reflect both the development's current phase and its ultimate masterplan ambition:

| Amenity / Facility | Status | |---|---| | Swimming Pool | Community leisure facility | | Gym / Fitness Centre | Community fitness infrastructure | | Kids Play Area | Outdoor recreational space | | 24/7 Security | Government-grade security management | | Parking | Structured parking integrated into development | | Retail Outlets | Ground-floor and precinct commercial |

Security within Dubai South's Residential City is managed at a district level by the Dubai South authority, incorporating perimeter management, CCTV surveillance, and 24/7 security personnel — a standard that exceeds typical private developer security provisions and reflects the government's responsibility for the safety of Dubai South's resident population.

Retail outlets integrated into Residential City's ground-floor commercial zones serve the immediate daily needs of residents — supermarkets, pharmacies, laundries, F&B, and convenience retail — while larger-format retail destinations in the Dubai South commercial and aviation precincts are accessible within a short drive.

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Investment Analysis: The Long-Game Play in Dubai South

Investment in Residential City represents participation in one of the most profound urban development stories in the modern GCC real estate market. While shorter-horizon investors may prefer immediately operational projects in established districts, Residential City offers investors the asymmetric return profile that accompanies early positioning in a master-planned government-backed city district at a point before full operational maturity.

| Investment Factor | Assessment | |---|---| | Developer Backing | UAE Government / Dubai South Authority | | Delivery Risk | Minimal — government entity, multi-phase execution | | Long-Term Capital Growth | High — airport expansion drives district-wide appreciation | | Rental Demand Drivers | Aviation workforce, Expo City workers, logistics professionals | | Phase of Development | Active phased delivery | | Infrastructure Commitment | AED hundreds of billions committed by UAE Federal & Dubai Government | | Comparable Urban Growth Models | Comparable to early Jumeirah Lake Towers, Business Bay |

The historical precedent for government-backed master-planned city districts in the UAE is compelling: areas like Business Bay, JLT, and Downtown Dubai all saw exponential capital appreciation as they transitioned from undeveloped land to operational urban precincts over 10–20 year horizons. Dubai South's Residential City is positioned at approximately the same stage in its development cycle as these districts were in the early-to-mid 2000s — a juncture at which early investors captured the most significant long-term value creation.

The Al Maktoum Airport expansion, which represents the single largest infrastructure project in UAE history, guarantees a sustained and growing workforce demand for residential accommodation within Dubai South for the next two to three decades. This structural demand underpin is unmatched by virtually any other residential location in the emirate.

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Developer Profile: Dubai South Authority

Dubai South is a government entity established under the leadership of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, to develop and manage the 145 km² Dubai South Economic Zone. As both master developer and regulatory authority, Dubai South exercises direct control over land allocation, infrastructure delivery, planning approvals, and urban management within its jurisdiction.

The authority's mandate encompasses the full spectrum of urban development — from airport operations and free zone management through to residential community development, retail and hospitality, logistics infrastructure, and smart city implementation. This integrated authority model eliminates the coordination risk that typically challenges large-scale master-planned developments, ensuring that Residential City's community infrastructure is delivered in synchrony with the broader district's commercial and economic activation.

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Why Residential City: The Foundational Urban Investment

For investors, institutions, and high-net-worth buyers seeking exposure to Dubai's most transformative long-term urban development at foundational pricing, Residential City by Dubai South offers an unparalleled opportunity. The combination of government backing, airport-driven structural demand, master-planned urban quality, and the sheer scale of the 145 km² district ensures that this is not merely a real estate investment — it is participation in the building of a new city, with all the generational wealth creation potential that implies.