Dubai Municipality survey finds 64% of city occupied
Share of buildings in rural areas adds up to only 3%, survey finds
Dubai’s buildings and upcoming construction projects cover 64% of the city’s landmass.
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A survey by the buildings inspection department at Dubai Municipality has found that 64% of the city is occupied by buildings or under construction projects, even as Dubai carries forward plans for even more development projects.
The share of buildings in rural areas adds up to only 3%, the survey found, leaving room for expansion projects, a Gulf News report said on Sunday.
“We started the survey about one year and a half ago with 45 engineers and inspectors, and have now entered the third stage. The first stage included calculating the number of buildings, including high-rise structures and villas in Dubai but we did not include the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority or any other free zone areas because they are not under the municipality’s jurisdiction,” explained Jaber Al Ali, head of the buildings inspection department at Dubai Municipality.
The new database recorded the number and types of buildings, thereby helping to detail the urban growth rate and identify areas that can be used for future expansion for housing and industrial purposes. The total area of the emirate is approximately 4,000sq kilometres.
The second stage of the survey involved the recording of the number of units in each building and its stated function, while the last stage involved an inspection committee checking on the structural building violations and determining which buildings needed to be demolished or renovated, the report said.
The survey showed that there are a total of 88,931 buildings, including 45,364 buildings in Bur Dubai, 40,392 in Deira and 3,175 in rural areas.
It also indicated that areas with the highest number of violations in Bur Dubai are in the residential areas of Al Qouz and Al Bada’a near Al Satwa, while the highest numbers of building violations in Deira were reported in Abu Hail and Rashidiya. According to the survey, more than 40% of buildings in these areas require maintenance ranging from minor to comprehensive work.
