Construction & Real Estate
From The Report: Dubai 2019
View in Online Reader

Dubai’s economy went through several years of expansive growth in the years following the turn of the millennium, with much of this driven by an active and rapidly expanding construction sector. Indeed, such was the pace and scale of activities at the time that a popular claim had it that the emirate was home to around 20% of the world’s cranes at the height of the boom in 2006. Even though growth levels are not what they once were, Dubai’s construction industry continues to play a significant role in its economy, and the emirate has become a global leader in terms of the value of its ongoing projects.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

2020 and beyond: Demographics and tourism should support medium-term growth
OBG
plus

Dubai’s economy went through several years of expansive growth in the years following the turn of the millennium, with much of this driven by an active and rapidly expanding construction sector. Indeed, such was the pace and scale of activities at the time that a popular claim had it that the emirate was home to around 20% of the world’s cranes at the height of the boom in 2006. Even though growth levels are not what they once were, Dubai’s construction industry continues to play a…

Overview

Revised blueprint: Legal and structural changes lay the groundwork for recovery
OBG
plus

Even as a years-long softening in the rental and sales prices of Dubai’s real estate continued in 2018, industry experts agree that any further market corrections from the highs of 2014 that have not yet played out will not extend beyond 2020. Moreover, amid the decline in average property prices, the sector has grown considerably both in absolute terms and relative to the wider economy. According to the Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC), the value of real state activities increased by 28%…

Analysis

Portal to tomorrow: A new digital platform should reduce real estate market friction
OBG
plus

As the global economy becomes increasingly digitised, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and its legal arm, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), have aimed to stay ahead of the curve. In May 2018 they announced that they had begun developing the Real Estate Self Transaction (REST) platform, an online portal that will enable all aspects of real estate business to be carried out online, beginning from the service’s projected completion in early 2020. REST will form the real estate aspect…

Analysis

New ends, new means: The financial market responds to interest in industrial property
OBG
plus

The performance of Dubai’s industrial real estate was mixed in 2017. Even as achieved rents for grade-B stock fell significantly in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, achieved rents of grade-A stock in Jebel Ali Free Zone and Dubai Investments Park grew by 16.7% and 6.7%, respectively, according to the latest issue of Knight Frank’s “UAE Industry and Logistics Market Review”. The analysis projects the trends in these two real estate classes to continue diverging in the near term. Although…

Analysis

Keeping apace: Sustaining inward migration depends on new affordable housing
OBG
plus

With forecasts suggesting that Dubai’s population will grow from 3m in 2017 to 5m by 2027, affordable housing is set to become an increasingly pressing issue in the emirate. “A lot of the supply in Dubai is mismatched, compared to where the actual demand is,” John Allen, director of valuation and advisory at Asteco, told OBG. “Traditionally, the supply has tended to be at the higher end of the market, whereas the bulk of demand is at the affordable level.” Defining Affordability According…

Overview

Sustainable urbanisation: As urban populations undergo rapid growth around the globe, planners are striving to create efficient spaces
OBG
plus

In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The UN estimates that by 2030 urban areas will host 60% of the world’s population – up from 54.5% in 2016 – with the pace of urban growth especially rapid across Africa and parts of Asia. Urban areas are home to more than 470m people in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s population,…

Overview

Sustainable urbanisation: As urban populations undergo rapid growth around the globe, planners are striving to create efficient spaces
OBG
plus

In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The UN estimates that by 2030 urban areas will host 60% of the world’s population – up from 54.5% in 2016 – with the pace of urban growth especially rapid across Africa and parts of Asia. Urban areas are home to more than 470m people in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s population,…