Kavan Choksi: How Will Dubai Preserve the Legacy of Expo 2020?
Expo 2020 Dubai showed the world that the UAE is ready to expand in different fields. Despite the delays due to the pandemic, the country proved that it is a hub for innovation and globalization. More than 23 million people from 192 participating nations visited Expo 2020 Dubai. It also hosted world dignitaries like French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince. Kavan Choksi has seen that the influence of this large-scale event can go beyond 2022.
Eighty percent of the infrastructure will transform into District 2020; a mixed-use urban neighborhood dubbed a "human-centric smart city." Expo 2020 organizers have already prepared to transform the place during the event's planning. The area will have housing, workplaces, recreational amenities, workout areas, a mall, and a metro station. In addition, District 2020 will be the biggest city in the world to be covered by a 5G network. The goal is to have a walkable, accessible city where the facilities can be reached within a few minutes.
District 2020 will have green space and parks packed with native plants, including drought-tolerant Ghaf trees and Jasmine shrubs. The structures were all installed with solar panels as part of architectural sustainability. The Sustainability Pavilion, created by the British architecture company Grimshaw, is a centerpiece of the Expo's environmentally conscious vision.
Popular sites like the Al Wasl Plaza will remain, allowing travelers to visit its famous structure. In addition to the Rove Hotel, there will be another hotel on the property where visitors can unwind. Terra, the Expo pavilion, will also continue the legacy of sustainability. It will soon become a children's and science center with programs and exhibits to promote environmental awareness. Finally, the mobility pavilion at Expo, Alif, will still promote mobility while becoming a commercial space.
The falcon-shaped UAE pavilion and the six-story mirrored Saudi Arabia pavilion are two country pavilions that will remain. Garden in the Sky, a 55-meter-tall rotating viewing tower, and the Surreal water feature will serve as tourist sites.
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