All preparations for World Expo 2020 in Dubai are scheduled for completion by 2019, according to a statement by the Expo 2020 Preparatory Committee. The city will have a full year for testing the infrastructure, systems and technologies created as Part of the Master Plan.
The Expo 2020 Preparatory Committee revealed details on the Master Plan during its progress update presentation of the framework, site development and organization at the executive committee session of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) in France. The timelines of delivery of the different projects were released, which stated that by October 2019, all major construction activities would be completed.
The Expo Village, the main residential development, designed to provide homes for the staff of the participating countries will be delivered in 2018. After this stage, construction of the pavilions, which are the main exhibiting areas, will take place according to the plan schedule. The committee also revealed that by 2015, Dubai should have submitted a mandatory registration dossier to BIE. Unlike the Master Plan and the rest of additional papers and applications, the dossier includes an in-depth report on the theme, communication programmes and Master Plan itself, only in details. It should be approved in late 2015, when the construction on the site at the Dubai Trade Centre – Jebel Ali area should begin.
Preparation for the development of the 438-hectare site starts early next year with various readiness activities, the committee says. The gated 150-hectare Expo area will be surrounded by residential (Expo Village), hospitality and logistics zones. There will be 250 pavilions, representing the 250 participants. According to the committee, for the first time in the history of world’s fairs, every country will be presented by one pavilion. The three zones, which were initially announced as parts of the site, will be dedicated to the sub-themes of the “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” event – mobility, sustainability, and opportunity. The three zones will intersect at the central Al Wasl Plaza, with each of them having an entertainment area and a dedicated pavilion.
According to Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre and a member of the Expo Preparatory Committee, the master plan has be reviewed in order to optimize the use of land, the sustainability targets, as well as improving construction and transport. The Smart City initiative is also scheduled to be introduced in full to aid the easy access and integration of participants and visitors. New Red line stations of the Dubai Metro will be built to encourage usage of the public transport. Another green initiative includes a zero-emission bus, which will transport visitors from any point of the city to the expo site. Tickets checks and security screenings will take place before taking the bus, so on-site checks will be avoided.
