What is District 2020? 5 things you need to know and details

If home is where the heart is and your heart is at Expo 2020 Dubai, you don’t have to say goodbye to it just yet – or what’s even better – ever.

A new destination will take over the site after Expo closes on March 31, but what is District 2020?

Think of a huge (over 260,000sqft, to be exact) 15-minute community (more on this later) with residential areas, workspaces, and cultural neighbourhoods coming to the place you’ve been visiting for the past six months.

It’s a recipe for all of the warm Expo 2020 nostalgia with a wholesome side of planet-friendly goodness.

Brush up on some District 2020 trivia and be prepared to dazzle the conversations to come.

Not too nostalgic just yet? Click here

Nostalgic but want to tour the best pavilions again? Click here

Want to know all the details for the closing ceremony? Click he r e

Built to last

District 2020 blueprints have been built around sustainability and environment-friendly practices. Disposability (think single-use plastics) are the enemy of sustainability, which is why plans for the Expo always reflected that at least 80 percent of what is built will remain after Expo is over. Other than the fact that there will be enough greenery around to calm our eyes, 22 percent of the site’s electrical power will come from the sun (read: solar panels). Plus the buildings have been designed to consume almost 50 percent less water than most buildings. So, that’s saving water and electricity!

The green buildings

Another feather to the sustainability-cap are the buildings themselves, which are LEED Gold and Platinum certified. The U.S. Green Building Association rates buildings based on how good they are for the environment and for human life – do they help contain climate change? Enhance individual health? Save water? Protect plants and animals? Recycle and reuse? And are they overall, sustainable structures that will last long enough to redeem the resources that go into building them?

It’s a resounding yes. The ratings go from certified (lowest) to platinum (highest). The on-site structures are rated gold and platinum, which means there will be less wasting of important resources.

You might also like: Everything to know about Expo 2025

15-minute city

The District 2020 dream is all about people living healthier lives, balancing their physical and mental wellbeing. While the greenery will contribute enormously to this, so will the no-stress commute. This is how the 15-minute city as a residential urban concept came to life, where living and work spaces (and plenty of entertainment) are all within a travel distance of 15 minutes. You can get anywhere within a 15-minute walk or bike ride in District 2020. No forever-long metro rides or frustrating traffic jams? Sign us up.

Moving-in day is this year

It’s time to call your real estate agent because if you liked visiting Expo 2020, doesn’t living at the site sound like the best idea ever? Well, you can make it happen because the houses are set to be ready to move into by the end of this year. If sustainable, intelligent and resilient urban spaces are your cup of tea, then District 2020 is your teapot. For those who care for the environment, cultural neighbourhoods, plenty of entertainment, and lots of greenery (and honestly, who doesn’t?) this is the place to be. There is a choice of co-living, urban or loft apartments at the site.

Take us to our convenient 15-minute dreamland, or as the kids like to say, “Take my money.”

A year-round multicultural fest

If you’re afraid that District 2020 will become an exclusive residents-only affair, be reassured that visitors will be as welcome as they were at Expo 2020. A rich variety of community-orientated events and entertainment experiences will be organised for visitors and residents. With hotels and iconic attractions such as Al Wasl Plaza; Terra, the children’s science centre that was part of the Sustainability pavilion; and the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) being retained in all their former glory, people of any age and interest will find something fun.

We don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to see that grand Dubai-style innovation come to life at District 2020.

As Marjan Faraidooni, Expo 2020’s senior vice president of legacy development, said back in 2017: “District 2020 continues the story of a much bigger journey. Hopefully we can look back 30 years from now and see what we envisioned when we started bidding back in 2013”.