Expo City: A Multipurpose Project

Behind Dubai's glitz and glamour lies a city facing real-world challenges, including population growth, shortage of affordable housing, traffic congestion, air pollution, and the climate crisis.

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But it is "testing" solutions, said Nadia Verjee, executive director of Expo City Dubai, with the 4.38 square km legacy site of World Expo 2020 serving as its "urban lab".

In Delhi to participate in the recently held Raisina Dialogue, she spoke to Shivani Singh about the potential cooperation between India and the UAE for sustainable urban development. Sharing the best practices and effective frameworks emerging from Expo City, which was the venue for COP28 in 2023 and is all set to host the Asia Pacific Cities Summit in October, Verjee said the diverse experiences of India's urbanscape must be showcased at international platforms. Edited excerpts:

With the Expo 2020 behind you, what does the future hold for Expo City Dubai?

In 2011, we submitted a bid to host the World Expo. We began by considering how a mega project, which cost more than $8 billion, would integrate itself into the fabric of Dubai's growth—the population here is expected to double by 2040—and become an extension of the city once the show was over.