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Economy, infrastructure and urban planning: the decisions shaping Dubai’s future and its position as a global investment hub.
SELECTED BY DI SALVO | JOURNAL
CITIES & VISION — October 2026
Dubai | A City Shaped by Vision
Some cities grow as a consequence of economic opportunity. Others deliberately create the conditions for opportunity to emerge.
Dubai belongs to the latter.
Its transformation cannot be understood solely through its real estate developments, iconic architecture or the pace of its urban expansion. Behind this growth lies a broader strategy integrating economic planning, infrastructure, international connectivity, capital attraction and territorial development.
Two initiatives are particularly important in understanding this direction: the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, with a horizon extending to 2033, and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which establishes the city’s urban development priorities through 2040.
Although they address different objectives, both are part of a shared vision: to consolidate Dubai’s position among the world’s leading cities in which to live, work, establish businesses and invest.
The first defines the city’s economic ambition. The second organizes the territory required to sustain it.
Launched in January 2023, the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy over the decade leading to 2033 and position Dubai among the world’s top three economic cities.
The agenda establishes measurable objectives that illustrate the scale of this transformation.
Its principal cumulative targets for the period include: