GLOPRAGlobal Property Radar

Dubai property plan: AED 2bn for 48 urban centres by 2040

Dubai approved an urban centres plan worth more than AED 2bn on 27 October 2026, targeting an AED 20bn rise in the property value of 48 districts by 2040.

The facts

  • The Executive Council of Dubai approved an Urban Centres Development Plan on 27 October 2026 with a budget of more than AED 2bn running to 2040.
  • The plan covers six main urban centres and 42 supporting sub-centres, 48 in all, accounting for 12% of Dubai's urban area.
  • Its stated target is to raise the real estate value of those centres by AED 20bn by 2040.
  • The share of residents living close to a metro station is set to rise from 52% to 74%, and public service coverage from 74% to 85%.
  • The Council also approved a Sustainable Population Planning Policy tying population forecasts to economic and urban plans, and a Digital Authorisation System run by Digital Dubai for transactions that need no notarisation or legal attestation.

What it means for your money

  • Entry prices in the 48 named centres carry the plan's stated aim of higher values, so buying there means paying ahead of it.
  • Glopra's data puts the Dubai average at $5,680 per m², 1.74% above a year earlier and 94.2% above five years ago, with a bubble risk score of 81 in the high band: the plan lands on an already stretched price level.
  • Owners already holding units near the named centres gain on the rental side first, because the share of residents close to a metro station rising from 52% to 74% widens the tenant pool before any value uplift is realised.

What to watch

  • The announcement names neither the six main centres nor the 42 sub-centres, so the covered districts are not identified in it.
  • The AED 20bn value target runs to 2040, spreading any effect across fourteen years rather than one repricing.
  • The Digital Authorisation System targets a 90-point score on the Customer Effort Index and covers only transactions that need no notarisation or legal attestation.

Sources: Dubai Media Office https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2026/october/27-10/hamdan-bin-mohammed-chairs-executive--council

Market data: Abu Dhabi · Ras Al Khaimah · Dubai · Sharjah