Expo City Dubai Authority

Expo City Dubai Authority was established by Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022. The law identifies it as a public authority wholly owned by the Government of Dubai and gives it responsibility for the administration and development of Expo City Dubai.

The Authority combines city operation with master development. Its work therefore extends beyond housing to public spaces, venues, commercial plots, events, and partnerships across the former Expo 2020 Dubai site.

Expo Living residential portfolio

Expo Valley and Expo Central Residences were unveiled in March 2023. The current residential portfolio also presents Sidr Residences, Maha Villas, Yasmina Duet Villas, Al Waha Residences, and Expo Valley Views.

Terra Gardens is associated with Expo Living through a separate joint venture between Emaar and Dubai World Trade Centre. This distinction keeps the Authority's own residential programme separate from partner-led development in the wider Expo area.

Government-owned city authority and master developer of the Expo district

Master developerGovernment authorityMixed use cityResidentialDubai

Who owns Expo City Dubai?

Expo City Dubai Authority is a public authority of the Government of Dubai. Article 3 of Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022, issued by the Ruler on 7 July 2022, creates the Authority and states that it “will be wholly owned by the Government”. The same article gives it legal personality and financial and administrative autonomy. The law names no shareholders and no founder, and the Authority issues no shares. Article 8 puts a Chairman appointed by decree of the Ruler at its head and Article 9 a CEO appointed by the Ruler. Resolution No. 27 of 2022 appointed Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Chairman and Resolution No. 28 of 2022 appointed Reem Al Hashimy Chief Executive Officer.

Source: Dubai Law No. (14) of 2022 Establishing Expo City Dubai — Government of Dubai Legislation Portal · Dubai Media Office — Resolutions 27 and 28 of 2022 appointing the Chairman and CEO, 15 July 2022

Track record

Buildings that made the name

  1. 01 Expo City Dubai Authority established Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022, issued by the Ruler on 7 July 2022, creates the Authority, states that it is wholly owned by the Government and gives it legal personality and financial autonomy. 2022 completed
  2. 02 Expo Valley and Expo Central unveiled The first residential launch after Expo 2020. Expo Valley opened with 165 homes from AED 3.4m and Expo Central with Mangrove Residences, 450 homes from AED 1.2m. 2023 completed
  3. 03 Yasmina Villas launched Four- and five-bedroom semi-detached homes from AED 6.1m on plots averaging about 4,000 sq ft, announced on 13 October 2023 after Shamsa Townhouses phase one sold out. 2023 completed
  4. 04 Expo Valley Plots launched Freehold land of 7,500 to 12,500 sq ft from AED 11m, buildable to G+2, open to Emiratis, expatriates and non-resident investors. 2024 completed
  5. 05 New master plan approved by the Ruler 3.5 sq km across five districts, drawn with UNStudio, retaining more than 80 per cent of the Expo 2020 estate and planned for 35,000 residents and 40,000 professionals. 2024 completed
  6. 06 Expo Valley Views launched Apartments of one to three bedrooms across eight low-rise buildings, announced on 12 November 2025. 2025 completed
  7. 07 Al Waha Residences contractors appointed ARCO Group and Al Futtaim Contracting appointed on 19 January 2026 for more than 500 homes across 42 buildings, due for completion in 2027. 2026 completed

Expo City track record: delivered and under construction

Residential projects published by Expo City Dubai
Eight
Expo Valley with Shamsa, Yasmina and Maha; Mangrove, Sky, Sidr and Al Waha Residences; Expo Valley Views
Homes in Expo Valley
532
Villas, townhouses and semi-detached homes. The first phase of 165 launched from AED 3.4m in March 2023
Earliest stated handover
Q1 2026
Mangrove Residences, completion given as January 2026 in the launch release of 14 March 2023
City area
3.5 sq km
Five districts, official master plan brochure
Planned population
35,000 residents and 40,000 professionals
Official master plan brochure

Delivered Under construction

No completion announcement has been published by Expo City Dubai for any of its homes as at 20 August 2026, so no residential project is marked as delivered here.The date in the last column is the one stated in the release named as the source for that row. Homes built at Expo City by Emaar and Dubai World Trade Centre belong to a separate joint venture and are not listed.

Project Area Type Status Date
Expo 2020 legacy estate Expo City Dubai More than 80% of Expo 2020 buildings and infrastructure retained, including Al Wasl, Terra and the Connect Conference Centre Retained and operating Since 2022
Expo Valley — Shamsa, Yasmina, Maha Expo Valley district 532 villas, townhouses and semi-detached homes Under construction First residents stated for early 2026
Expo Valley Plots Expo Valley district Freehold plots of 7,500–12,500 sq ft, buildable to G+2 On sale Launched 24 July 2024
Mangrove Residences Expo Central 450 apartments, lofts and townhouses Under construction Completion stated January 2026
Sky Residences Expo Fields 419 apartments in three towers of 14 storeys Under construction Handover stated from Q4 2026
Sidr Residences Expo Downtown 421 apartments, lofts and townhouses in three towers of 15, 15 and 13 storeys Under construction Completion stated 2027
Al Waha Residences Mobility and Opportunity districts More than 500 apartments and duplex lofts across 42 buildings Under construction Completion stated 2027
Expo Valley Views Expo Valley district Apartments of one to three bedrooms in eight low-rise buildings Under construction Launched 12 November 2025

Source: Expo City Dubai — official master plan brochure and dated press releases, 2023–2026 · checked 20 August 2026

What Expo City is known for

Established by
Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022
Owner
Government of Dubai (Article 3)
City area
3.5 sq km across five districts
Planned population
35,000 residents, 40,000 professionals
Residential projects published
Eight
Homes in Expo Valley
532, first phase 165 from AED 3.4m
Sustainability floor in the master plan
LEED Gold minimum for every building

Figures come from Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022, the official master plan brochure and dated Expo City Dubai press releases.Homes built at Expo City by Emaar and Dubai World Trade Centre are counted separately.

Al Waha is a key residential project in our mission to build the city of the future, embodying Expo City Dubai's vision of sustainable and community-driven living.
Ahmed Al Khatib Chief Development and Delivery Officer, Expo City Dubai Expo City Dubai, 19 January 2026

Where Expo City builds

Expo ValleyRoudah at Expo Valley ViewsDubai SouthVillas in DubaiApartments in Dubai

Current projects via GRAF

Expo Valley — Expo City Dubai

Expo Valley

Expo City Dubai

From current project page

View project →
Roudah at Expo Valley Views — Expo City Dubai

Roudah at Expo Valley Views

Expo City Dubai

From current project page

View project →

How Expo City differs from other Dubai developers

Expo City Dubai is an organ of the Government of Dubai that sells freehold homes. Its owner is set out in a law rather than a filing, its master plan was approved by the Ruler, and it licenses businesses inside the same free zone in which it builds.

The owner is named in a law
Article 3 of Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022 states that the Authority is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. There are no shares and no shareholder register.
It regulates and develops the same ground
The law gives the Authority twenty-five functions, including licensing establishments inside its own free zone, alongside selling freehold homes on that land.
The land is a finished world's fair
More than 80 per cent of the Expo 2020 buildings and infrastructure were retained, and Al Waha Residences remodels legacy Expo 2020 structures into more than 500 homes across 42 buildings.
The master plan was approved by the Ruler
Expo City is one of five hubs named in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. The plan covers 3.5 sq km and sets LEED Gold as the minimum for every building.
No accounts are published
A statutory authority files no annual report and lists no securities, so revenue, profit and backlog cannot be read anywhere.
Two developers use the name Expo Living here
Expo City Dubai's own residential index carries that name, and Emaar Properties and Dubai World Trade Centre run a separate joint-venture master community also called Expo Living, with Terra Heights and Terra Gardens.
Why GRAF recommends Expo City

Expo City Dubai suits a buyer who wants a district whose land use is fixed by a master plan approved by the Ruler and built by a government authority rather than a private company, in Dubai South beside Al Maktoum International Airport and the expanding Dubai Exhibition Centre.

What the record shows
  1. The ownership answer is in statuteArticle 3 of Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022 states it in one sentence, and the two appointment resolutions of July 2022 name the Chairman and the CEO.
  2. The master plan is published in full3.5 sq km, five named districts, LEED Gold as the minimum for every building, BREEAM Excellent for infrastructure, and a brochure anyone can download.
  3. The residential programme is itemisedEight projects, each with a unit count, a named main contractor and a dated release — 532 homes at Expo Valley, 450 at Mangrove, 419 at Sky, 421 at Sidr, more than 500 at Al Waha.
What to check before signing
  1. Which developer signs the contractEmaar Properties and Dubai World Trade Centre run a separate joint venture on the same site, also called Expo Living, whose phases are Terra Heights and Terra Gardens. Expo City Dubai Authority is not a named party in either release.
  2. The stated handover date against the latest releaseMangrove Residences was given a completion of January 2026 when it launched in March 2023, and no completion announcement has followed. Read the current project page, not the launch release.
  3. What a finished building on the site meansMore than 80 per cent of the buildings at Expo City were built for Expo 2020 and retained, so a completed structure is not automatically a home delivered by the Authority.

GRAF editorial team

Expo City — frequently asked questions

Who owns Expo City Dubai?

Expo City Dubai Authority is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. Article 3 of Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022 creates the Authority as a public body and states that it will be wholly owned by the Government, with legal personality and financial and administrative autonomy. It has no shares and no shareholders.

Source: Dubai Law No. (14) of 2022 Establishing Expo City Dubai

When was Expo City Dubai Authority established and who runs it?

The law establishing it was issued on 7 July 2022. On 15 July 2022 the Ruler issued Resolution No. 27 of 2022 appointing Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as Chairman and Resolution No. 28 of 2022 appointing Reem Al Hashimy as Chief Executive Officer. Both still hold those titles on the Authority's own leadership page.

Source: Dubai Media Office — appointment of the Chairman and CEO, 15 July 2022

How big is Expo City Dubai?

The master plan approved by the Ruler covers 3.5 square kilometres in five districts — Expo Downtown, Expo Fields, Expo Hills, Expo Business and Expo Valley — and plans for more than 35,000 residents and 40,000 professionals. More than 80 per cent of the buildings and infrastructure of Expo 2020 were retained.

Source: Expo City Dubai — the master plan brochure

Which homes does Expo City Dubai build itself?

Eight projects are published on its own site: Expo Valley, which contains Shamsa Townhouses, Yasmina Villas and Maha Villas, plus Mangrove Residences, Sky Residences, Sidr Residences, Al Waha Residences and Expo Valley Views. Expo Valley alone holds 532 villas, townhouses and semi-detached homes.

Source: Expo City Dubai — Expo Living

Who develops Terra Heights and Terra Gardens?

Emaar Properties and Dubai World Trade Centre, through a joint venture announced on 19 November 2024. Their master community covers 451,295 square metres with 358,473 square metres of residential space and a Dubai Expo Mall, and Terra Gardens adds 560 units. Expo City Dubai Authority is not a named party.

Source: Emaar Properties — Expo Living joint venture with Dubai World Trade Centre

When do the first Expo City homes hand over?

Mangrove Residences was given a completion of January 2026 at its launch, Sky Residences a handover from Q4 2026, and Expo Valley its first residents in early 2026. Sidr Residences and Al Waha Residences are stated for 2027. No completion announcement has been published for any of them.

Source: Expo City Dubai — Al Waha Residences advance towards 2027 completion, 19 January 2026

Where is Expo City Dubai and how is it connected?

On the former Expo 2020 site in Dubai South, midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with direct access to Al Maktoum International Airport, Jebel Ali Port and the Dubai Exhibition Centre. The 15-kilometre Dubai Metro Route 2020 extension, 138 lane-kilometres of roads and nine flyovers were built to serve it.

Source: AGBI — New Expo City plan to drive Dubai's economic growth, 4 October 2024

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Official sources
Official websiteExpo City Dubai — official siteDubai Law No. (14) of 2022 Establishing Expo City DubaiExpo City Dubai — LinkedInExpo City Dubai — XExpo City Dubai — InstagramExpo City Dubai — YouTube
About this profile

Maintained by the GRAF editorial team from public sources and our own project data. Updated 20 August 2026. Contact us

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