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. For how these communities compare with the villa stock next door, see our Dubai South villas guide.

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. Established 2022
  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. Unveiled 2023
  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. Launched 2023
  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. Launched 2024
  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. Approved 2024
  6. 06 Expo Valley Views launched Apartments of one to three bedrooms across eight low-rise buildings, announced on 12 November 2025. Launched 2025
  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. Contractors appointed 2026

Expo City track record

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

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.

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

Launched from AED 3.4M

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

Roudah at Expo Valley Views

Expo City Dubai

From AED 1.69M

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.
Discloses through law and resolutions, not filings
As a statutory authority rather than a listed company, its ownership, leadership and mandate are set out in Dubai Law No. 14 of 2022 and dated ministerial resolutions, not in a quarterly annual report.
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. Both GRAF projects are itemised with a unit count and a dated releaseExpo Valley holds 532 villas, townhouses and semi-detached homes, with the first 165-home phase launched from AED 3.4m in March 2023; Expo Valley Views launched 12 November 2025 with one- to three-bedroom apartments across eight low-rise buildings.

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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