Sustainable Living: How Dubai is Building a Greener Future

While the glam, glass and concrete of Dubai all render it an enviable city, it is now leading the world in a whole different sector - sustainable real estate. As a leader of the shift to sustainability following environmental concerns in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai's thriving real estate industry is the first to lead the green charge. 

This ongoing innovation taps into various processes in the industry-preventing deforestation, avoiding construction in climate sensitive zones, mandating efficient waste disposal systems and using green-friendly resources and tech to meet the housing boom in the emirate. 

For prospective residents and those cognizant of green initiatives when looking to invest in real estate, this guide covers the particulars of the Dubai real estate scene as it pertains to environmental action. 

The Green Plan and its Contents

Real estate developers in Dubai are now bound by regulations to drive the push towards the green city model. The ambitious Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan contains several provisions detailing a shift to green energy and initiatives, mandating compliance across city development authorities and other stakeholders as well.

The various initiatives detailed in the plan include a proactive shifting away from energy sources which create greenhouse gases, improving green energy distribution systems and creating more clean energy, expanding reserved green pockets across the emirate and revamping sanitation, waste disposal and plumbing systems to comply with the latest standards of environmental legislations. 

The involvement of the real estate industry in this plan is a crucial one since they constitute a large demographic of all businesses and transactions happening in the emirate. For green-conscious consumers, there is not much to worry about, since all development schemes are now bound to abide by certain standards of climate action. 

1. Green Buildings 

Among the most important changes made is that Dubai real estate developers are now bound by the regulations provided by the Dubai Green Building Regulations and Specifications. The usage of eco-friendly building materials is the foremost of these regulations- which brings advantages such as high maintainability, better resistance to natural disasters and creating a child and pet friendly living environment given the use of organic and natural materials in construction. 

The moving away from harmful materials such as organic paints, steel, recycled wood, and other such materials prevent lead seeping into plumbing and eroding water pipes and prevent carcinogens commonly found in inorganic paints from having long-term health consequences. Further, using high quality cement and caulk, mandated by law, prevents fine dust from remaining in the air around the construction site and potentially avoids serious respiratory issues for future residents.

2. Clean Energy Initiatives 

The second most important change in the real estate industry in Dubai is the shift in the use of energy. As mandated by the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, several projects are underway to move away from fossil fuel and invest instead in renewable energy systems-with the government specifically subsidising solar power in both residential and industrial neighbourhoods. 

The strategy outlines a system through which by 2050, nearly 75% of all energy used in the emirate will be clean energy, specially the energy used in electricity production. You will find, increasingly, that housing projects are constructed with solar installations from the get-go, saving you tremendous electricity bills and the hassle to switching your home to clean energy as a consequence of policy implementation itself.

3. Building Sustainable Cities

Building sustainable cities requires a streamlining of communities, executive oversight and administration, and implementation of regulation. The institutions responsible for executing Dubai’s green vision are amongst its most strong, indicating a positive trend towards future sustainability imperatives in the emirate. 

Projects such as Dubai Sustainable City provide a prototype for water management systems, recycling and waste disposal, reforestation, green buildings, electric cars and many other systems to make the city green.

What Is In It for You?

Among the most important effects of switching to a greener way of life are the health benefits-inorganic chemicals will not pollute what you eat or breathe, your water supply will be clean, the air you breathe will have no adverse effects on your health, the city will be more climate and disaster resilient for your family in the future, and the economic advantages of infinite natural resources such as solar and wind, plus the benefits of recycling, means that economy around you will flourish. 

One of the advantages of the Dubai Master Plan is that it takes into account the high quality of life and affinity to luxury that is the city's character, and compromises on none of that while making this shift in a greener direction. As with other international cities, Dubai is positioned to be the center of arts, culture, fashion, food, education, healthcare and a high quality of life which only benefits the residential sector’s switch to greener alternatives. Speaking particularly of the real estate industry, which offers options such as off-plan property, apartments, bungalows and the like, sustainable construction greatly lowers operational costs and ensures high sale values (for e.g. properties with solar installations resell for much higher than their regular counterparts). Green Buildings in Dubai also attract the attention of environmentally conscious buyers and occupants, which almost always means high resale values and high return on investments.