A drive to Business Bay in Dubai just a decade ago meant bumping down a sandy track with only a scattering of traffic cones to mark the route.
Today, however, those days appear long gone, with a host of recent developments signalling major new investment in the area.
Upmarket restaurants, sealed roads and a crop of hotels, nightclubs and residential units are all springing up alongside the city’s canal.
Billboards announce “Business Bay is taking shape” and aspiring locals are confident the area is set to become the Manhattan of the emirate.
“I’ve seen Business Bay growing in terms of infrastructure, especially with it now being linked to Sheikh Zayed Road,” said Vikas Pahuja, 39, who has lived in the area for two-and-a-half years.
“It’s exciting to see new hotels and there are more trees being planted and a park that is coming up. There are also some great nurseries, clinics and restaurants arriving.”
Business Bay is part of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision for the continuing development of the city.
The Ruler of Dubai hopes the area will become a city within a city, creating a new commercial and residential hub along the Dubai Creek.
Once completed the development will include more than 500 offices, substantial retail space and a projected population of both residents and workers of around 300,000 people. It is expected to cost some Dh110 billion ($30bn).
Mr Pahuja said a lot of young families were now choosing to move to the area because of its proximity to good schools, offices and Dubai International Airport.
He said dropping his daughters Kashvi, 14, and Sukhmani, 8, to school was only a 15 to 20-minute car ride.
The only thing the area still lacked, he noted, was a good hypermarket and a perhaps a sports centre.
“There is no big hypermarket and we end up going to Mall of the Emirates, BurJuman Center or Wafi Mall,” he said.
Mother-of-two Sheetal Wanzare moved to Business Bay with her family in 2012 and agreed the area had undergone huge amount of development since.
She described the building of new roads, a jogging track, health clinics and a flyover, speeding up travel to nearby Abu Dhabi.
“A lot of infrastructure development has taken place,” she said.
“There was no proper road or infrastructure in the community [when we arrived]. Within a few months, we saw the development.
“The first Al Khail road flyover was built which helps access Abu Dhabi.”
“When your child falls or has a minor accident, help is available. There’s also an outdoor jogging track.
“But the most special thing for me is the community feel. Even though there is ongoing construction in the area, we wouldn’t want to move.”
For Eman, a British resident who lived in Business Bay up until 2017, the area meant great views of the canal and a short commute time.
But one area which continually frustrated her was the similarity of the building names, which meant taxis often found it hard to find her.
“What I actually hadn’t given any thought and turned out to be the most disruptive detail was how similar building names were,” she said.
“My building was in a quieter part of Business Bay, so I had to pre-book cabs, especially ahead of important morning meetings.
“At least 80 per cent of the time, and despite my being very specific, the drivers would go to another better-known building with a similar name to where I lived.”
Mustafa Al Ibrahim, manager of Anbar Cafe by the canal in Business Bay, said he had thought long and hard before choosing where to site his business.
The cafe gets as many as 400 visitors on evenings during the weekends, with customers coming to enjoy both the food and the surrounding view.
“This area is famous for its international population,” he said. “We’ve had a very good response and we hope to grow further.
“When we first came it was completely different. There was nothing here and there were no people. There wasn’t even water in the canal.
“Now we have visitors coming here for the view and to enjoy sitting by the canal in good weather. Business Bay is the future of the emirate.”
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