Future megaprojects that will change cities around the world
Developments that will change city life forever
Poised to transform cities around the world forever, a multitude of megaprojects are due for completion in the coming years. From enormous gated communities and entire new districts to gargantuan infrastructure works such as Dubai's Creek Harbour (pictured), we reveal the exciting developments coming to a metropolis near you. Click or scroll through to find out what these magnificent feats of construction will look like.
Courtesy Bahria Town Limited
Bahria Town, Karachi, Pakistan, expected completion: TBC
The world's largest gated community, Bahria Town on the outskirts of Karachi will be home to one million people once it's finally completed. A sanctuary for Pakistan's growing middle class, the 46,000-acre development will house the world's third-largest mosque, the biggest cricket stadium in Pakistan, retail stores, schools, hospitals, hotels, theme parks, and acres of green space. However, there has been some controversy surrounding the project and in May 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that the land had been procured illegally, and in December of that year all construction stopped until the legal issues were resolved. Construction resumed in March 2019.
Courtesy Oxford Properties
Square One District, Mississauga, Canada, expected completion: TBC
Canada's largest ever mixed-use development, the $2.5 billion (£2.1bn) Square One District, is effectively a whole new city centre for Mississauga, which neighbours Toronto. The shiny new 130-acre district, which is being built around the existing shopping mall of the same name, will comprise 37 towers incorporating tens of thousands of square feet of office, residential, retail and entertainment space.
Courtesy Five Star Development
The Palmeraie, Scottsdale, USA, expected completion: early 2020s
Wonderfully luxurious, The Palmeraie in Scottsdale's Paradise Valley is one of the most high-end megaprojects on the planet. Dubbed "Rodeo Drive without the drive", the ultra-exclusive $2 billion (£1.7bn) community, which will cover 122 acres, is going to absolutely wow with a 200-room Ritz-Carlton resort, Fendi private residences, premium villas and estate homes, upscale designer stores, fine-dining restaurants and stylish office spaces.
Courtesy Miami Worldcenter Associates
Miami Worldcenter, Miami, USA, expected completion: 2021
Downtown Miami is undergoing a facelift as the city's multibillion-dollar Worldcenter nears completion. Focused around several splendid residential towers, the 27-acre $5 billion (£4.2bn) megaproject will feature 500,000 square feet of office space and 300,000 square feet for retail stores, as well as a 255-room hotel. It will also create new parks, cultural institutions and education facilities.
Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai, UAE, expected completion: 2022
This jaw-dropping 1,500-acre megaproject will be anchored by the spectacular Dubai Creek Tower, which at more than 2,717 feet is set to surpass the nearby Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest structure. Designed by the same architectural team that worked on the Burj Khalifa, it's not surprising that this megaproject is big on scale. Other highlights of the development include thousands of lavish homes, 24 grand hotels, a dedicated arts district and the $2 billion (£1.7bn) Dubai Square. Set to be the biggest mall on the planet, it will stretch to the size of more than 100 football pitches.
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Courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas
Resorts World, Las Vegas, USA, expected completion: 2021
Inspired by Chinese culture and aesthetics, Resorts World is the first large-scale development to take shape in Sin City since the financial crisis of 2008. Costing a total of $4.3 billion (£3.7bn), the 88-acre megaproject will include a 3,500-room hotel, 110,000-square-foot sky casino, street food and gourmet restaurants, tens of thousands of square feet of retail space, a spa and a Chinese garden.
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Luca Zanon/Corbis via Getty
MOSE, Venice, Italy, expected completion: 2022
Rising sea levels present an existential threat to Venice. In fact, since the 1500s the sea has risen by an average of half a foot per century. To counter the risk, work began on MOSE, an enormous system of barriers costing $6.1 billion (£5.2bn), back in 2003. Plagued by corruption and cost overruns, the megaproject, which was meant to have been up and running in 2011, won't actually be finished until 2022 at the earliest.
Courtesy Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities
New administrative capital phase one, Cairo, Egypt, estimated completion: 2022
Egypt's pristine new capital, which is yet to be named, is taking shape in the desert 28 miles east of Cairo. The first phase alone is slated to cost $45 billion (£38.6bn). The meticulously planned solar-powered city will seriously impress with supertall skyscrapers, Parisian-style apartment buildings, a stunning green space twice the size of New York's Central Park and a theme park four times bigger than Disneyland.
Courtesy Canary Wharf Group PLC/Cityscape
Wood Wharf, London, UK, expected completion: 2023
London is getting a new waterside urban district in the form of Wood Wharf, a mixed-used development extending over 23 acres that is due for completion in 2023. Estimated to cost a minimum of $2.3 billion (£2bn), the area will consist of 3,300 homes, a quarter of which will be affordable, two million square feet of office space, countless retail stores and 8.9 acres of interconnected public spaces.
Barangaroo, Sydney, Australia, expected completion: 2024
Nestled between Sydney Harbour and the city centre, Barangaroo is a $4 billion (£3.4bn) redevelopment encompassing 54 acres, and is billed as Sydney's new foreshore playground. Rocking a plethora of office, retail and residential spaces, not to mention waterfront cafes and restaurants, and heaps of landscaped parkland, the megaproject is scheduled to be done and dusted in 2024.
Courtesy KuiperCompagnons
Great Garuda, Jakarta, Indonesia, expected completion: 2025
The fastest-sinking city in the world, Jakarta is at risk of being the first metroplis to be wiped out by climate change. Like Venice, the city is responding to the existential threat by constructing colossal flood defences. Known as the Great Garuda, the 20-mile sea wall is expected to cost $40 billion (£34.5bn), but whether the megaproject will be robust enough to save the Indonesian capital is open to question.
Europacity, Berlin, Germany, expected completion: 2025
Europacity is a new neighbourhood covering 150 acres in central Berlin that is due for completion in 2025. Nine years in the making, the megaproject, which is likely to cost billions of euros when all is said and done, will feature 3,000 homes, 4.3 million square feet of office and retail space, a school, green city squares and waterfront promenades.
Courtesy Battersea Power Station Development Company/McBains
Battersea Power Station Redevelopment, London, UK, expected completion: 2025
London's iconic Battersea Power Station lay derelict for 30 years before work began on its redevelopment in 2014. London's biggest regeneration scheme, the 42-acre megaproject is breathing new life into the landmark building and surrounding area of Nine Elms, and will include thousands of homes, 2.5 million square feet of office and retail space, a new tube station, eateries, cultural institutions and entertainment venues. Tech company Apple has been lined up to fill 40% of the available office space when it is completed. The total cost of the megaproject is estimated at between $10.6 billion (£9bn) and $15.3 billion (£13bn).
Shibuya Station Area redevelopment, Tokyo, Japan, expected completion: 2027
Tokyo is ploughing billions of yen into the redevelopment of the area around the city's Shibuya Station. The megaproject is partly complete but the final phase won't be ready until 2027. All in all, it will feature six office towers with retail space, as well as a 32-floor condo skyscraper and a characterful shopping area along the Shibuya River.
Courtesy Government of Dubai
Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, UAE, expected completion: 2027
Earmarked for final completion in 2027, Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport is poised to be the world's largest airport in terms of freight handled, with the capacity for around 160 million passengers per year. At present however, very few airlines are operating passenger services but that is set to change dramatically in the coming years. In total, the megaproject is estimated to cost $82 billion (£69.5bn).
Grimshaw Architects/PA Archive/PA
HS2 phase one, London/Birmingham, UK, expected completion: 2028–2031
HS2 was greenlit earlier this year by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Europe's largest infrastructure megaproject, the outrageously expensive high speed rail scheme is expected to cost $125 billion (£106bn). The first phase, which is due for completion between 2028 and 2031, will link London to Birmingham and calls for the construction of 140 miles of lines, a number of new stations and the upgrading of existing terminals.
Lincoln Yards, Chicago, USA, expected completion: 2029
After years of wrangling, the Lincoln Yards megaproject was finally approved in January 2019. The $6 billion (£5.1bn) scheme involves the redevelopment of 55 acres of former industrial land along the Chicago River between Lincoln Park and Bucktown. When it's completed in 2029, Lincoln yards will feature 15 million square feet of office, residential and retail space, 21 acres of green areas, three new bridges and water taxi stops, as well as an attractive riverwalk.
Courtesy Urban Think Tank
Strategic Master Plan, Sao Paulo, Brazil, expected completion: 2030
Brazil's biggest city is getting a much-needed overhaul. Unveiled in 2014, the Sao Paulo Strategic Master Plan, which promotes sustainable urban development and focuses on public and non-motorized transport, entails the construction of a whopping 717,000 homes, wider pavements, cycle and bus lanes, and the creation of numerous green spaces.
Courtesy California High Speed Rail Authority
California High Speed Rail, Los Angeles/San Francisco, USA, expected completion: 2033
America's most expensive construction project, California's new high speed rail network is now set to cost a hefty $80.3 billion (£68.2bn) as costs continue to spiral. The bullet train service, which will shave the journey time from Los Angeles to San Francisco down to two hours and 40 minutes, is scheduled for completion in 2033.
Courtesy Five Point Holdings
Newhall Ranch, Los Angeles, USA, expected completion: 2035
In 2017 the City of Los Angeles finally approved the $13 billion (£11.6bn) Newhall Ranch residential megaproject, which had been on the drawing board for 30 years. The massive 15,000-acre development in the nearby Santa Clarita Valley will see the construction of 21,500 new homes and offer millions of square feet of retail space.
Pacific Park Brooklyn, New York, USA, expected completion: 2035
Launched back in 2003 as Atlantic Yards, the 22-acre Pacific Park Brooklyn megaproject isn't due for completion now until 2035 having been put back a decade. Its centrepiece, the Barclays Center sports and entertainment indoor area, opened in 2012, but the lion's share of the skyline-transforming development, including residential and office towers as well as a new public park, is yet to be finished.
Courtesy Treasure Island Community Development
Treasure Island Development, San Francisco, USA, expected completion: 2035
An artificial island that was built to host the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco's Treasure Island served as a naval base until 1997 and is currently undergoing a $6 billion (£5.1bn) redevelopment. Slated for completion in 2035, the scheme will create a spanking new neighbourhood complete with 8,000 homes, a multitude of retail space, hotel and ferry terminal.
Candlestick Point, San Francisco, USA, expected completion: 2035
Staying in Frisco, Candlestick Point is the name of the 272-acre redevelopment of Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. The megaproject, which is scheduled for completion in 2035 and is expected to cost at least $3 billion (£2.5bn), will have 7,218 homes, masses of office and retail space, a cultural centre and a hotel. Other notable upcoming San Fran megaprojects include Mission Rock and Parkmerced.
Courtesy Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited
Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project, Dehli/Mumbai, India, expected completion: 2040
India's most breathtaking construction megaproject, the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor will include 24 industrial regions, eight smart cities, two airports, five power projects, two mass rapid transit systems and two logistical hubs. The first phase of the project, a freight corridor linking India's two biggest cities, has been delayed and may not be ready now until 2030, while the final phase is scheduled for completion in 2040.
Courtesy Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority
Sound Transit 3, Seattle, USA, expected completion: 2041
This visionary plan to expand the light rail system in Seattle was approved by the city's voters in November 2016. Spanning 62 miles, the 37-station project, which will be part-funded by local taxes, is estimated to cost a total of $54 billion (£45.8bn) and won't be fully complete until 2041.
Courtesy CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd
Port City, Colombo, Sri Lanka, expected completion: 2041
A new financial hub to rival Hong Kong and Dubai is set to be built on reclaimed land off the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo and will stretch across 665 acres, making it around the same size as central London. The development, which is being bankrolled by Chinese investors and isn't expected to be completed until 2041, could cost as much as $15 billion (£12.7bn).
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Courtesy Distrito Castellana Norte
Madrid Nuevo Norte, Madrid, Spain, expected completion: 2044
Europe's largest urban regeneration scheme, Madrid Nuevo Norte aka Operation Chamartín will transform the northern part of the Spanish capital. Projected to cost $7.9 billion (£6.8bn), the megaproject is set to redevelop 76 acres of brownfield land, and will involve the construction of gleaming towers and low-rise blocks, as well as the creation of tranquil green spaces. The development will also bring the Chamartín train lines underground, which will create room for a large, open park in their place.
Courtesy Weller Development Company
Port Covington, Baltimore, USA, expected completion: 2044
Construction on Baltimore's exceedingly ambitious Port Covington megaproject kicked off last May. The $5.5 billion (£4.7bn) scheme will regenerate 235 acres along the city's waterfront. Upon completion in 2044, the development will boast 18 million square feet of mixed-use buildings, 40 acres of parks and green spaces, and miles of restored waterfront.
Courtesy Victoria State Government
Suburban Rail Loop, Melbourne, Australia, expected completion: 2052
Melbourne's Suburban Rail Loop, which is referred to as 'Victoria's Big Build', is a 56-mile orbital line that will connect the city's central business district with the outer suburbs. Australia's most extensive megaproject will take around 30 years to complete with construction commencing in 2022, and is likely to cost at least $58.6 billion (£48.9bn).
Maryland GovPics/CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Maglev High Speed Rail, Tokyo/Nagoya/Osaka, Japan, expected completion: 2045
Japan is investing trillions of yen in its maglev high speed line, which will link Tokyo to Nagoya and eventually Osaka. Journey times will be unimaginably fast thanks to the leading-edge trains, which will whizz along at blistering speeds. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2027, while the Osaka extension is expected to launch in 2045.
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