A city within a city: Another Dubai first

Dubai is known for its extravagance. They have some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers; the Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest man-made structure; Palm Islands – man-made islands; and the Burj Al Arab – a hotel with 1,790 square metres of 24-carat gold leaf decorating the interior. Dubai’s next big idea?

“The Mall of the World.”

What would you think of a completely enclosed, “first temperature-controlled city on the planet”? You wouldn't have to step outside for days. Would it freak you out or would you be dying to visit? Do you think it could ever be real?

The Mall of the World is one more materialistic creation that the world does not need but will probably get anyway and, of course, Dubai has the vision. It may seem extravagant, especially with the world’s overall economic situation and the number of wars currently underway, but if constructed, The Mall of the World could be the start of something very interesting. And it could further boost Dubai’s economy.

This near-fantastical structure is to include an over-the-top mall, the world’s largest indoor family theme park, a seven-kilometre "network of temperature-controlled openable promenades, … a three million square-foot wellness district and theatres modelled after famous cultural landmarks like the West End and Broadway,"  according to Cassandra Khaw from The Verge. The Mall of the World hopes to host 180 million visitors annually, which explains the 100 hotels that will be constructed on the "48-million-square-foot premises."

Although this is an exciting project, there has been no set completion date or budget. A building that stretches seven kilometres long in walkways may seem like a great idea at the moment, but is this structure a blueprint of what our future cities will look like? If this building is created, maybe other cities will follow suit. Then you might wonder if we continue in this direction, will we bother walking outside ever again? Or will we be content in temperature-controlled cities where we’re all basically walking inside one huge mall?

In a city where the average temperature is 40 degrees Celsius, this creation actually makes some sense. The developer, Dubai Holding, explains that the mall will allow visitors to stay for weeks on end without the use of cars or any exposure to the harsh weather outside. Some places in the world – hot or cold – could benefit from similar malls, but for most, this building would be quite unnecessary.