Eight years and $7 billion in the making, on the 1st of October Expo 2020 Dubai has finally opened its doors to the public. World Expos are among the largest and oldest international events, and countries use the platform to showcase their latest technological innovations and cultural heritage.
After Covid-19 delayed the opening of Expo by a year, 192 participating countries have now unveiled their pavilions and are showcasing their cultures and innovations inside these architecturally striking works of art on the 438-hectare (4.38 square kilometers) site.
Dubai’s government has spent an estimated $7bn (£5.2bn) on the event, and it hopes to attract 25 million visitors over the next six months to boost tourism and investment in the Emirates.
The site is organized into three districts, names after the three pillars of the exposition: sustainability, mobility and opportunity.
Sustainability district
Inside Terra, the sustainability pavilion, visitors will discover the global projects providing real life solutions to help preserve the planet for future generations and how everyone can play a part in creating a more sustainable world. Some of the pavilions we can find in the district are Singapore, Germany and Brazil.
Mobility district
Designed to make the visitors experience both the physical and digital worlds, together with their inevitable connections that drive the world forward, the Mobility District aims at building a harmonious, global society where information, ideas and goods are exchanged faster than ever before. The Mobility Pavilion, Alif, includes installations on future vehicles that ride autonomously, and various displays of the latest developments in space exploration and mobility devices. The most extraordinary one is surely the world’s largest passenger lift, capable of transporting more than 160 people.
Opportunity district
The Mission Impossible Pavilion explores the “chain effect” that connects the actions of all human beings, explores aspects such as youth empowerment, social innovation, and seeks to highlight how even the smallest actions can make a big impact on the global mission to make a better future for all. Countries’ pavilions include Ukraine, Switzerland and UK.
The site will close its doors to the public on March 31st 2022, but the area will recycle and reuse at least 80% of its infrastructures, and will transition into “District 2020”, a smart and sustainable city centered on the needs of its urban community, made of individuals and businesses, designed to create a more balanced way of life.
