Can Dubai South become the city of happiness?

Countries across the globe are searching for ways to keep their people happy at a time when the international stage is beset with difficulties owing to political and economic uncertainties. As is the case with other international destinations, the emirate of Dubaiis also working hard to promote and preserve happiness in its own way. After successfully launching initiativeslike making Dubai a city of the future, authorities in the emirate have now made the pursuit of 'happiness'of its people their next goal.

Recently, Dubai named a minister for happiness to manage different projects that will transform the emirate into the happiest city in the world. And this inspiring idea has clicked with the masses and important real estate developers in the emirate. One developer in particular has done fairly well by announcinga project that revolves around the idea of making the residents of Dubai the happiest people in the world.

The announcement has been made by the team behind Dubai South. The developers promoting the happiest city project believe that they will be able to provide housing to a million people once the project is complete, and vow to provide an unprecedented lifestyle to residents which will in turn promote happiness among residents.

There is good reason to believe that Dubai Southcan generate a happy vibe since it is home to some of the most important landmarks in the emirate, including, Al Maktoum International Airport. This particular district will also host the Expo 2020 mega event, thus multiplying the importance of this area in light of Dubai's future. Access to modern facilities within one's immediate surroundings is one step forward towards a happy lifestyle.

The trailblazing project was unveiled by Dubai South at the ongoing Cityscape Global in Dubai. Two important components of this project are The Villages and The Pulse development.

The project is supposed to provide solutions to all problems that exist in a typical urban centre anywhere in the world. Some problems that the developer want to address include, scarcity of walkable spaces, noise pollution and environmental degradation due to excessive traffic, lack of proper parking facilities and accessible points leading from one part of the city to another. Each one of these initiatives is being taken to provide much-needed peace of mind to residents and then leave the playing field open for happiness to take over.

The happy city concept is a much needed shift from the typical development fad that has so far been followed in real estate markets around the world. With a vision to transform the way in which urban ecosystems are developed and how people experience their surroundings, the happy city concept will focus all its energies to ensure the well-being of residents by considerably improving their quality of life.

The above mentioned project will also add more value to Dubai's existing inventory of commercial and residential units, which are already renowned for generating maximum yields. According to UAE property portal, Bayut.com, rental yields in Dubai can rise up to 8 percent to 10 percent in select apartment categories. Similarly, yields for luxury villas are registered at 5 percent to 6 percent.

Initiation of this project shows that Dubai is gradually replacing its opulent lifestyle with a more active one. The authorities concerned believe that physical activity is one path towards achieving happiness. Therefore, more developers are integrating new and healthy features into their projects such cycling paths, numerous parks and ample green spaces. Such developments are a sight to behold for those living in cosmopolitan centres like Dubai.

Looking at the new wave of optimism spreading across the residents of Dubai, one can only hope that the eco-friendly and healthy development trends being promoted by Dubai South will kick start a green revolution among architects and developers. Hopefully, Dubai will achieve the level of happiness in the near future that will make it the happiest city in the world.