Dubai developer Emaar Properties and investment firm Dubai Holding on October 27 unveiled plans for a multi-million project known as "Dubai Creek Harbour at The Lagoons", which will contain the world's tallest twin towers with height more than 600 meters (1,968ft) each. Located within the two partners' joint master development, Mohammed bin Rashid City (MBR City), the project will be officially launched on November 1 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London and Moscow and will be the first residences located in Dubai Creek Harbour, offering views over the harbour and Dubai skyline. "Dubai Creek Harbour at The Lagoons" will be developed on an open site and is expected to be larger than Downtown Dubai in terms of magnitude. Dubai Creek Residences will include six towers - two of which will be 40-storeys in height - with a variety of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments that will have unit area ranging between 75 - 200 square meters. The master plan will contain a dedicated retail precinct, pedestrian walkways and The Dubai Twin Towers, an iconic mixed-use development billed to be the tallest twin towers in the world. At present, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at 452 meters and 88 floors hold the record for the tallest twin towers in the world. Dubai is already home to the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa (828 meters), the world's highest residential tower Princess Tower (414 meters), the world's highest hotel building JW Marriott Marquis (355 meters) and the world's highest twisted tower "Infinity Tower" (307 meters).

The Burj Khalifa has claimed the record for the world's highest observation deck with the unveiling of a new viewing level on the 148th floor. With its floor at a staggering 555.7 meters, it smashes the previous record held by Canton Tower, in Guangzhou, China, at 488 meters. The new "At the Top", Burj Khalifa Sky venue adds to the existing viewing experience on the 124th floor. The new attraction will be opened to the public on October 15. A third viewing deck on the 125th floor also adds to the experience, allowing those who choose to go to the 148th floor to have a second stop overlooking the public viewing deck on the 124th floor on the return journey. The 125th floor, decorated with a Mashrabiya motif, allows visitors to look through viewfinders to go on a virtual tour of the city through Dubai. People who buy tickets to the new floor can sit in an exclusive lounge as they wait for the lift. They are then taken in batches, led by guest ambassadors, avoiding waiting queues. The lift journey up features a projected video inside that marks the heights of various world-famous buildings as it surpasses them. There is an outdoor viewing deck, an interactive large screen that takes viewers on a computer-generated trip down the Burj and around Dubai, as well as a boutique shop. Last year 1.87 million people visited the attraction, and that figure is set to be surpassed this year.

Dubai is already home to the biggest shopping mall in the world, but that apparently isn't enough. Dubai has just unveiled plans for the world's largest temperature-controlled pedestrian city, the Mall of the World. To be completed in time for the World Expo 2020, the 4.5 million square meters mega development will include the world's largest shopping mall, the world's largest indoor theme park, and a 280 thousand square meters wellness center catering to medical tourists. It will be located right across the street from the 223 thousand square meters Mall of the Emirates. Dubai Holding will need US$ 6.8 billion to build an entertainment district. While the impending Expo 2020 undoubtedly gives a timeline to the project, in unveiling the plans His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum commented: "We announced recently that we plan to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision." It is estimated that the Mall of the World will be a draw card for 180 million visitors per year. The project will be completed in stages, "in alignment with the gradual growth of family tourism in Dubai." The project's "highlights" include the world's largest mall at 743 thousand square meters, connected to 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings totaling 20,000 hotel rooms. The shopping mall will be a temperature-controlled, covered retail street network spreading over 7 kilometers and modeled on Rodeo Drive and London's Oxford Street. It will also include The Celebration Walk, which is based on La Rambla in Barcelona. The development also includes the largest indoor family theme park in the world, which will be covered by a glass dome that can be opened in the milder winter months. There will also be a cultural district based on Broadway, with a 15,000-person capacity "celebration center," to be Dubai's largest.

UAE-based developer Kleindienst Group announced that contractors have been mobilized on its flagship The Heart of Europe project - a cluster of six islands forming part of The World, Dubai's iconic man-made island development. The company said in a statement that work has now started with the dispatching of 600 tons of materials and equipment from the main land to the islands. Vibro-compaction of all six islands is the first step in the construction process, preparing them for buildings to be erected. The construction process is anticipated to last until the end of 2016. The Heart of Europe project includes islands for mainland Europe, inspired by Austrian, Italian, Spanish, German and French architecture; Monaco; Sweden; Switzerland; St Petersburg, Austria and Germany. Once complete, The Heart of Europe will offer visitors and holiday makers the authentic charm of each of its European countries. Monaco will boast "all the elegance and opulence of the French Riviera" with contemporary villas and luxurious yachts, while Sweden will feature a central marketplace that encompasses the tradition of Stockholm's famous Saluhall markets. The first European island to be built will be Germany. The six stunning islands will offer leading hotels for families and wedding parties, landscaped gardens, climate controlled plazas, street performers, snow and rain-lined streets and much, much more. The World, master developed by the Nakheel Group's The World subsidiary, was first announced in 2003. The entire project spans approximately 9 kilometers in width, 7 kilometers in length, and is 4.5 kilometers from the Dubai mainland coast. The World's 300 islands and 27 kilometers breakwater were completed in 2008 cover over 870 thousand square meters and are visible from space. On May 2013 a Nakheel subsidiary has signed an out-of-court settlement agreement with Kleindienst Properties, a key investor in The World project, ending the need for it to go to the Dubai World Tribunal. The settlement, under which Kleindienst Properties will pay the balance owing of US$ 185 million to The World LLC, allows Kleindienst to continue with its planned Heart of Europe islands at The World.

Trident International Holdings, a Dubai-based developer, will be restarting work on 516-meter The Pentominium, billed as the world's tallest residential tower, by third quarter. In conjunction with the Dubai Land Department, Trident is actively working on several advanced options towards restarting the construction of this project. The tower, located in Dubai Marina, was scheduled for completion in 2013, but work was suspended in August 2011 following the global financial crisis and customer default. When completed, the residential tower will have 122 floors above ground and house 172 luxury penthouses designed by Italian fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo. In 2009, Arabian Construction Company was awarded a US$ 400 million contract for construction of the tower. Construction commenced on July 26, 2009, and, before construction stopped, at least 30 floors had been completed. When completed, Pentominium will become the second tallest building in Dubai after 828-metre Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. Dubai already is home to four of the tallest residential towers with the 414-metre Princess Tower in Dubai Marina holding the world record according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.. The 395-meter 23 Marina is in second place, followed by 381-meter Elite Residence and 337-meter The Torch, Council data reveals. Emporis' latest data shows Dubai has 1,882 tall buildings of which 869 exist, 625 are planned, 341 under construction, 46 un-built and one demolished.