An entire section of Dubai is set to be transformed into an urban district entirely inspired by the city of Milan, with the ambitious goal of bringing the elegance of Italian lifestyle to the heart of the Middle East. The project, initiated by Azizi Developments, one of the UAE’s leading private developers, will be called Azizi Milan, and will take shape as a 3.7-million-square-meter master-planned community designed to accommodate over 144,000 residents, reinterpreting Milan’s charm and aesthetic in the dynamic, vertical context of the Emirati metropolis.
At the core of the development is a masterplan valued at approximately 19 billion euro, integrating residential units, luxury hotels, commercial districts, office spaces, schools and nurseries, mosques, parks, and wellness centers. Azizi Milan’s identity and its ambitious urban vision revolve around the concept of a European-style “lived-in neighborhood,” enhanced by an architectural fabric that will explicitly reference the geometries and proportions of Milan’s cultural heritage—monumental arches, covered galleries, and pedestrian streets animated by shops and restaurants.
One of the district’s defining features will be its focus on commercial design and fashion. Entire themed streets – dedicated to cosmetics, fragrances, apparel, and accessories – will compose a kind of Middle Eastern “fashion district,” immersed in a fully walkable urban environment. The architectural structure will follow a carefully planned transition in building heights, with 70 levels towers along the outer edges giving way to mid-rise buildings of 25 to 35 levels closer to the residential heart of the district. The entire area will be served by Dubai’s upcoming Blue Metro Line, with a dedicated station and direct access to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, one of the city’s major infrastructures.
But Azizi Milan also aims to express, at least on paper, a zero-emission environmental vision across every phase of its development cycle. Sustainability plays a central role in the project, with plans to implement green building practices, as well as rooftops equipped with hanging gardens, infinity pools surrounded by lush vegetation, patios, and elevated social spaces immersed in greenery.
Opening image: Milan Cathedral. Photo Noppasin Wongchum from iStock