Khalid Al Malik, CEO of Dubai Holding Real Estate, on turning Dubai Design District into a waterfront neighbourhood that protects creative culture, widens opportunity, and raises the bar on sustainability and liveability
Dubai Design District, better known as d3, is stepping into a bigger role in the city’s story: not as a standalone creative hub, but as a fully integrated waterfront neighbourhood where ideas, enterprise, and everyday life share the same streets. In this feature interview, Khalid Al Malik outlines what is driving the expansion, how d3’s creative identity will stay intact as it scales, and why the next phase is being planned as an ecosystem, not a collection of buildings.
Waterfront Vision
For Khalid, the ambition is not simply growth. It is evolution. “The expansion of Dubai Design District is driven by a clear ambition: to evolve d3 from a successful creative hub into a globally competitive, creative led waterfront neighbourhood where people can live, work, and create within a fully integrated environment,” he says.
The masterplan, he adds, is built to match the direction of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and the D33 agenda, responding to what talent and businesses increasingly seek: quality, connectivity, and a place that feels human in how it operates. “We are intentionally moving beyond conventional real estate development to shape a human centric district that brings together culture, design, innovation, and waterfront living,” Khalid notes.
Creative First
Khalid is direct on this point: creativity is not decoration. It is structured. “Preserving d3’s creative first identity is fundamental to the masterplan,” he says, stressing that it is embedded into how the district is organised, zoned, and activated, rather than added as a branding layer later.
The expansion reinforces d3 through distinct clusters that serve different parts of creative life, from production and studios to performance and year round cultural programming. Khalid describes the intent in plain terms: “This approach ensures creativity is lived and sustained.”
The Right Mix
The defining idea is integration. Not adjacent uses, but interwoven ones. “The expanded d3 masterplan is defined by integration,” Khalid says, pointing to a mix that brings residential, commercial, cultural, retail, hospitality, and wellness into one balanced framework.
Different zones play different roles, from culture and community to nature led living and wellness. The goal is a district that behaves like a complete place, not a single purpose destination. “Together, these components deliver a true live work environment,” he adds, designed around flexibility, proximity, and a strong sense of place.
Space to Start
Khalid frames affordability as non-negotiable if the creative economy is the point of the district in the first place. “A successful creative district must remain accessible to emerging talent,” he says.
The strategy is to reduce friction for young businesses through purpose built creative infrastructure, shared amenities, and flexible spaces that lower barriers to entry. The intent is not a short cycle of hype, but retention and growth: an environment where early stage brands can begin small, collaborate, and still find room to scale without having to leave the district.
Waterfront at Work
In Khalid’s view, the water’s edge is not a separate chapter. It is part of the same creative narrative. “The waterfront at d3 is conceived as an extension of the creative district, not a separate leisure destination,” he says.
The plan is to activate the waterfront with galleries, cafés, ateliers, and cultural programming that keeps daily engagement high, while public realm spaces host exhibitions, installations, and events. The design is also connectivity led, with pedestrian first movement intended to stitch the district together so the waterfront functions as a working community asset, not a backdrop.
Proof, Not Promises
Khalid positions sustainability as a core delivery requirement. “Sustainability and resilience are integral to the d3 masterplan,” he says, linking the strategy to Dubai Holding Real Estate’s wider commitments.
The district is targeting LEED Silver community certification, supported by measurable benchmarks across energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and sustainable construction practices, with walkability designed to reduce reliance on private vehicles. Green spaces, including mangrove and sports parks, are planned to strengthen biodiversity and promote healthy lifestyles. “Progress will be monitored through certification frameworks and internal sustainability metrics,” Khalid adds, tying delivery back to measurable accountability rather than headline statements.
As featured in Construction Business News ME February 2026 edition