The Emaar Economic City, the developer, has significantly expanded the size of its largest-ever development in the Middle East, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia, by nearly four times to cover an area of over 168mn sq m and unveiled a new master plan.  

The company has modified the KAEC master plan to make substantial additions to its six major components -- the Port, Industrial District, Central Business District (including commercial, mixed-use, retail and financial island), Resort, Educational Zone and Residential (including Corniche and souks). The expansion will help generate more employment opportunities for Saudis, enhance foreign direct investment and boost the Kingdom's economy.  

Following the expansion, the project has the potential to generate one million jobs for Saudi citizens and will serve as home to two million residents. The jobs created will be in industrial and light industries (330,000), research and development (150,000), business and office (200,000), services (115,000), hospitality (60,000), and education and community services (145,000).  

 Covering 13.8mn sq meters, a major increase of 11.2mn sq m from the earlier project, the seaport will be the largest in the region with a capacity of over 10mn 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers per year, which is significantly higher than all other regional ports. Another key component of the port will be a custom-built Haj Terminal.  

Following the expansion, the Industrial District will cover 40mn sq m -- five times more than previously envisaged. The 4,000 hectares of land will be dedicated to industrial and light-manufacturing facilities, identified as key growth drivers for the Saudi economy, and can now host 2,700 industrial tenants. The Industrial District will have specific initiatives to encourage local entrepreneurs through incubator-like modules. International experts have been consulted to ensure that the Industrial Zone development is in line with best environmental practices.  

The Central Business District (CBD) will offer 3.8mn sq m of office space, hotels and mixed-use commercial space. The Financial District, within the CBD, has now been doubled in area to cover 14 hectares of land, which will be the largest regional financial nerve center for the world's leading banks, investment houses and insurance groups. 
 

The retail component of KAEC takes a quantum jump following the expansion of the project. From an area of 3.3mn sq m, the total retail facilities will now spread to cover 8.7mn sq m and house over 50,000 shops, nearly three times the earlier estimate.  

The Hospitality zone will be another strategic component of the new expansion with the number of hotel rooms and suites being increased from 12,000 rooms in 60 hotels to 25,000 hotel rooms in more than 120 hotels. An ideal place to work and live, the KAEC will now have 250,000 apartments and 25,000 villas, a leap from 110,000 apartments and 16,000 villas.  

 Building on the socio-cultural environment demanded of living environments, KAEC will have 550 mosques including several grand mosques in the residential zones. Several schools will be opened to cater for the educational needs of children in each community apart from a university campus for 18,000 students. A sports stadium will also be part of the project, which will have 45,000 seats.  

The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) also plans to establish a plastic valley at King Abdullah Economic City.