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Dubai Coastal Development: Engineering Resilience and Reimagining the Future Coastline

Updated: Oct 29

Over the past five decades, Dubai coastal development has transformed the once small fishing village into one of the world's most engineered and recognisable coastlines. From marinas and artificial islands, to pristine beaches and harbours, Dubai projects showcase innovation, ambition, and adaptation.


But these ideas didn't emerge in isolation. Around the same time that Dubai began envisioning its coastal expansion, cities like Australia's Gold Coast were pioneering new approaches to shoreline resilience, nourishment, and urban waterfront design. Those early lessons - in how to work with nature while accommodating growth, helped shape a global movement in coastal development.


Today, land reclamation in Dubai stands as one of the most ambitious examples of this evolution. Projects such as Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands demonstrate how vision, planning and coastal engineering can combine to build not only new land, but new ways of living by the sea.

Dubai coastal development at sunset

Turning a Coastline Into an Asset

Since the 1970s, Dubai Municipality has played a central role in shaping the city’s transformation. Long before large-scale reclamation projects began, Dubai Municipality coastal managers were studying world best practice, not only from Europe and the US, but also from coastal innovation hubs like the Gold Coast.


Their goal was not simply to build more land, but to create a self-sustaining coastal system that would protect the city from erosion, enhance tourism, and expand its usable waterfront.


What set Dubai apart was its commitment to turning theory into action. Freed from the usual economic constraints, Dubai Municipality embraced innovation at a scale few cities could match. The result, new pathways for coastal design, reclamation, and resilience that would capture global attention.


Global Collaboration and Gold Coast Expertise

By the 1990s, Dubai, under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, sought to transform itself into a global hub. The Gold Coast and Dubai's shared ethos of innovation led to a sister-city relationship in March 2001, where Mayor Gary Baildon signed a Sister City Agreement between the cities, focusing on coastal management and waterfront development. 


At that time, Gold Coast engineers had decades of experience managing erosion and development through nearshore nourishment, artificial reefs, and coastal structures. As Dubai’s projects grew, international consultants including International Coastal Management (ICM) brought this expertise to the Gulf.


Led by Angus Jackson and Aaron Salyer, ICM applied the same principles developed in Australia to help design, model, and implement large-scale coastal works suited to Dubai’s unique environment.


Did Dubai Coastal Development Take Inspiration from the Gold Coast? 

It was rumoured that during an aerial flight over the Gold Coast's canal systems, Sheikh Mohammed commented on the Sovereign Island development that it was great, but could be even better. Could this have helped to spark the vision for Dubai's iconic coastal development projects? Feats so ambitious they're visible from space.


Gold Coast Coastline

The Role of Gold Coast Expertise in Dubai's Success 

Gold Coast-based companies, particularly International Coastal Management, played a valuable role in assisting with Dubai's vision. With decades of expertise on the Gold Coast and globally ICM was engaged on multiple fronts, including on projects such as the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands.

 

These were reclaimed from the ocean, much like the Gold Coast developments were reclaimed from waterways, low lying lands and swamps. Dredging is important to both cities, and we have no doubt that both cities will continue to develop their resilience going forward into the future. - Angus Jackson, ICM

 

ICM's involvement extended beyond the Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands. In the early 2000s, we collaborated with Dubai Municipality to develop solutions tailored to the Gulf's unique environment, including multifunctional artificial reefs (combining coastal protection and surf amenity) with additional research and development of artificial reef modules specifically tailored to the local conditions to enhance both recreation and habitat. These efforts highlighted the importance of adapting Gold Coast innovations to meet Dubai's specific needs. 


Additional Dubai Coastal Development Projects with International Coastal Management

ICM’s work in Dubai expanded across a range of key coastal and marine initiatives, including:

Each project reinforced ICM’s philosophy of combining engineering precision with environmental balance - working with natural systems to build resilient coastlines.


Dubai palm and coastline

 


A Leader in Coastal Management

Today, Dubai Municipality is recognised as a global leader in coastal management. Extensive modelling and long-term monitoring guide its decisions on shoreline stability, sediment transport, and wave climate.


Over the past two decades, an increasing number of Emirati coastal engineers have taken on key technical and management roles, reflecting the success of local knowledge and innovation. Additionally, a newly established Department for Public Beaches and Waterways now leads the city’s efforts to manage its coast sustainably, ensuring Dubai’s beaches and marinas remain safe, accessible, and resilient.

 

The Next Challenge: Sea Level Rise and Sediment Sustainability

As sea levels rise and coastal cities face increasing environmental pressures, maintaining resilience across the Dubai coastline will depend on long-term sand management and ecosystem integration.


Sand, once seen as an abundant material, is now a critical and limited resource. Future strategies will focus on bypassing, reusing, and recycling sediment - keeping it within the coastal system rather than sourcing it externally.


Dubai’s proactive planning, guided by data, science, and global collaboration, positions it well to meet this challenge. For ICM, the work continues: helping coastal cities worldwide manage their challenges through practical, science-driven, and sustainable design.


Looking for coastal resilience specialists? Get in touch with us!

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