Under the theme “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 has fielded ideas related to technology, mobility and sustainability, and 192 countries are represented throughout purpose-built pavilions arranged across districts designed to be explored on foot. It has become something of a cultural hub, too: since its launch, the expo has staged concerts by Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli and Lang Lang, and hosted appearances by sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt, attracting more than 10 million visitors in the process.

The 15-minute city is a concept first attributed to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo after it appeared in her 2020 re-election campaign’s plan for the French capital. As well as two hospitals, a school, shops, restaurants, offices and homes, the repurposed Dubai site will house 145,000 people and incorporate sustainable and flexible modes of transportation, including a driverless car route, continued use of its existing metro station, a 10km cycling track, wide paths for pedestrians and a 5km running track.

The project will reuse at least 80 per cent of the infrastructure used for the expo, which includes 260,000 sq ft of structures certified either gold or platinum—the highest ratings—by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the most respected and widely used green building rating system in the world.

District 2020 will open to tenants, residents and visitors in October 2022, while Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka, Japan, themed “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.