At the southern edge of Dubai, Ghaf Woods—a new 182-acre mixed-use community—is positioned to become the region’s first “forest living” community, inverting the city’s typical development pattern through its organization around tree canopy rather than buildings. Planned to deliver over 7,000 homes for an estimated 26,000 residents, the development is being constructed in phases, beginning with a dune-like Experience Center at its entrance.

Named for the ghaf, the United Arab Emirates’ drought-tolerant national tree, the landscape is structured around over 35,000 trees. This robust canopy is designed to reduce ambient temperatures by up to 5°C while improving air quality and expanding usable outdoor space in one of the world’s hottest climates, targeting approximately 15 square meters of green space per resident, well above global benchmarks. Native and climate-adapted species like gum tree, bristle grass, and saltbush are densely planted to establish a layered forest system over time, reducing irrigation demand while stabilizing sandy soils and supporting habitat.

Expanding outward from the Experience Center, SWA’s overall plan extends these environmental targets into a legible spatial framework, organizing shaded pedestrian corridors between wellness amenities and community spaces, including an amphitheater, mosque, and school. Integrated water management is woven throughout, with a series of retention basins and dry creek corridors capturing and recirculating stormwater. Along the development’s perimeter, low berms and dense planting help buffer noise and dust from the adjacent highway, softening the transition from city to woodland.

Developed by Majid Al Futtaim, Ghaf Woods is organized into 11 distinct residential clusters—ranging from the four garden towers of DISTRIKT to wellness and recreation-oriented neighborhoods like Lacina and Cilia—all within a short drive of downtown Dubai. The total development is being constructed in phases, with full completion planned for 2031.