Discovery Gardens: The greenest area of New Dubai

General view of the Discovery Gardens community in Dubai.-Photo by Neeraj Murali

Located between Interchanges 5 and 6 on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai is a community of spacious, multi-sized apartments where more than 30 per cent of the development is reserved purely for landscaping. And this also reflects in its very name - Discovery Gardens. Discovery Gardens owes its name to the stunning garden that surrounds it.
Inspired by garden living, Discovery Gardens is a family-oriented residential development covering an area of over 26 million square feet that offers residents a choice of lush foliage, desert blooms and manicured lawns.
It is one of the biggest and most popular master communities of property developer Nakheel, and is home to more than 48,000 people across nearly 300 buildings. The community is rectangular shaped, with one end facing Sheikh Zayed Road and the other along Mohamed Bin Zayed Road.
"Constructed in the early 2000s, the sprawling community contains a host of amenities including Discovery Gardens retail Pavilion, which opened in 2004, and dozens of swimming pools, sports facilities, children's play areas, communal gardens, mosques, clinics and more," Nakheel COO Aqil Kazim said.
Since the low-rise apartment complex offers studios, one and two bedroom apartments, it is also populated by bachelors.
Mithun Menon, who has spent almost a decade at the Discovery Gardens, said it is the serene and peaceful environment of the area and a good balance it offers between green spaces and a community centre in the vicinity that adds to its appeal.
Highlighting the pros and cons of the community, Menon, who has been staying in the area with his wife since 2009, said: "It's a nice, family-friendly and pedestrian-friendly community that is affordable for the mid-income population. The new petrol pump in the area adds to its appeal as a self-sufficient community. However, the ongoing construction work for the Metro expansion is an inconvenience. Also, it's hard to get out of the community during peak hours due to the heavy traffic. I am waiting for the Metro construction to end so that the traffic eases.
"The community is famous for its affordable rents and proximity to Metro stations and a shopping mall. I like the fact that it is away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is not plagued by overcrowding in the neighbourhood," he added.
Relatively new residents of the community, Muneeb and Aisha, who have been staying in the area for a little less than two years, said the area is largely populated by small expat families looking for affordable housing in the heart of New Dubai.
"A convenient, resident-friendly community in every sense, Discovery Gardens is located just a short distance from Ibn Battuta Mall. Street 1 is our food street that has a lot of cheap Indian/Pakistani restaurants, along with other restaurants and cafes serving Chinese, Arabic, Italian and more. And we also have Street 8 that has a small shopping centre called Discovery Pavilion which has Carrefour, so pretty much everything is covered.
The buildings in Discovery Gardens are colourful and grouped in themed clusters. It has six themed communities inspired by garden living, and includes Zen, Mediterranean, Contemporary, Mogul, Mesoamerican and Cactus courtyard gardens. Another unique aspect of Discovery Gardens is that it is known for the eco-friendly and energy-saving options used in the community, such as district cooling. Also, the project is contributing to beautifying the area, with a great deal of attention given to landscaping of the Gardens. There are no designated car parks, but parking is plentiful around each and every building.
According to Aqil Kazim, Nakheel is planning a new, mixed-use community within Discovery Gardens. "The development will include Jenan Heights, a gated community with 2,500 apartments across nine towers, named after the Arabic word for 'gardens' to reflect its facilities and location. Jenan Heights will be connected by a pedestrian bridge to another new project, Discovery Gardens Mall, which in turn will be connected to one of the new Dubai Metro stations. Discovery Gardens Mall will combine unrivalled shopping, dining, tourism and healthcare with a mall, hotel and hospital."

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