The Dubai 2040 plan recognises the need for a multi-faceted approach involving a combination of different initiatives to increase the supply of affordable accommodation. A critical component for a sustainable long-term solution is to incentivise the private sector to provide more affordable housing. The following are some of the approaches that are worth exploring:
 

• Provision of free or heavily subsidised land for affordable housing projects. This approach has been used to good effect in other Arab nations such as Egypt and Morocco where the government has ownership of large strategic land holdings.
  

• Provide an element of ‘planning gain’ through higher plot ratios or lower parking requirements for affordable housing schemes. These measures have been used in the UK and Singapore to reduce development costs and effectively subsidize affordable housing projects.
  

• Establishment of a dedicated regulatory organization responsible for the supply and allocation of affordable housing units under the control of the newly created Supreme Committee of Urban Planning in Dubai. 
  

• Creation of ‘escrow like’ structures to manage affordable housing assets. These bodies should be empowered to attract direct and indirect funding from both private and government agencies. Community based housing associations in the UK have utilised such structures to effectively subsidise the rental income they receive from low-income tenants.
  

• Government agencies could also aid affordable housing communities by funding and delivering multi-modal transport systems that provide residents with quick and easy access to the rest of the city.
  

• Legislative measures may be required to ensure developers deliver an agreed amount of affordable stock to the government agency responsible for leasing and managing these projects.
  

• Rental caps may have an important role to play as historical evidence suggests that much of the initially affordable supply will not remain affordable over time.

  In summary, the creation of more affordable housing for both rent and sale is critical to the success of the Dubai 2040 vision and maintaining the cities competitive advantage. The creation of a specific high level urban planning committee and the need for more formal policies are signs that policy makers are aware of the importance of matching the demands of middle income groups with the right kind of supply. The success of these initiatives remains to be seen, but the growing consensus that something needs to be done is itself an encouraging step towards a positive change.