Living in Dubai Production City

History

Dubai Production City was set up in July 2003 as the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ), a free zone for printing, publishing and media firms. The master developer is TECOM Group, part of Dubai Holding. It covers about 43 million sq ft beside Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), next to Dubai Sports City and Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Most of the older homes were built by DAMAC: first The Crescent and Lago Vista, then Lakeside, for which it signed an AED 805 million building contract in July 2008 with completion due by December 2010. Deyaar’s Midtown and the Centrium Towers followed. A new wave of off-plan towers by Samana, Vision, Deyaar and others has since been sold, and Property Finder now lists 30 projects here.

What it’s like to live here

The homes sit in a compact cluster of towers beside the business zone. Lakeside is four towers of 21 and 22 storeys on a shared podium. Lago Vista is three towers of 21 to 24 floors, each with over 300 flats, and The Crescent is three towers around a curved forecourt. Most homes are studios and one- or two-bedroom flats; Lakeside studios are 365 to 400 sq ft and one-beds 671 to 812 sq ft.

Buildings have pools and gyms, with shops on the ground floors, such as W Mart in Lakeside Tower D and Star Mart and a pharmacy in Lago Vista B. City Centre Me’aisem is about 700 metres from Lakeside. It is quiet at weekends when the offices empty.

Who it suits

Mostly young working people. Property Finder matches the area to young professionals (61%) and working professionals (57%) far more than families (22%), and the largest renter groups are from India, Egypt and the Philippines. It suits people working in Dubai South, Expo City, Jebel Ali or Al Barsha who want a lower rent than JVC or the Marina.

For investors it is an income play rather than a growth story: the older ready towers ask far less per sq ft than the new ones nearby. Families wanting a school on the doorstep may prefer Sports City or JVT.

Getting around

There is no Metro station. The nearest is Jumeirah Golf Estates on the Red Line’s Route 2020 branch, about 4 km from Lakeside, linked by RTA feeder bus F38. Buses also stop near The Crescent; check the RTA app for current routes. Most residents drive.

Property Finder puts Al Maktoum International Airport about 20 minutes away, Dubai Marina 20, Downtown 25 and Dubai International Airport 30 to 35 minutes outside rush hour. The E311 and Al Khail Road are close. Most buildings give one parking bay per flat, and visitor parking is tight.

Schools, healthcare and shopping

There are no schools inside the area, but there are nurseries, including Treetops and Gummy Bear in Midtown and Kids Kingdom in Centrium Tower 1. Within about 3 km, on KHDA 2026 data via Property Finder, are Sunmarke School in JVT (Very good, AED 62,000 to 106,000 a year), Arcadia British School (AED 68,000 to 96,000) and Victory Heights Primary in Sports City (Outstanding, AED 40,000 to 55,000).

Mediclinic Me’aisem is in City Centre Me’aisem, which also has a Carrefour, and Your Center Polyclinic is in Midtown. Mango Hypermarket is nearby, and The Els Club golf course is a short drive.

Off-plan here now

Projects still selling from the developer on Property Finder (October 2026, launch prices) include Vista by Vision (Vision Development, from AED 558,000, handover Q3 2027), Golf Grove (Regent, studios and one-beds from AED 593,000, Q1 2028), Samana Resorts Phase 2 (Samana, from AED 678,000, Q2 2028) and Lawncrest (Zimaya Properties, from AED 595,000, Q2 2029). Park Five by Deyaar and Samana Sky Views are sold out and due in 2027 and 2028.

What to watch: these towers will add many flats competing for the same tenants, and Bayut’s index shows asking prices at several newer projects below last year (Samana Sky Views −4.7%, Samana Resorts −3.3%). Launch prices are not today’s prices, so compare resales too.

Things to check before you rent or buy

• Know your building’s numbers. Bayut’s asking prices are AED 1,090 per sq ft at Lakeside, AED 931 at The Crescent and AED 914 at Lago Vista (August 2026), against AED 1,369 for the area. Asking rents of AED 96, 78 and 75 per sq ft a year (September 2026) imply gross yields of roughly 8% to 9%.
• Rents in these towers are falling faster than the area: down 5.7% at Lakeside, 8.6% at The Crescent and 11.4% at Lago Vista over 12 months, against 2.0% for the area (Bayut, September 2026).
• Ask for the latest service charge statement. Bayut’s building guides (checked October 2026) quote DLD figures of AED 11.51 per sq ft a year at Lakeside Tower C and AED 13.38 at The Crescent Tower A.
• Check cooling: Lakeside uses Empower district cooling, billed separately from DEWA.
• The DAMAC towers date from around 2010, so check lifts, air conditioning and common areas.
• Price a resale realistically: Property Finder recorded 3,196 sales in the past 12 months, 36.8% fewer than a year earlier.