But to many among the mosaic of nationalities living here, there are concerns of rising costs across the board fuelled by inflation and the acute lack of affordable middle-income homes.

To accelerate its turbo-charged ambition, Dubai will need a whole lot more than just architectural marvels that reach for the skies. True, there’s an agile administration in place, a first-rate infrastructure - that’s now groaning under its own weight - and an enviable services industry, but the strains are clearly beginning to show. The traffic chaos triggered by Cityscape, the region’s biggest property show, is an indication that the frightening pace at which the city is growing could have a serious impact on transportation and this is one critical area that will have to be looked into.

Another would be power. Both are essential for the exponential growth of this city as massive changes continue to take place. Where energy is concerned, statistics indicates the need for a tectonic shift in rethink of how Dubai does its business and hosts its people. Per capita energy use (measured in the equivalent kg of oil) in the UAE is 5.6 times the world average and 8.5 times the Middle East-North Africa regional average; per capita electricity consumption (in kilowatt hours) is 4.3 times the world average and 8.8 times the regional average; per capita emissions of carbon dioxide — today’s key metric for sustainability — is 7.7 times world average. Dubai is going to have to cope with multiple responsibilities and rapid change. According to reports, $35 billion will be required to fund the much-needed power projects in the Gulf.

But Dubai —  and the UAE —  since the property boom began,  proved that it is more than qualified to do so. The Metro project and water taxis will go a long way in easing some of the transportation problems, but not all of them. Today, the infrastructure feeds real estate schemes rather than efficiently moving the existing working population around. And this is why Dubai needs to continue doing what it has been doing to negotiate the challenges ahead. Anticipating the twists and turns ahead and being ready for them may be the only way to ensure Dubai’s growth at full throttle.