Inside Qatar’s ‘City of Tomorrow’

The celebration is in full swing in Lusail.

Lusail's palm-lined Marina Walk stretches from the Arabian Gulf to the expansive Lusail Boulevard, where food stalls representing nearly every nationality in Qatar fill the streets. The boulevard is alive with activity. This annual International Food Festival, running from January 24 to February 4, 2024, is just one of many events moving from Doha to Lusail, Qatar’s newest city, located 10 miles to the north.

Hailed as Qatar’s ‘City of the Future,’ Lusail’s construction began in 2006, long before Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Yet, until the grand Lusail Stadium became the tournament's centerpiece, few had visited.

For those who did visit, there’s more to Lusail than just the event spaces. The city boasts expansive shopping malls, thrilling theme parks, a wide variety of international restaurants, islands, and two iconic new landmarks that are now part of Qatar’s skyline.

The Katara Towers, with their near-circular design inspired by the scimitar swords featured on Qatar’s national emblem, house two luxury hotels: the Fairmont Doha and the all-suite Raffles Doha, Qatar’s first six-star hotel. Both mark the debut of their respective hotel chains in Qatar – and while they carry Doha’s name, they are undeniably part of Lusail’s landscape.

Next up are the Lusail Plaza Towers, four gracefully twisting structures that shift in height and shape as you draw closer to the city. Designed by Foster + Partners, the same firm behind Lusail Stadium, they are crowned by a striking metallic sculpture – a great whale-shark named 'Al Nehem,' created by Italian artist Marco Balich.

Lusail is made up of nineteen districts, ranging from residential and business areas to mixed-use spaces, some of which are still under construction. The stadium and the Lusail Plaza Towers are connected by Lusail Boulevard, a vibrant stretch that regularly hosts parades and events, including the food festival and the annual Classic Car Show.

Still under construction, the highly anticipated Lusail Museum is being designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. It will showcase orientalist and Middle Eastern art, with plans for its grand opening set for 2029.

Al Maha Island, connected to the city by a six-lane highway, is an entertainment hub, home to the Winter Wonderland theme park and a variety of international restaurants.

It’s quickly emerging as a strong contender to Doha in terms of livability.

A city rising from the sand.

Lusail proudly claims to be Qatar’s first sustainable city – a challenging feat for a newly built metropolis in the desert.

Building a city from the sand requires an immense amount of creativity.

"The future of infrastructure in the Middle East is limitless," says Bryce McDevitt, vice president of Parsons Corporation, the company overseeing the project. "There’s a sense of imagination and potential here that you won’t find anywhere else. Creating a city from scratch allows us to design with specific goals in mind: sustainability, accessibility, and economic equality."

He continues, "A key advantage of starting from the ground up is that we’re not restricted by old infrastructure. Roads, airports, public transit, and urban planning can all be designed with smart sustainability at the forefront."

For decades, sustainability hasn’t been a priority in Qatar – a desert nation that’s used its oil and gas wealth to transform its arid landscape. The country’s parks stay lush year-round, and even feature air-conditioned walkways that allow people to enjoy outdoor strolls, even in the scorching summer heat, where temperatures can soar past 50°C (122°F).

Lusail is shifting that perspective, with sustainable innovations built into the city’s design. A tram system has been implemented to lessen the reliance on cars, which are otherwise crucial in Qatar, while water conservation systems have been incorporated – such as planting native vegetation to combat desertification and using non-potable water for irrigation. Additionally, an artificial reef is being constructed along the Lusail coast to attract marine life.

It was the city’s focus on sustainability, spaciousness, and green areas that drew Katie Warner, an Australian mobile travel agent, and her husband to move from Doha to Lusail. They were particularly impressed by the eco-friendly systems in their building, which include water recycling for gardens, solar panels for heating, gas-powered cooking appliances, regulated electricity usage, and dedicated waste chutes for recycling and general waste on each floor.

But sustainability wasn’t the only reason they made the move: "I love the abundance of greenery in this area, the beautiful boardwalk, and the views of the Persian Gulf," Katie says. "It has everything I need for daily life – groceries, transport, entertainment, and dining. From food trucks at Lusail Marina Food Arena to plenty of cafes and high-end restaurants, there’s no shortage of options."

A sprawling, futuristic city.

While each of Lusail’s districts is largely self-contained and follows the concept of a "15-minute city" that urban planners favor, the city as a whole – sprawling across nearly 15 square miles with an expected population of 200,000 – still suffers from the fragmentation typical of many Gulf cities.

Al Tara, the district near Al Maha Island where Warner resides, is home to the Lusail Marina. This area offers scenic footpaths along the water, art installations, quaint cafes, and the iconic Katara Towers. From here, it's possible to stroll to Place Vendôme, a grand shopping mall inspired by Paris, and beyond it, the Waldorf Astoria hotel, which overlooks Lusail’s only private beach. Although reaching Lusail Boulevard still requires some effort, the new tram line, which began operating in 2022 and connects to the Doha metro, is helping to ease that journey.

Lusail may boast striking, even iconic, architecture, grand public spaces, and a vibrant calendar of festivals, but it will never replicate the chaotic, organically grown charm of old Doha, which is a major draw for tourists.

Instead, Lusail is positioning itself as a modern, sustainable 'City of the Future.' Will it succumb to the same fate as other newly built cities, such as Canberra, Brasilia, Islamabad, and Milton Keynes, where the natural vibrancy and spirit of life seem to be absent? Only time will tell.

There is a rumor – still unverified – that Lusail could eventually become Qatar’s capital. It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem: Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Bin Thani, considered the founder of Qatar, once built his 19th-century Lusail Castle on this very coastline. We’ll have to wait and see.