Motor City

Motor City was planned by Union Properties around the Dubai Autodrome, the motor racing circuit that opened in 2004. The motorsport theme mostly shows up in names and in the sound of engines on event days. What residents actually get is one of the greener, calmer parts of Dubailand, just off Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, next to Dubai Sports City and close to Arabian Ranches and Studio City.

There are two main residential areas. Uptown Motor City is made up of low-rise apartment buildings grouped around shared pools and gardens, with a supermarket, gyms and a strip of cafés at street level. Green Community Motor City is quieter, with townhouses and villas set among mature landscaping and a lake.

The draw is space and greenery at a lower cost than the coastal communities. The trade-off is that there is no metro, so a car is close to essential, and the narrow streets of Uptown back up at rush hour and during the school run. Homes nearest the circuit will hear engines on race and track days.

• 01

  Dubai Autodrome next door

  The circuit hosts racing events, track days and driving experiences, and the Dubai Kartdrome alongside it has indoor and outdoor karting tracks.

• 02

  Walkable low-rise streets

  Uptown's buildings are only a few storeys high, with landscaped walkways, community pools and small parks between them, so it feels like a neighbourhood rather than a tower district.

• 03

  Villas around a lake

  Green Community Motor City has townhouses and villas with gardens, set among mature trees and water, and a quieter, more suburban feel than Uptown.

• 04

  School inside the community

  GEMS Metropole School, a British-curriculum school, is inside Motor City, and more schools are a short drive away in Dubai Sports City and Arabian Ranches.

Daily errands are easy in Uptown, where a Spinneys supermarket, gyms, pharmacies and a run of casual cafés and restaurants are within walking distance of most apartments. Families use the community pools, play areas and the small parks between buildings, and the landscaped paths are busy with runners and dog walkers in the cooler months. For a bigger shopping trip, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Hills Mall are both a short drive away.

The Autodrome sets the weekend rhythm for some residents: karting, track days and race events through the cooler season. Dubai Miracle Garden, across Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road in Arjan, opens each winter and is close enough for an evening visit. Nightlife inside the community is limited, so for a wider choice of restaurants and bars people head to Al Barsha, Dubai Hills or Dubai Marina.

Motor City is not on the metro. The closest stations are along Sheikh Zayed Road, and Mall of the Emirates is the usual choice, about 15 minutes away by car or reachable by feeder bus. Road access is good: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) runs right past the community, Umm Suqeim Road links to Al Barsha and Sheikh Zayed Road, and the Hessa Street interchange gives a second route towards Al Barsha and Dubai Media City. Expect queues leaving Uptown at peak times.

GEMS Metropole School, which follows the National Curriculum for England, is inside Motor City and is a big reason families choose the area. Victory Heights Primary School and other schools in neighbouring Dubai Sports City are a few minutes away, and there are several nurseries in and around Uptown. For healthcare there are clinics and pharmacies in the community, and Mediclinic Parkview Hospital on Umm Suqeim Road is about 10 minutes away by car.

Most of Motor City's apartments are in Uptown: studios, one- and two-bedroom flats and some larger units in low-rise buildings, many with balconies, community pools and allocated parking. Buildings range from the original blocks of the late 2000s to newer ones completed in recent years, so look at the building's condition and maintenance record as closely as the flat itself. Green Community has townhouses and detached villas, mostly three to five bedrooms, with private gardens.

Tenants make up a large share of residents: young families, couples and people working in Al Barsha, Dubai Media City or Dubailand who want more space for their budget. Buyers range from owner-occupiers moving up from an apartment to a townhouse, to investors attracted by steady rental demand. Most of what is for sale is ready, resale property, with only a handful of newer buildings launched in recent years.