Dubai Project Location Intelligence · Gap finder
Dubai gap finder: filter blocks by what is nearby
Some questions about a location are about what is missing around it. Set the thresholds that matter to you, such as residents with no school close by, and the gap finder shows every block of the city whose figures pass them. It reports what the filter found and leaves the judgement to you.
- Filters on residents, units due within 2 km, the nearest school, clinic and pharmacy, and food and drink outlets within 1 km.
- Blocks that pass every filter are shaded on the map and listed with their figures.
- Every figure is measured from the centre of a 0.75 km² block, so blocks are compared like with like.
The tool
Dubai gap finder BETA
Switch on the filters you want and set each threshold, or start from one of the examples. Then open “Blocks found” for the list, or click a block on the map to see its figures.
Map layers
Map layers
The gap finder filters blocks; it does not rate them. Every figure is measured in a straight line from the centre of a 0.75 km² block, not from a pin. Residents are published for the whole Dubai Municipality community, so every block in a community carries the same figure. Clinic, pharmacy and school positions are published to about 1 km, so their distances are rounded up to the next half kilometre.
Email my results
We’ll send this summary — your figures and the results — to your inbox.
Switch on at least one filter first.
Guide
How to use the gap finder
Set your filters
Each filter has a switch and a threshold. Only the filters you switch on are applied, and a block must pass all of them to be shaded and listed.
Read the map
Gold blocks pass every filter you set; dark blocks do not. Change a threshold and the shading follows straight away.
Check each block
The list is in name order, with each block’s figures for your filters. Select one to see all its figures, save it to your shortlist, or open the area dashboard for an exact pin.
Limits
How far to rely on each figure
Residents are per community
Residents are Dubai Statistics Center estimates for the end of 2025, published for whole Dubai Municipality communities. Every block in a community carries the same figure.
What the records hold
A school, clinic, pharmacy or food outlet counts when it is on the official register on the date shown in the sources. Check the ground before you rely on a distance.
Method
Sources and dates
- Station locations: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), via Dubai Data (data.dubai), Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Population estimates: Dubai Statistics Center, via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Ridership: RTA / Dubai Statistics Center, via Dubai Data.
- Schools: Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Community boundaries: Dubai Municipality, via Dubai Data (data.dubai), Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Food and drink licences and building register: Dubai Municipality, via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Health facilities: Dubai Health Authority (Sheryan), via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Parking spaces, parking tariff and bus coverage: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- School enrolment: Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), via Dubai Data, Dubai Open Data Licence.
- Project register and registered sales: Dubai Land Department.
- New units due and completed: Dubai Land Department, Mashrooi project register, read 18 Oct 2026.
Open data is published on Dubai Data under the Dubai Open Data Licence. The figures are counted, rounded and presented by Mitchell's Commercial Real Estate. The Dubai Government and the publishing entities named above do not endorse Mitchell's Commercial Real Estate and are not associated with it or with this tool. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, served as OpenMapTiles by OpenFreeMap.
Questions
Gap finder questions
What does the Dubai gap finder do?
It filters the city's 1,144 blocks of about 0.75 km² by thresholds you set, such as "residents in the community at least 25,000 and no school within 2 km" or "at least 3,000 units due within 2 km by 2030 and no clinic within 1 km". The map shades the blocks that pass every filter, and the list gives each block's figures.
Does a block that passes mean it is a good place to build or open?
No. The gap finder reports which blocks meet the thresholds you chose, and nothing more. Whether a block suits a school, a clinic, a shop or a scheme depends on much more than these figures. If you would like to talk through a particular block, talk to us.
Where is each distance measured from?
From the centre of each 0.75 km² block, in a straight line. The gap finder compares blocks with each other, so it measures every block the same way. To measure from an exact point, use the area dashboard.
Can I keep the blocks I find?
Yes. Select a block and use "Save to shortlist" to keep it alongside locations from the other modules, or use "Email my results" to send your filters and the blocks that pass them to your inbox.
How exact are the school, clinic and pharmacy distances?
KHDA and the Dubai Health Authority publish positions to about 1 km, so these distances are rounded up to the next half kilometre and shown as "about". A filter of "no clinic within 1 km" passes a block only when the nearest clinic on file is more than 1 km from its centre on that rounding.
Next step
Talk to us about a location
The gap finder shows where the figures meet your thresholds. Tell us what you plan to build, buy or open and the blocks you have found, and we will come back with what is available there.
