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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| An urbanist's guide to Dubai: ‘A city too clean for its own good?’ | An urbanist's guide to Dubai: ‘A city too clean for its own good?’ |
| (4 months later) | |
| Dubai is a city that is a work in progress. Moving around you will see a patchwork of developments that taken together do not yet add up to a coherent whole. This is why many people dismiss Dubai as artificial or as lacking a strong urban fabric. | Dubai is a city that is a work in progress. Moving around you will see a patchwork of developments that taken together do not yet add up to a coherent whole. This is why many people dismiss Dubai as artificial or as lacking a strong urban fabric. |
| Much still remains to be done but perhaps the biggest strength of Dubai, even with its current state of unfinished development, is the diversity of urban experiences which it offers. | Much still remains to be done but perhaps the biggest strength of Dubai, even with its current state of unfinished development, is the diversity of urban experiences which it offers. |
| From the traditional alleyways and roads of Deira and Bur Dubai, to the cosmopolitan Baniyas square, and the new and glamorous spaces of Sheikh Zayed Road, the Downtown area around Burj Khalifa, Marina and beyond, one can encounter a vibrant urban setting which defies the conventional and cliched image of a city that is exclusive, catering only to the rich and privileged. | From the traditional alleyways and roads of Deira and Bur Dubai, to the cosmopolitan Baniyas square, and the new and glamorous spaces of Sheikh Zayed Road, the Downtown area around Burj Khalifa, Marina and beyond, one can encounter a vibrant urban setting which defies the conventional and cliched image of a city that is exclusive, catering only to the rich and privileged. |
| The desert surrounding the city makes this such a unique place. The sight of a city emerging from the desertscape as one approaches is truly breathtaking. | The desert surrounding the city makes this such a unique place. The sight of a city emerging from the desertscape as one approaches is truly breathtaking. |
| Best building | Best building |
| Surprisingly, Dubai lacks distinctive buildings with a strong architectural quality – but there are exceptions. | Surprisingly, Dubai lacks distinctive buildings with a strong architectural quality – but there are exceptions. |
| For me the one building that stands out both for its form and also history is the World Trade Centre, or as it is known among local residents, Burj Rashid (the tower of Rashid, Dubai’s former ruler). He presciently insisted in the 1970s on its current location even though at the time it was on the outskirts of the city overlooking a deserted highway. With time it has become part of the city’s convention centre complex and through its distinctive architecture offers a counterpoint to the commercialised, nondescript towers surrounding it. | |
| Designed by British architect John Harris it echoes and evokes traditional elements and through its deep facade moderates the intense heat. The building appears on the back of the 100 dirham note, and forms part of a tower trilogy marking various phases in the city’s development: the other two are the twin Emirates Towers, and Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world). | |
| Worst building | Worst building |
| Unlike the previous category there are quite a few candidates here. Since my background is in architecture my focus relates to aesthetic concerns, and the one building which, in my view, is representative of all that is wrong in the city’s architecture is the Madinat Jumeirah complex. | Unlike the previous category there are quite a few candidates here. Since my background is in architecture my focus relates to aesthetic concerns, and the one building which, in my view, is representative of all that is wrong in the city’s architecture is the Madinat Jumeirah complex. |
| Built in the 1990s at the western edge of the city, it is a mixed-use complex, encompassing retail, residences and hotels. While functioning well as a social space (for the well-to-do mostly) its architecture is a copy of the traditional Bastakiya district with its distinctive wind-towers. But unlike the small scale that characterises Bastakiya, Madinat Jumeirah’s wind-towers are exaggerated in scale and have no functional purpose. It is the ultimate representation of spectacle, a mockery of history and tradition, which serves and caters for tourists and expatriates. Thankfully recent developments have moved away from this model. | Built in the 1990s at the western edge of the city, it is a mixed-use complex, encompassing retail, residences and hotels. While functioning well as a social space (for the well-to-do mostly) its architecture is a copy of the traditional Bastakiya district with its distinctive wind-towers. But unlike the small scale that characterises Bastakiya, Madinat Jumeirah’s wind-towers are exaggerated in scale and have no functional purpose. It is the ultimate representation of spectacle, a mockery of history and tradition, which serves and caters for tourists and expatriates. Thankfully recent developments have moved away from this model. |
| How clean is the city? | How clean is the city? |
| Dubai is too clean in my view. There is a desire, bordering on obsession, to regulate and sanitise every corner in the city. | Dubai is too clean in my view. There is a desire, bordering on obsession, to regulate and sanitise every corner in the city. |
| Yet sometimes a little decay here and there, some graffiti, flyers posted on walls and lampposts, can add liveliness to what would otherwise be a drab urban experience. | Yet sometimes a little decay here and there, some graffiti, flyers posted on walls and lampposts, can add liveliness to what would otherwise be a drab urban experience. |
| Such elements of ‘disorder’ can still be found in the traditional parts of the city; in its hidden neighbourhoods like Satwa, Hor al Anz and Rashid Colony, which appear to be lived in and used. | Such elements of ‘disorder’ can still be found in the traditional parts of the city; in its hidden neighbourhoods like Satwa, Hor al Anz and Rashid Colony, which appear to be lived in and used. |
| By global city standards even those are quite clean and orderly, but compared with the rest of the city they offer a stark contrast. A little messiness does not hurt anybody! | By global city standards even those are quite clean and orderly, but compared with the rest of the city they offer a stark contrast. A little messiness does not hurt anybody! |
| What’s the best way to get around? | What’s the best way to get around? |
| That depends. Cars are the preferred mode of transportation but that is not available for everybody and traffic can be an issue particularly during rush hour. | That depends. Cars are the preferred mode of transportation but that is not available for everybody and traffic can be an issue particularly during rush hour. |
| The metro is very popular – and can be a very convenient way to reach the city’s most popular destinations – but its reach is limited. Taxis and an extensive bus service can then take you further. | The metro is very popular – and can be a very convenient way to reach the city’s most popular destinations – but its reach is limited. Taxis and an extensive bus service can then take you further. |
| Walking is only feasible within areas and neighbourhoods. Travelling by foot to other areas entails crossing multi-lane highways, a dangerous proposition. It is not a city planned for walking. | Walking is only feasible within areas and neighbourhoods. Travelling by foot to other areas entails crossing multi-lane highways, a dangerous proposition. It is not a city planned for walking. |
| What does your city sound like? | What does your city sound like? |
| Given that the city is so widespread and scattered it is hard aside from traffic to detect a specific sound. But there is one part of the city, located along the creek and the traditional district of Bastakiya, where one can hear the sound of motorboats, called abras, transporting people from one side to the other, and the sound of pigeons, the lapping of waves, and the cacophony of various languages. They all add up to a unique sound landscape which is distinctly Dubai. | |
| Best place for a conversation | Best place for a conversation |
| This is highly personal but for me the best place is the Gerard Café, a coffee shop in an outdoor shopping complex in the district of Jumeirah. There's a bookstore is nearby which is usually not very busy. Even in the hot summer months, the shade means it is possible to sit. The place has been there since I first came here in 1996 and has not changed much since. It is a true Dubai institution – a rare occurrence in a fast-changing city. | This is highly personal but for me the best place is the Gerard Café, a coffee shop in an outdoor shopping complex in the district of Jumeirah. There's a bookstore is nearby which is usually not very busy. Even in the hot summer months, the shade means it is possible to sit. The place has been there since I first came here in 1996 and has not changed much since. It is a true Dubai institution – a rare occurrence in a fast-changing city. |
| And for a conversation with a culinary element there is no place like Special Ustadi, one of the oldest Iranian restaurants in the city, in the traditional Fahidi neighbourhood. A true sense of history and the role played by migrants permeates the space. With the owner’s collection of bank notes, as well as newspaper clippings and photographs, it is a unique gem which does not suffer from the pretentiousness of contemporary restaurants elsewhere in the city. | And for a conversation with a culinary element there is no place like Special Ustadi, one of the oldest Iranian restaurants in the city, in the traditional Fahidi neighbourhood. A true sense of history and the role played by migrants permeates the space. With the owner’s collection of bank notes, as well as newspaper clippings and photographs, it is a unique gem which does not suffer from the pretentiousness of contemporary restaurants elsewhere in the city. |
| What one thing is indispensable for life in your city? | What one thing is indispensable for life in your city? |
| An ability to tolerate people from different cultures. Given that the city is home to close to 200 nationalities, the extent to which one can communicate and interact with people from varying cultural backgrounds is an indispensable skill. | An ability to tolerate people from different cultures. Given that the city is home to close to 200 nationalities, the extent to which one can communicate and interact with people from varying cultural backgrounds is an indispensable skill. |
| Are you optimistic about your city’s future? | Are you optimistic about your city’s future? |
| Dubai was written off as a viable urban centre after the financial crisis of 2008. The city has bounced back since then, showing that it is quite resilient and that its emergence on the world stage in the 1990s was not an accident or a one-off. | Dubai was written off as a viable urban centre after the financial crisis of 2008. The city has bounced back since then, showing that it is quite resilient and that its emergence on the world stage in the 1990s was not an accident or a one-off. |
| Yet there is a danger that the mistakes of the past are being repeated: a reliance on real estate speculation, a return to spectacular architecture and a focus on exclusive developments. | Yet there is a danger that the mistakes of the past are being repeated: a reliance on real estate speculation, a return to spectacular architecture and a focus on exclusive developments. |
| There also seems to be a revival of a kind of trigger-happy development whereby old and traditional buildings and settlements are being replaced by high-end schemes catering to the wealthy. Pockets of such places can be found in the neighbourhoods of Shorta, Satwa and Hor al Anz. | There also seems to be a revival of a kind of trigger-happy development whereby old and traditional buildings and settlements are being replaced by high-end schemes catering to the wealthy. Pockets of such places can be found in the neighbourhoods of Shorta, Satwa and Hor al Anz. |
| It seems to me that a city is in the process of being created without facilitating a kind of bottom-up urbanism that allows for the emergence of spontaneous activities and encounters. These are the key ingredients for a true urbanity some of which still exists but seems to be on the way out. Perhaps a realisation that a city is more than simply a canvas for real estate investment may lead to an urban environment that is truly representative of a new kind of urbanism. | It seems to me that a city is in the process of being created without facilitating a kind of bottom-up urbanism that allows for the emergence of spontaneous activities and encounters. These are the key ingredients for a true urbanity some of which still exists but seems to be on the way out. Perhaps a realisation that a city is more than simply a canvas for real estate investment may lead to an urban environment that is truly representative of a new kind of urbanism. |
| • Read more at Yasser Elsheshtawy's blog: Dubaization | • Read more at Yasser Elsheshtawy's blog: Dubaization |