Urban Lessons from Dubai

A recent campaign advertisement by Emirates Airlines shows a western tourist taking in the sights of Dubai moving between its various attractions.

Among these is the district of Satwa, located between Sheikh Zayed Road with its gleaming towers and the residential Jumeirah district.

Our tourist walks among its modest houses, between its teeming streets and enjoys some ethnic eateries. During his walk he interacts with the district’s residents who hail from various backgrounds constituting the cultural kaleidoscope of the city of Dubai.

The advertisement seems to suggest a move away from merely focusing on its high-tech architecture and megaprojects. It aims to show that there is another side to the city – a more human side.

Containing some of the oldest buildings in Dubai where, over the years, it has evolved into a rich and diverse neighbourhood. It was initially home to locals who were given houses by the late Sheikh Rashid in the early 1970s in what was then at the outskirt of the city.

This explains the repetitive and standardised appearance of its residences. As the city grew locals moved out and a largely South-Asian population moved in. Interestingly the district was slated for demolition to be replaced by a mixed used development called Jumeirah Gardens which was unveiled at the Dubai Cityscape exhibition in October 2008.

A scale model of the entire development, occupying a large double height room, showed what developers had in store: numerous skyscrapers shaped in an indescribable manner, a canal snaking its way through the development, and a variety of mixed-use and residential buildings.

Prior to this unveiling, residents of Satwa, had been issued with eviction notices and buildings had been marked with green numbers, indicating their dreaded fate.

Promptly, newspapers and filmmakers began lamenting the district’s destruction.

Portraying it as Dubai’s version of Greenwich Village (NY, Manhattan), these reactions underscored the thirst for, and lack of, an authentic and vibrant urban living in the city.

In many ways the district did capture these qualities, but it was also perceived as home to illegals and to have a high crime rate. The Cityscape exhibition had already begun to feel the impact of the global financial downturn.

While well attended no sales were forthcoming. The Jumeirah Gardens project was viewed with a mixture of curiosity, awe at its sheer scale, and a realisation that it simply could not get off the ground.

A few weeks after this event, news about layoffs, the collapse of financial markets and a halt to many projects leaked out. By November, it became clear that Dubai’s boom was nearing its end. The Jumeirah Gardens project was put on hold. Satwa it seems received a new lease on life.

Urban Sociologist Richard Sennett informs us that a key ingredient for a successful city is that its spaces should appear to be ‘lived in’ – and that ‘time breeds attachment to place.’ Satwa seems to embody these qualities.

These lived in spaces can also be found in the older parts of Deira and Bur Dubai. While not having any distinctive architectural qualities, they are transformed through the mix of inhabitants into a set of vibrant spaces that underpin a humanity and spontaneity that is lacking elsewhere.

The homogeneous urbanity of Jumeirah Walk or Bastakiya Souq is no substitute for the real life mix of people in Meena Bazaar (an old market in Bur Dubai), or along the shores of its Creek, where the unexpected and the encounter with strangers reveal a unique set of spaces.

Walking through its main commercial spine last week I was able to observe the degree to which the district still captures these essential ingredients for a vibrant living. Users encompass locals, expatriates as well as tourists who were thronging its most famous eatery – Ravi.

What does appear so striking is that the surrounding city is not far away, it is very much part of the urban experience of being in Satwa – it is not a slum by any stretch of the imagination. One of the most memorable events for me was during a recent Ramadan.

A large parking area next to its bus stop was used as a place for Iftar – which is a common sight in many cities in the Moslem world, where charitable organisations set up areas for food distribution to the city’s poor.

The ground was covered with large pieces of cloth, while volunteers were dispensing food to hundreds of people. On my way to the Iftar area, I passed various street vendors selling traditional food typical of India and Pakistan. Here it seemed to me were scenes that represented a counterpoint to the flashy image of Dubai. Poor and not so poor migrants gathered together to celebrate a religious event.

The financial crisis should give pause to this small episode in Dubai’s history of modernization as it moves ahead on a steady path of recovery.

Places such as Satwa have great value – as recognized by Emirates Airlines – and can co-exist with the city’s spectacular architecture. It is time for a reset.

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