Middle East Culture, urban history, urban geography

Dubai: Beyond an Urban Spectacle

Yasser Elsheshtawy

13 Mar 2013

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For many, the image of Dubai is of islands shaped like palm trees, luxurious shopping malls and the iconic building in the shape of a dhow’s sail – the Burj al Arab. In Dubai: Beyond an Urban Spectacle, Yasser Elsheshtawy reveals a very different city, a place full of aspirations, struggles, and encounters taking place in all sorts of settings. It represents, he argues, a new form of urbanity, which cannot be explored by looking only at spectacular developments. One must move into the lesser known spaces of Dubai’s traditional neighbourhoods for they constitute the essence of the city and where its unique urban experiment is played out.

Following a theoretical review setting Dubai within the current discussion about globalization, Elsheshtawy presents a photo essay, so introducing the reader to the city, its places and its people. He then explores Dubai’s history from its beginnings as a small fishing village to its place on the world stage today, using historical narratives, travel writing, personal and press accounts, and his own experiences to bring colour to his description of the city’s development. He considers the role of planning in shaping Dubai’s urban morphology and in creating a global city. Next, his attention turns to the city’s megaprojects and its spectacular – and not so spectacular – retail environment, and then to the ‘forgotten urban spaces’, the meeting and living places of the low-income migrant community. And finally he looks at the influence of ‘the Dubai model’ and its durability, both in its birth place and in those cities where it is being emulated.

Yasser Elsheshtawy is Associate Professor or Architecture at the United Arab Emirates, University, Al Ain.

Dubai: Beyond an Urban Spectacle

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