UAE and Sustainability Status
The UAE plays host to two of the world’ s fastest-growing urban centers Abu Dhabi and Dubai. These cities are emblematic of urban-centered growth and according to( Bassens 2012) the two cities continued to experience prosperity despite the 2009 debt crisis experienced in Dubai. Moreover, both cities experienced exponential growth in their populations spurred initially by the discovery of oil. Recent times however saw the sanctioning of development of cities with an aim to shift away from oil-dependency. These cities are designed as business trade and servicing centers( Bassens 2012). As part of the wider gulf region, the UAE plays an important role as a source of global capital.
In the study of urbanization in the UAE, it is of paramount pertinence to consider Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The two cities also serve as states and are part of the large unity of Arab Emirates. They are hallmark city-states of the emirates, with( Bassens, 2012) indicating that they possess a history of rivalry. Abu Dhabi serves as the federation’ s capital and also provides the president, a position secured owing to its oil wealth. Dubai on the other hand, was able to secure veto power in the supreme council. The themes of urban regeneration are explicated in the design of urban centers in the emirates. Bassens( 2012) indicates that the city-building projects operationalized in the emirates mirror those of successful urban economies oriented towards service. The role of the royal family in the development of these modernized urban centers has been a significant one. According to( Bassens 2012), this has been through the facilitation of international investment from a supply-side perspective. Moreover, there has also been a relaxation of the fiscal and juridical environments with an aim of attracting regional as well as global investors. The endeavors of the royal family in creating a favorable environment for urban development is an exemplification of the role of government envisioned in the local strategic partnerships phase of the urban regeneration evolution process.
While the tremendous growth of the emirates urban centers is quite remarkable, it raises important sustainability questions. This is because according to( Bassens 2012); Dubai was able to build its dream using large amounts of borrowed money. This is through the construal of Dubai as a prime destination for property development, tourism, real estate and other service related opportunities. However, the property bubble of 2008 led to a financial crisis in Dubai towards the end of 2009 due to the collapse of the property market and the emirates consequent inability to reclaim issued revenue. The Dubai debt crisis of 2009 highlights issues on economic sustainability of the emirates( Bassens 2012). In terms of figures, Dubai had an ambitiously laid out master plan designed to make it the economic hub of the world. Samarai and Qudah,( 2007) indicate that part of Dubai’ s ambitious aims were to play host to 6 of the world’ s top ten tallest buildings. Moreover, it also aspired to play host to the world’ s largest airport. All this projects require heavy capital expenditure not only during construction, but also during maintenance. The economic sustainability problem is compounded by the current construction methods. According to Samarai and Qudah( 2007), the current methods lead to heavy energy consumption of the buildings not only during construction, but also during their day-to-day operations. The sheer magnitude and size of Dubai’ s constructions and projects therefore bring into focus the questions of energy consumption. The consequence of continual growth in energy consumption would be shortage of housing and food supply. The UAE is said to be five times more unsustainable than any other country globally( Samarai and Qudah 2007). This brings into stark focus the extent of the unsustainability of the UAE, which is rather expected going by the magnitude of its overly ambitious projects.
Environmental behaviors of modular neighborhoods through regulations“ Estidama”, UAE 433