Is the architecture of Dubai socially responsive?

Fouad sees Dubai as a perfect example of 'engineered urbanism'
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The ‘Mecca of Architecture’ that is Dubai seems to be at the forefront in terms of the development of new, fascinating glass boxes. Saddled with one third of the world’s construction cranes, the building frenzy has engulfed the entire region.

Attracting new developments like ‘World’s biggest airport’,’ World’s tallest structure’, amusement parks and shopping malls, the message is clear: If you dream about it, Dubai has an answer for it.

While the rest of world seems stagnant in terms of the birth of new buildings, Dubai continues to announce new projects which strike awe and stimulate the imaginations of people across the globe. Dubai has become the new global icon of engineered urbanism—complete with its Western lifestyle, sandy beaches, property-rights regime, sleazy cars and waterfront properties.
 
In contemporary Dubai, local Emiratis form a minority, consisting of only around 8-20% percent of the population. On the other hand, Dubai is inundated with European, Lebanese and Indian professionals working white collar jobs.

The city is filled with vast numbers of Sri Lankan, Filipina and Indian maids while much of the building explosion is carried on the shoulders of a crowd of poorly-paid Pakistani and Indian men who work 6.5 days per week in 12-hour shifts—all amidst the crippling desert heat.
 
But, the million-dollar question in many of our minds is: How much of this development benefits the common person? Has the city’s architecture evolved and responded to the needs and aspirations of the masses? Is it socially responsive? We can start by defining precisely what constitutes a socially responsive environment.

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FEATURED COMMENT Your generalized critique makes some accurate points, but needs more depth. Also, I believe the term "socially responsi   2 Comments Read more comments »

Socially responsive architecture evolves as a direct reflection of the life patterns of its inhabitants, reflecting the collective will of the society. Architecture should employ sustainable design to address client goals and user needs while responding to the surrounding community.

Architecture that serves a community; addresses inequities in society; and responds to climatic, cultural and environmental conditions can be considered socially responsive. Socially responsible design goes beyond aesthetics and function—it emphasises interaction between structure and people. For example, 20 to 30 years ago, bus stops were simply steel poles planted at certain points in a sidewalk.

Socially responsive design helped architects create glass-and-steel bus shelters that allow visibility but protect users from wind and rain.

Dubai is inhabited by people from diverse cultures with different needs. Over the last two decades, massive social and demographic changes have occurred. In post-9/11 Dubai, a lot of money has been pumped in from Middle Eastern investors who—fearing backlash or repercussions—have pulled up stakes in the West.

In fact, investors from Saudi Arabia alone are believed to have invested at least US $7 billion into Dubai’s sand castles.

The result has been a period of rapid development which is unprecedented and unparalleled in modern architectural history. There is a bizarre fascination with designing and building evermore glamorous and mesmerising projects, and—despite the credit crunch—money for those kinds of projects seems to be in abundance.

It’s interesting to note that, of the 160 tallest completed or approved buildings in Dubai, only three were completed before 2000; And, of those three, just two were completed in 1999.

This advancement has had multiple effects on the built environment here. The influx of foreign cash has led to more jobs and new project launches continuously to keep up with the growing population. To address the growing demand for dwelling space, multi-storey flats have been proposed as a potential solution. Somehow, despite myriad claims made by planners and developers, a lot of these developments fail to address the physical and social requirements of the huge expat population that reside there.

Densification has also led to the disappearance of open green spaces and community parks; empty spaces of land are, all too often, grabbed up by greedy developers looking to build on every inch of land available. Moreover, there has been a complete failure to provide affordable housing, which obviously, is leading to large-scale emigration of families of the lower income strata.

Throughout the city, high rise buildings—which tend to be climatically and culturally unsuitable for inhabitants—are on every corner. To make matters worse, every developer feels the need to come up with a new building, which offers more high-tech amenities and is just a few floors higher than the previous one announced.

How many of these buildings cater to the lifestyle of the people living in them? The expat population in Dubai is searching for spaces where they can interact with their friends and families, unhindered by rising levels of traffic. Dubai’s new developments fail to address these simple problems. Living in glass boxes or tucked away in enclosed apartments sees children yearning to be outside. Children need outdoor play for their physical and mental development and high rise glass boxes fail to seriously provide any such spaces.