Discussion 2: Fear & Money in Dubai by Mike Davis

Al-Maktoum wants Gigantism, to be bigger and better than anywhere else. The place of Dubai seems far to overpowering for me, why anyone would want to look out their window to see a landscape of 600 skyscrapers. There is no process behind the way of living, it would appear that Dubai stands as a contemporary nomad, a city that doesn’t build on the processes of its history but stands alone as a prototype of futurism. Dubai is a city built on the modern boom of the 21st century, it’s a development in overdrive which is bound to hit its peak and fall. But perhaps Al-Maktoum really has found the secret of eternal levitation.
Who’s going to occupy the property that is vastly being developed or is it going to become a ghost city? The rich want to own a piece of everywhere and will invest but what shall happen if this becomes a flop? Is Dubai going to survive on the oil and terrorism? As terrorism holds fear as gift to the oil producers, would this alone be enough for Dubai to keep developing?

The labourer’s living conditions puts a new outlook on this dynamic shiny city. These workers are living in inhuman conditions, no air-conditioning and in some case no toilets. These conditions have altered my opinion of such a high tech city. Don’t get me wrong Dubai is still a city I would like to visit and experience the monstrosity of the skyscrapers. However one can’t turn a blind eye to the sweat, hardship that has gone into building it. Is it right that a city should be built by slavery? What’s happened to human rights? On the outskirts of this vast city people are living in slum conditions. Do the rich people investing in these properties see the sad life of the workers behind it? It seems preposterous that people be treated in this way.