June 01, 2005
We are more conscious of the process of events and patterns that resulted in the ‘Gulf city’ that ‘Desperate Decadence’ described. The ‘Dubai Effect’ was used as a metaphor to describe the different cities in the region. To us, the ‘Dubai Effect’ exists but not in the manner the article described it to be. The ‘Dubai Effect’ is a metaphor for the accelerated boom these different cities are undergoing, perhaps even more aggressively now than ever before. However, it does not allow us to gain further insight into these individual cities. A great divide exists within our cities. It is important to note that the city in which we dwell does not follow the common typology of a city. This divide separates the city in half. On one half lies the dream city: a shell devoid of social, cultural and psychological needs and serves the creation of a purely materialistic capital. On the other half lies the human space: a city that is based on people, their daily needs and interactions. It is here that we find our moments: kids playing football in the fields, men walking to the mosque, people making their daily grocery rounds, women gathering for tea at mid-day, charity organizations, daycare centers, schools, big houses, small houses… all that makes every neighborhood – or mini city – complete.
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