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17 Brown J. World Aff. 53 (2010-2011)
Little Space, Big Space: Everyday Urbanism in Dubai

handle is hein.journals/brownjwa17 and id is 59 raw text is: Little Space, Big Space: Everyday Urbanism in Dubai YASSER ELSHESHTAWY IN A RECENT INSTALLMENT OF THE Doha Debates hosted by the Qatar Foundation and moderated by BBC's Tim Sebastian, the following intriguingly worded motion was introduced: Is Dubai a bad idea?' This overly simplified question encapsulated what had up until this point been discussed in various media articles and among com- mentators, namely, that as a model, Dubai has failed to be sustainable and therefore cannot be taken seriously. To many, Dubai currently represents all that is wrong with capitalism and neoliberal urbanism. The city's growth has finally reached a dead end.2 For the Middle East, Dubai's model of urbanism once offered a shining example of progressive urbanity that had eluded other urban centers in the region. Dubai's gleaming skyscrapers, elaborate shopping malls, and immaculate infrastructure contrasted the decaying and crumbling centers of Cairo, Damascus, Beirut, and others. These cities were mired in constant conflict ranging from the social to the military, stifling bureaucracies, and suffocating layers of history particularly as they relate to their colonial past. Thus they were characterized by many observers as be- ing part of an old Middle East:' which was being replaced by a new Middle East Dubai was at the forefront of this new vision. Indicative of this, the phrase Dubai Model became an expression, connoting the exportability of this particular mode of urbanism. Dubai was portrayed as an example to be emulated and replicated. Following the 2008 financial crisis, this prophecy has been questioned and put into serious doubt. The events during the crisis seemingly exposed the frailty of the Dubai Model, crumbling the power of spectacle that the urbanity had held. Building sites Yasser Elsheshtawy is Associate Professor of Architecture at the UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. He is the author of Dubai: Behind An Urban Spectacle and the editor of Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope in a Globalizing World and The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development. The photographs are the property of the author. Brown Journal of World Affairs, Copyright © 2010 FALL / WINTER 2010 . VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 1 53

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