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Dubai [1920 x 1080] (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by Vercify

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[–]sprucenoose 31 points32 points ago

Looks like a very tan future.

[–]chowdurr 22 points23 points ago

Here is a less tan, on-the-ground, and crappier iPhone photo I took of the same buildings on the north side of this picture. With all the room they have to build there, I was surprise at just how narrow all of the buildings are.

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 7 points8 points ago

Why the hell would they waste all that water on fucking lawns in the desert. You see the same thing in the American Southwest. It's obscene. But then again, Dubai is mostly obscenity. The entire city is designed around a vulgar money grab.

[–]DubaiCM 3 points4 points ago

There are actually not many lawns in Dubai but I agree that they are a waste of water. Having said that, a lot of the comments ITT are complaining about how brown the picture is and it needs more greenery so it seems you can't win.

[–]TheBestPlaceEver 6 points7 points ago

It's terrible city design that is very visually impressive. Good cities have tight in walls and narrow streets - think Center City Philly, Greenwich Village NYC, or Rome. This is not a city - where are the people? Not in that field, and not walking anywhere in the picture.

[–]crackanape 7 points8 points ago

Speaking as someone who's walked Dubai from north to south and east to west — much of it in the summer moths — you ain't lying. Mostly the only people you see on foot are security guards and construction workers.

The only real pedestrian density is to be found in the old downtown area, which few people visit or photograph. That's a shame, since it's by far the most interesting and engaging part of the city.

[–]Mythodiir 17 points18 points ago

This is what I was thinking. I think Dubai has plenty of potential it's just that they're trying to create a suburban major city (kind of like Los Angeles). A part of that is because recent urban planning has lead to more spaced apart cities so car can pass through, though I believe the extent to which it's gone is over the top. Of course some peoples say it's because Dubai is a desert city, I've been to Kuwait and staying outside in the summers for longer than an hour around midday I swear the sun can literally kill you. Of course there are plenty of old Arab cities that tend to counter-act this by building cities closer together. I doubt the city planners in Dubai care to be honest, they're building a middle-eastern Las-Vegas filled with under-paid servants and rich tourists, I just wish the needs of the residents was better thought of. That being said I do think they're benefiting their entire region and this will lead to some much needed development in the middle east. Of course the biggest issue there is the role of religion in a developing nation and we can already see them embracing certain western ideals though they still cling to their silly religion. Hopefully the youth in the Persian gulf will further the cause of secularization like Turkey had.

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 2 points3 points ago

You know, I never considered that a primary function of medinas are to provide shade. It's seems so obvious.

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 7 points8 points ago

Dubai is a cautionary tale against both speculation and top-down design of complex systems.

[–]ruwhereuare 4 points5 points ago

An incredible waste of resources human and natural

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 8 points9 points ago

I hope the German who bought the Central Europe island is enjoying living on a fucking wasteland. I'm pretty sure there's only one model home on the whole World archipelago. It's like Arrested Development, except for real and built by human trafficked labor.

[–]refrigeratorbob 1 point2 points ago

3 feet above sea level. What could possibly go wrong?

[–]hop208 6 points7 points ago

Each of those cities had centuries to evolve into what they are today and the tight narrow streets tell that story. Dubai really doesn't have a history like that. Everything is new, everything was designed for the car and not for walking. It's flashy, but when the oil runs out it won't be a livable city.

[–]DubaiCM 1 point2 points ago

There are people in Dubai (it is city of nearly 2 million people and over 9 million visited last year). That photo is simply of an area between two roads that is not accessible to pedestrians. You will find large crowds of people gathering at The Walk and around Downtown Dubai, for example.

[–]FlippyWippy 1 point2 points ago

People dont walk around in dubai because its so hot. Most people just get taxis everywhere. If you ever stayed in Dubai you would understand why people dont walk everywhere. Also most people who live there are expats so are not used to the blistering heat.

There is no point in trying to compare it to a place like LA or London. Dubai is only 40 years old as a city, other places have had hundreds of years to develop.

[–]TheBestPlaceEver 0 points1 point ago

If you're talking about urban planning - which we are - then comparing a failing city to the successful ones is the obvious thing to do...

[–]rollandbarf 1 point2 points ago

Jane Jacobs would disapprove for sure.

[–]scruffylefty 0 points1 point ago

You aren't walking because its over 100 degrees all the time.

[–]TheBestPlaceEver 2 points3 points ago

That's like saying people don't walk in Boston or Montreal because its cold. Climate is not destiny.

[–]DubaiCM 2 points3 points ago

Today the temperature in Dubai hit a high of 28C (82F) and is now around 21C (70F) so saying it is "over 100 degrees all the time" is an exaggeration to say the least. I walk and cycle in Dubai every day of the year.

[–]scruffylefty 0 points1 point ago

Ya you're right. The only time I was there it was 110 degrees everyday - but it was also late May.

But I'll take living in a cold climate any day of the week.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]Ombud 3 points4 points ago

In a world full of cars

That's the problem. Our society should not be built entirely to the scale of the car. Some of it needs to be at the pedestrian scale.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]Ombud 0 points1 point ago

If the street is only that wide and cannot or should not be widened because of physical or political limitations, then through car traffic should be diverted to another route. Notice that I said

Our society should not be built entirely to the scale of the car.

Cars are a valuable mode of transportation, but because of their space requirements being totally dependent on them produces undesirable land use patterns.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]Ombud 0 points1 point ago

I say undesirable because certain land use patterns, and combinations of patterns result in reduced mobility of residents, environmental degradation and increased class segregation. Over dependence on cars has created some of these land use patterns in the U.S.

Cars spend the majority of their time being stored, not actually driven, so they necessitate garages, lots, or on-street parking. The economics (and regulation) of land use have created a situation in which ecologically useful land is converted into massive parking lots, reducing biodiversity and in general just fucking up the planet. Did I mention they produce a lot of air pollution? (Granted that will be a moot point if all cars were 100% electric.)

Being 100% car oriented creates unwalkable locations, like highway interchanges adjacent to strip malls. This makes it hard for people under the driving age to get around, as they are dependent on their family or older friends to drive them places. The elderly face challenges driving as they get older. The poor are sometimes priced out of car ownership, reducing their mobility as well.

You could also argue that driving everywhere contributes to a sedentary lifestyle that may be partly responsible for the obesity epidemic in the U.S., but that might be a stretch. However, cars are hazardous to people at high speeds.

[–]monstaro 18 points19 points ago

Dubai has a very interesting design

[–]sbrylski 14 points15 points ago

Interesting is one way to put it. I really don't understand the land economics there. They build these little clusters of skyrises with nothing in between.

Side note: The buildings on the bottom of the picture are residential and promised views of the harbors and gulf. But they just kept building them, and now most of the views are blocked. Many residents are a bit pissed off.

Source: Spent some time there this summer. The football shaped small building by the cluster of boats is the Dubai Yacht Club, where we went a couple times to drink and mingle.

[–]bobbyk18 3 points4 points ago

i thought you couldn't drink in the UAE?

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 11 points12 points ago

Non-Muslim foreigners can drink in some emirates. There are two liquor stores in the country. The road between them runs through an emirate where alcohol is outlawed and severely punished, so this leads to expats loading pickups full of booze, throwing a tarp over it, and speeding through the desert running contraband hooch.

[–]DubaiCM 3 points4 points ago

There are two liquor stores in the country.

This is nonsense. There are dozens of liquor stores in UAE.

[–]sbrylski 5 points6 points ago

This. Hotels have licenses to sell liquor to foreigners as well, and most have pubs on their first floors.

[–]vicefox 3 points4 points ago

Are drinks obscenely overpriced?

[–]geek180 1 point2 points ago

This was the first thing it thought of...

[–]DubaiCM 2 points3 points ago

Yes. A half-litre of beer costs around $7 - $10, mainly due to tax.

[–]Arctickako 2 points3 points ago

You CAN buy alcohol, you just need a special license to do it, there are a couple of stores in Dubai. You don't need license in Ajman and Al Qwuain, but you have to cross Sharjah, an emirate where alcohol possession is illegal. You can also buy it without license at the airport.

[–]BabyNewblet 4 points5 points ago

May seem like it because it's a Muslim country, but the rich don't give a damn.

[–]DubaiCM 1 point2 points ago

The only dry emirate is Sharjah. In all the other emirates, you can buy alcohol.

[–]crackanape 2 points3 points ago

I really don't understand the land economics there. They build these little clusters of skyrises with nothing in between.

Nobody wants to be outside anyway, so there's little point in having vast expanses of dirt outside each house.

When you're high up, at least you get a dramatic view.

[–]LeonardNemoysHead 2 points3 points ago

I think the point he's trying to make is that nobody's building anything but skyrises. Of course it's because these buildings are speculative and weren't actually built for a purpose. That's why Persian Gulf real estate is a fucking disaster.

[–]crackanape 9 points10 points ago

I think the point he's trying to make is that nobody's building anything but skyrises.

That's not a very good point, then. The past ten years have seen an explosion of bungalows and low-rise developments in Dubai, far more units than the skyrises.

Nobody goes and takes pictures of those, though, because they're not dramatic.

[–]floydian239 41 points42 points ago

Dubai always looks so fake in all the pictures. It reminds me of the cities I used to make as a kid in Sim City 3000 before I paid attention to how cities are actually laid out.

[–]varietygamer 12 points13 points ago

To be fair the city is well designed, and there is a sprawling night-life in the city. My cousin lives there and loves it. If you're a young person with some cash it is the city of living it up, just don't trip on one of the millions of indian slave workers. They reside in shanty towns in the desert.

[–]aritali 14 points15 points ago

A well designed city has a sewer... I'm just saying.

[–]DubaiCM 12 points13 points ago

Dubai does have a sewer system. The idea that they don't is an old urban myth that persists because people like you keep repeating it without doing their research.

[–]geek180 4 points5 points ago

The entire city has sewers now.

[–]Steeboo 7 points8 points ago

i had to google this and wow just wow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Hv8IHA3ig They built this futuristic city without sewers

edit: underdeveloped sewer system, they do have some.

[–]varietygamer -1 points0 points ago

Maybe they don't wanbt shit lurking just beneath their feet if they can afford to have it trucked out every day.

[–]aritali -1 points0 points ago

Have you seen the traffic jams of shit they have?

[–]floydian239 -1 points0 points ago

Do they have traffic? In all the pictures I've seen of the city there hardly seems to be any cars.

[–]aritali -1 points0 points ago

Look at the video the other guy posted, its like 5 miles of sewer trucks. A whole lot of shit..

[–]wesrawr 1 point2 points ago

Nah, the city just grew way to fast for them to maintain it's infrastructure. They are in the midst of solving this issue.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

I've been there.

Yet, this has to be the strangest photo of a city from above I have ever seen. The angle is just so odd, it's an amazing photo.

Why is the quality all sharp and weird though? Makes me think... I have one of an actual Dubai skyline, i'll upload it now.

[–]gryllz1991 18 points19 points ago

This looks as sandy as the country it is built in.

Don't get me wrong, I like cities, but dubai is the one place on earth I wish stayed like it was 200 years ago.

[–]mangodrunk 27 points28 points ago

You don't have to go that far back. In 1990, things were very different.

[–]Vexillae 12 points13 points ago

Holy shit, Shanghai.

[–]varietygamer 15 points16 points ago

That is nothing. From a few thousand to 12 million in 3 decades.

Shenzhen 1980: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3280/3106254070_5ec22dcae3_o.jpg

Shenzhen 2011: http://www.szpichappy.com/DiskF_UploadFile/2011-6/201162720453124174.jpg

Street scene 1980: http://i.imgur.com/CyNy0.jpg

Street scene 2011: http://i.imgur.com/JulPH.jpg

And YET, even today, the city's growth has only sped up! They are now going to combine shenzhen with hong kong, as it is reaching comparative levels of HDI. It is the city with the worlds greatest number of skyscraper and supertalls under construction and proposed. Dubai x 10 and in combination with hong kong, it will be something special indeed.

[–]Vexillae 7 points8 points ago

Population growth in Shenzen

Mother of God.

[–]leondz 3 points4 points ago

Shenzhen is terrifying - barely OK to visit - I wouldn't like to live there!

But then, most of mainland China changed this much even between 1990 and 2005. They're developing alright.

[–]heatx 0 points1 point ago

This is absolutely remarkable! Amazing.

[–]bananabm 1 point2 points ago

It's worth pointing out that they're not the same pic from the same location. If you look in the bottom pic, on the near side of the river the building topped with the green pyramid and the glowing tower that just crosses the other side of the bank from our perspective match up with the big buildings on either side of the top picture. So the big green park (mostly) syncs up with the left side of that brightly lit road going to the sea front in the bottom pic, I think. Which is still quite green.

(It's still nuts though, don't get me wrong)

http://imgur.com/U6uz6

[–]h83r 50 points51 points ago

that's an ugly city with great lines

[–]icecubesbones 3 points4 points ago

I don't think it's particularly ugly, but the overwhelming amount of brown... ugh. Yes, I know that it is in a desert, but come on, a little color would make it so much more appealing. If they have enough money to build this, then they have enough money to irrigate and grow some freaking plants and trees.

[–]DubaiCM 2 points3 points ago

There are some parks and green spaces in Dubai but the problem in a desert environment such as this is that you only get large amounts of greenery if you use extensive irrigation. Water in Dubai is sourced primarily from desalinated saltwater, which is highly energy intensive to produce. Having large amounts of greenery would cause Dubai's CO2 emissions to rocket. Although Dubai is not renowned for it's eco-friendliness, there is actually a large push to get the CO2 emissions down.

[–]cweese 7 points8 points ago

I was thinking the same thing. Most of the buildings look boring.

[–]majinalchemy 9 points10 points ago

Why are so many the same? Look at the tops in OP's pic.. Is there just like 1 living architect or do they all belong to one person or what? I've never seen that before.

[–]nolongerilurk 1 point2 points ago

I'm interested too. It's quite the spectacle but I'd like to know if all of those buildings are even slightly occupied.

[–]thatsyriandude 10 points11 points ago

Actually this part of the city is on high demand. so yes it is occupied and 1 bedroom apartment here is somewhere around 20,000 $ a year. and the reason of those buildings looking the same it is one project/ development . so basically yes same type.

[–]im_okay -4 points-3 points ago

Last I heard they are not - Dubai is a manufactured facade of a paradise.

[–]Datum 3 points4 points ago

This photo is from the "Dubai Marina". This is a link to their official website: http://www.dubai-marina.com/

Here you can see the names of each group of the towers and buildings: http://www.dubai-marina.com/photos/

Satellite view: http://goo.gl/maps/PQNya

The buildings are designed by a Canadian firm called HOK more facts regarding the project here: http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/dubai-marina/

The project is inspired by:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_Creek

http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/2006/09/01/false-creek-dubai

[–]ihaveatebowner 1 point2 points ago

HOK makes some great stadiums!

[–]daaavid 17 points18 points ago

Many people seem to be putting down on Dubai.

I personally think that it has it's own kind of beauty. The fact that it is almost entirely assorted shades of brown and it contrasts with the deep blue-green of the river and shore is incredible.

[–]tomatopotatotomato 10 points11 points ago

Burj Khalifa always makes other skypscapers look like little bitches.

[–]Where_s_Johhny_2 2 points3 points ago

http://www.airpano.ru/files/UAE-Dubai-City-Virtual-Tour/2-2

[–]FlippyWippy 2 points3 points ago

I love threads on Dubai on Reddit.

The comments page is filled with people who have never set foot in the place calling it a shithole with their only source of information being one article on the Independent.

Funny stuff.

[–]kmillionare 5 points6 points ago

In 30 years a picture like this will be on /R/abandonedporn

[–]darny 3 points4 points ago

only if /r/abandonedporn isn't abandoned

[–]kmillionare 1 point2 points ago

I don't know why the link doesn't work it's a pretty active subreddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/AbandonedPorn/

[–]Areat 2 points3 points ago

The r must be lowercase for the link to work.

[–]hop208 1 point2 points ago

If the oil runs out you're right. The city gets it's water from desalination plants which are oil intensive and the city isn't designed for walking at all.

[–]kmillionare 5 points6 points ago

Dubia makes very little money on oil. It makes its money by convincing westerners to set up their business there by offering them low taxes, personal servants(slaves), and luxurious housing and malls (built by slaves). Great article about it, pretty long: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html

[–]Vectoor 4 points5 points ago

They also get money in investments from their oil rich neighbour Abu Dhabi. If their oil runs out Dubai will have a much tougher time.

[–]kmillionare 2 points3 points ago

That's true, but I think the whole economy of investment will fall out from under itself before the oil dries up.

[–]FlippyWippy 1 point2 points ago

The oil wont run out. Most oil producing countries under report their oil reserves so it bumps up oil prices.

[–]aakaakaak 1 point2 points ago

Isn't this the end city from Inception?

[–]bariumprof 1 point2 points ago

Just imagine how complex those eddy currents are...

[–]JohnCrysher 1 point2 points ago

Cool, I can see my apartment from here!

[–]ljod 2 points3 points ago

What an idiotic place.

[–]lucidqueef 0 points1 point ago

Weird ass place to call home. Especially if I were a millionaire.

[–]SycoJack 0 points1 point ago

In the valley of the sand kings~

[–]OneManGOONsquad 0 points1 point ago

aaand yep I have all of these on Sim City 4

[–]JingleHeimerSchmidt 0 points1 point ago

Government housing?

[–]wizehopt 0 points1 point ago

Looks like the batman logo

[–]ShadySam 0 points1 point ago

Playboy, Dubai is not in Africa...

[–]Monsieur_JaqueDaniel 0 points1 point ago

Certainly makes for an awesome post-apocalyptic movie backdrop. /random thought

[–]homeworld 0 points1 point ago

Someone used [Ctrl] + [X] "weaknesspays" [Enter] a lot.

[–]Mr_Sceintist -3 points-2 points ago

Do they even grow enough food in Dubai to exist if they were embargoed?

[–]hop208 5 points6 points ago

They wouldn't be embargoed. But that city definitely couldn't exist without oil. All of it's drinking water comes from desalination plants which use a massive amount of oil. The city isn't set up for walking and also uses a ton of electricity to keep it cool in a part of the world where humans probably shouldn't live.

[–]crackanape 6 points7 points ago

Nope. Who's going to embargo Dubai?

[–]Mr_Sceintist 1 point2 points ago

nobody - just asking if they are self sufficient in food

[–]DubaiCM 1 point2 points ago

Definitely not. UAE does grow some food but most of it is imported from other, greener, countries in the area like Pakistan, India, Iran, Lebanon, Syria or even further afield. I can get USA-grown strawberries in my local supermarket, which is of course ridiculous when you consider the pollution generated to get them here.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]Mythodiir 8 points9 points ago

I see a lot of people post comments like these and I understand where it's coming from but the reason why Dubai is building a bunch of crazy shit is because the oil is running out. The UAE is still mostly dependent on oil but Dubai had kicked the habit quite a while ago. They make most of their money off tourism and commerce, they noticed they were running out of oil in the 70s. I do agree that eminent doom seems to be lurking on the horizon for little ol' Dubia but they have the whole oil thing taken care of. Imagine what would happen if all the under-paid servants rebelled? I think that Dubai could have a cultural revolution at some point. Sorry, I've been learning about the French Revolution but to be honest it does seem possible with current state of the UAE. I don't think it would be bloody and the government there seems reasonable but there would be a push.

[–]Vectoor 1 point2 points ago

Dubai gets a lot of investment from Abu Dhabi (Khalifa is the name of the Emir of Abu Dhabi, guess what he paid for), and their revenue is largely oil that will run out one day.

[–]ygd 11 points12 points ago

The oil has pretty much run out. Now it's a financial city.

[–]WorkplaceMasturbator -3 points-2 points ago

As an American, this is one middle eastern city I would not be afraid to visit.

[–]crackanape 9 points10 points ago

You're missing out. The Middle East has a lot of more fascinating cities than Dubai, and Americans — as individuals not representing their government — are pretty popular in almost all of them.

[–]Apiqoros 3 points4 points ago

Ugh. Please do not be stupid on behalf of the U.S.

[–]tahitiisnotineurope -1 points0 points ago

dirty dirty dirty dubee

[–]aritali -3 points-2 points ago

Nice, so tell me again why it has no sewer system..