I lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for four years between 2010-2014, I have a strong sense of place for the city and its people. This page will outline the changing demographics and cultural characteristics of the city, it will also outline how the city is represented and experienced.
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Urban Vignettes about Abu Dhabi
The desert city – Abu Dhabi
A desert is generally accepted to be any place which receives less than 250 millimetres of rainfall a year. Abu Dhabi has an arid climate and only receives around 100 millimetres of precipitation a year, with evaporation rates exceeding two metres! When I lived in England, in the temperate climate zone, I thought those that these drops of rain would fall in the cooler months all across the Emirate. Over the last twelve months, I have not felt a single drop of rain on Abu Dhabi Island. Averages obscure spatial and temporal patterns. Most of the periodic and unreliable rain in Abu Dhabi falls across the Eastern inland area where the Hajar Mountains rise out of the sand dunes in the east. Most groundwater then travels westwards towards the coastal region, taking between 10 and 45 years to complete this journey. If it does rain in the city, the local radio station play the tune ‘It’s raining again’ by Supertramp, a very local oddity.
Image: Swimming pools each contain between 200-500 thousand litres of water
The present day rainfall is not sufficient enough to recharge the aquifers which supply the coastal cities of Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Dubai, and so the groundwater level is falling at a rapid and worrying rate. Measurements in Al Ain show that the water table has dropped by 50 metres in the last century. The groundwater recharge rate is now less than 4 per cent of total annual water used.
The rate of water use across Abu Dhabi is around 590 litres per capita per day, a figure three times higher than the global average of around 200 litres per capita per day. Abu Dhabi City uses water to irrigate the tree-lines streets and Corniche waterfront, the 2000 parks and gardens, as well as for industry and household use. As a significant user of water is agriculture, we also need to consider the food producing region in the south-west of Abu Dhabi. Water supplied from here fell as rain 6,000 years ago at a time when the climate was much wetter; this allowed vast aquifers across the country to be recharged and large surface lakes to form. The problem with utilising such a fossil water source is that it is finite and will run out. Farmers who were previously reliant on shallow hand dug wells, the tradition gravity-fed aflaj system and rainwater harvesting to water crops have seen wells dry and seasonal surface water flow completely stop.
What about the problems of water scarcity in the city? During my average week I do not notice a lack of water. My apartment has four bathrooms, whose taps never run dry. We have bottled mineral water delivered direct to our door. My journey to work takes me past fountains and irrigated date palms and my weekends are often spent floating around in swimming pools watching my children zoom down water slides. What makes this possible in my desert city is not an abundance of fresh water, but rather an abundance of energy, a 600 kilometre long coastline and modern technology.
Abu Dhabi is increasingly reliant on non-conventional sources of water from desalinisation. Although expensive desalinisation provides the water required for life. Once water is used in the city, it is treated and reused for both landscaping and agriculture. Listening to the radio and you will hear repeated government messages to save water and become water efficient in the home. Meters are being installed so that water usage can be measured and ultimately reduced. Across the city grass lining the highways is being ripped out and replaced with gravel or block-paving. Behavioural attitudes towards water are changing as the desert city moves towards a more sustainable future.
The present day rainfall is not sufficient enough to recharge the aquifers which supply the coastal cities of Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Dubai, and so the groundwater level is falling at a rapid and worrying rate. Measurements in Al Ain show that the water table has dropped by 50 metres in the last century. The groundwater recharge rate is now less than 4 per cent of total annual water used.
The rate of water use across Abu Dhabi is around 590 litres per capita per day, a figure three times higher than the global average of around 200 litres per capita per day. Abu Dhabi City uses water to irrigate the tree-lines streets and Corniche waterfront, the 2000 parks and gardens, as well as for industry and household use. As a significant user of water is agriculture, we also need to consider the food producing region in the south-west of Abu Dhabi. Water supplied from here fell as rain 6,000 years ago at a time when the climate was much wetter; this allowed vast aquifers across the country to be recharged and large surface lakes to form. The problem with utilising such a fossil water source is that it is finite and will run out. Farmers who were previously reliant on shallow hand dug wells, the tradition gravity-fed aflaj system and rainwater harvesting to water crops have seen wells dry and seasonal surface water flow completely stop.
What about the problems of water scarcity in the city? During my average week I do not notice a lack of water. My apartment has four bathrooms, whose taps never run dry. We have bottled mineral water delivered direct to our door. My journey to work takes me past fountains and irrigated date palms and my weekends are often spent floating around in swimming pools watching my children zoom down water slides. What makes this possible in my desert city is not an abundance of fresh water, but rather an abundance of energy, a 600 kilometre long coastline and modern technology.
Abu Dhabi is increasingly reliant on non-conventional sources of water from desalinisation. Although expensive desalinisation provides the water required for life. Once water is used in the city, it is treated and reused for both landscaping and agriculture. Listening to the radio and you will hear repeated government messages to save water and become water efficient in the home. Meters are being installed so that water usage can be measured and ultimately reduced. Across the city grass lining the highways is being ripped out and replaced with gravel or block-paving. Behavioural attitudes towards water are changing as the desert city moves towards a more sustainable future.
Mobility
Here in Abu Dhabi, the richest city in the world, the car is not just a vehicle to transport you from place to place. It is a necessity in such an inhospitable climate. It is also a reflection of your wealth and status. Take a trip to Marina Mall on the breakwater on a Thursday evening, the start of the weekend, and you can surround yourself with the most amazing selection of super luxury cars. Shoppers can get their Mercedes, Hummers and Range Rovers valet parked, washed and polished, as they make purchases in the designer stores. The colour of these luxury cars is unanimously white, a colour to reflect some of summer heat or perhaps to match the spotlessly white kanduras of their Emirates owners. One local with a love for cars is H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Sheikh Hamad, who is also known as the Rainbow Sheikh, as he owns a Mercedes for each day of the week in each colour of the rainbow. His private car collection holds 200 vehicles including the largest Dodge pickup in the world.
The strength of the global economic downturn can be visualized on the streets of Abu Dhabi by the number of abandoned cars. One headline in The National newspaper read ‘Park and fly takes on new meaning’ as expatriate workers or ‘runners’ who lose their jobs, leave their car at the airport as they flee the country to avoid imprisonment for bad debts. To be honest though, it might only take a week for a car to get covered in sand and look abandoned. An average sand storm can dump a couple of hundred tonnes of sand on the city and if the humidity is high, the sand sticks. Under the traffic law it is illegal to drive a dirty car, to-date I have avoided the £80 fine, many of my friends have not.
There is one day in the year when the car, a symbol of mobility, takes over the city, this day is December 2nd – National Day. Last year to celebrate the 40th Birthday of the United Arab Emirates, there were 40 days of events, followed by what I can only describe as a homage to the motorcar. With the sun setting, what seemed like every car in the capital; dressed up in a multitude of green, white, red and black decorations, converge on the coastal Corniche road to celebrate the birth of a nation. Drivers screech their tyres, honk the horns and rev engines continuously, whilst passengers spray foam and party string on pedestrians, into the early hours of the morning. What is remarkable is that as the sun rises, the streets are already clean. An army of road sweepers with a coordinated attack on litter; have removed all evidence of the events of the night before.
As I write this blog, the temperature is pushing into the forties, humidity is starting to make life uncomfortable, but the car gives me freedom to continue my life in a ‘business as usual’ mode. For mobility in the desert, the car is king.
The strength of the global economic downturn can be visualized on the streets of Abu Dhabi by the number of abandoned cars. One headline in The National newspaper read ‘Park and fly takes on new meaning’ as expatriate workers or ‘runners’ who lose their jobs, leave their car at the airport as they flee the country to avoid imprisonment for bad debts. To be honest though, it might only take a week for a car to get covered in sand and look abandoned. An average sand storm can dump a couple of hundred tonnes of sand on the city and if the humidity is high, the sand sticks. Under the traffic law it is illegal to drive a dirty car, to-date I have avoided the £80 fine, many of my friends have not.
There is one day in the year when the car, a symbol of mobility, takes over the city, this day is December 2nd – National Day. Last year to celebrate the 40th Birthday of the United Arab Emirates, there were 40 days of events, followed by what I can only describe as a homage to the motorcar. With the sun setting, what seemed like every car in the capital; dressed up in a multitude of green, white, red and black decorations, converge on the coastal Corniche road to celebrate the birth of a nation. Drivers screech their tyres, honk the horns and rev engines continuously, whilst passengers spray foam and party string on pedestrians, into the early hours of the morning. What is remarkable is that as the sun rises, the streets are already clean. An army of road sweepers with a coordinated attack on litter; have removed all evidence of the events of the night before.
As I write this blog, the temperature is pushing into the forties, humidity is starting to make life uncomfortable, but the car gives me freedom to continue my life in a ‘business as usual’ mode. For mobility in the desert, the car is king.
Food, brunch and turtles
Food is more than a meal to satiate the body. A meal is a time for sharing, a time for family, a time to embrace new friends as well as the old. The time of year when this is most noticeable is during the holy month of Ramadan, when people in the city eat the Iftar meal (the evening meal when Muslims break their fast after the sun sets).
When the temperature is cool between October and May, people fill the parks to enjoy the weekend and fine food. Families often arrive early to secure the best locations in the park, often under the shade of the trees or on the stone seating areas. The barbeque culture of the city is based on a diet rich in meat, camel, chicken, beef and lamb the most popular. Families pull up to the park entrance in their cars and then out come the seats, shisha, barbeque bases, shelving units, blankets, bikes, children, maids and huge containers of food pre-prepared and ready to sizzle over hot coals.
When the temperature is cool between October and May, people fill the parks to enjoy the weekend and fine food. Families often arrive early to secure the best locations in the park, often under the shade of the trees or on the stone seating areas. The barbeque culture of the city is based on a diet rich in meat, camel, chicken, beef and lamb the most popular. Families pull up to the park entrance in their cars and then out come the seats, shisha, barbeque bases, shelving units, blankets, bikes, children, maids and huge containers of food pre-prepared and ready to sizzle over hot coals.
Image: The seafood counter at brunch
In the summer when outside temperatures are way too hot to hang around outside, brunch becomes a much more popular form of eating. Each Friday across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a large number of people tend not to eat breakfast in order to ‘save themselves’ ready for brunch. Between noon and 4pm most of the international hotels in the city create the most amazing variety of food and drink from around the world. People go and eat and socialise with their friends and family.
In the summer when outside temperatures are way too hot to hang around outside, brunch becomes a much more popular form of eating. Each Friday across Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a large number of people tend not to eat breakfast in order to ‘save themselves’ ready for brunch. Between noon and 4pm most of the international hotels in the city create the most amazing variety of food and drink from around the world. People go and eat and socialise with their friends and family.
Last weekend we left Abu Dhabi and travelled up to Dubai for brunch at Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah. With 17 people around our table, there was never a quiet moment. But there is another feature of interest at this hotel. It is the turtle enclosure where Green and Hawksbill turtles in their final stage of rehabilitation are monitored before release back in the Arabian Ocean. Turtles are treated for entanglement in nets and plastic, heavy barnacle growth on their carapace or illness which occurs most often over winter. Once the turtles are released back into the ocean they can be tracked online at www.seaturtle.org. So the legacy of brunch at Mina A’Salam for my children has been both to experience the variety of global foods available and to better understand how humans are impacting upon the marine environment we live so close to, here in the United Arab Emirates.
Festivities
Celebrating a small sticky brown fruit – the humble date palm.
Interspersed between the glass and concrete high-rise buildings of Abu Dhabi can be found many thousands of carefully tended and irrigated date palm trees. They line most of the capital’s streets and they have been planted in all the public parks and gardens. The nutritious date fruit is a rare and valuable commodity as it can survive temperatures of 50 degrees celcius, common in the harsh Arabian Desert.
Interspersed between the glass and concrete high-rise buildings of Abu Dhabi can be found many thousands of carefully tended and irrigated date palm trees. They line most of the capital’s streets and they have been planted in all the public parks and gardens. The nutritious date fruit is a rare and valuable commodity as it can survive temperatures of 50 degrees celcius, common in the harsh Arabian Desert.
Image: Date palms in Khalidiya Gardens, netted to keep them off the ground.
For generations, life for the local Bedouin has been sustained on a staple diet of dates and camel milk; the date palm also providing fronds for building traditional Arish huts and the bark providing biofuel for cooking with. Thus the date fruit, a symbol of survival, health and prosperity, is offered to visitors in the modern city’s homes, they appear as luxury treats in hotel rooms and have shops dedicated to their sale. For the last five years the date palm has even had its own international festival. During six days in November over 500 different varieties of dates arrive in the capital of the UAE, to be tasted and traded. Of the 17 most cultivated date palm species the small, dark and very sweet fruit of the al Khallas is the most popular and most expensive, commanding the most respect of all.
There are many festivities which take place in Abu Dhabi throughout the year. The biggest include the celebrations for National Day which I wrote about in my last post and more importantly the Muslim celebrations of Eid al-Fitr. Eid means ‘festivity’ and ‘al-Fitr’ refers to ‘breaking the fast’ which takes place after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. As it is forbidden to fast on the day of Eid, most Muslims eat a small breakfast. But what food could possibly fill this most important role? You guessed it – the humble date palm.
For generations, life for the local Bedouin has been sustained on a staple diet of dates and camel milk; the date palm also providing fronds for building traditional Arish huts and the bark providing biofuel for cooking with. Thus the date fruit, a symbol of survival, health and prosperity, is offered to visitors in the modern city’s homes, they appear as luxury treats in hotel rooms and have shops dedicated to their sale. For the last five years the date palm has even had its own international festival. During six days in November over 500 different varieties of dates arrive in the capital of the UAE, to be tasted and traded. Of the 17 most cultivated date palm species the small, dark and very sweet fruit of the al Khallas is the most popular and most expensive, commanding the most respect of all.
There are many festivities which take place in Abu Dhabi throughout the year. The biggest include the celebrations for National Day which I wrote about in my last post and more importantly the Muslim celebrations of Eid al-Fitr. Eid means ‘festivity’ and ‘al-Fitr’ refers to ‘breaking the fast’ which takes place after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. As it is forbidden to fast on the day of Eid, most Muslims eat a small breakfast. But what food could possibly fill this most important role? You guessed it – the humble date palm.
Lucky to be with my family in Abu Dhabi
I am one of 214 million economic migrates who moved from one country to another in the year 2010. The economic downturn in the UK significantly impacting on the job opportunities and prospects for families like us and the sunny skies and tax-free living of Abu Dhabi were calling. I consider myself to be a lucky migrant, not only did I pack my bags but I took along my family for my new life abroad.
Image: My children on their journey to Abu Dhabi.
Of the working age population currently living in Abu Dhabi the ratio of men to women is 4:1. 70 per cent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population are migrants. The rapidly changing skyline requires a substantial labour force of young, fit and predominantly male workers. These men do not bring their families with them; instead they send their weekly wages back to their homelands as remittance payments. Of the $440 billion of global remittances that were sent in 2010, $325 billion were sent to developing countries, according to the World Bank. These pay for food, water, education, healthcare and other essentials for the extended families. Around $11 billion leaves the UAE every year, destined for India, Pakistan, the Philippines and many other countries worldwide.
So what does this mean for the ‘family’ in Abu Dhabi?
On a Friday, the day to be with family; children can be found in the parks and gardens running around meeting new friends and letting off steam. Parents are never far away and busy themselves with cooking food and chatting in large social groups, The housemaids and cleaners tend to congregate together, often window shopping at the Malls or catching up with the week’s gossip in the city’s public spaces. The construction workers can often be seen in the beach car parks playing cricket with a row of buses, their transport, lined up behind the wickets. The Corniche, the wide walkway next to the sea, comes alive on a Thursday and Friday night as everybody in the community share the space for many different purposes. There are skaters, cyclists, and people walking the boardwalk, all using a space which costs nothing to be in. This is important in a city where many wages are not spent. Family units in the city may not be traditional. Housemaids for example may leave their children with their grandparents in order to work abroad, when they return home it is often their children’s turn to move abroad. The number of migrants travelling away from home is on the rise, one in 33 people in the world are living in a different country to the one they were born in.
What caught me by surprise when I arrived in Abu Dhabi was the friendliness of all the different types of expatriate workers. We are all from different places but we share a common goal… to make a better life for our families.
Of the working age population currently living in Abu Dhabi the ratio of men to women is 4:1. 70 per cent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population are migrants. The rapidly changing skyline requires a substantial labour force of young, fit and predominantly male workers. These men do not bring their families with them; instead they send their weekly wages back to their homelands as remittance payments. Of the $440 billion of global remittances that were sent in 2010, $325 billion were sent to developing countries, according to the World Bank. These pay for food, water, education, healthcare and other essentials for the extended families. Around $11 billion leaves the UAE every year, destined for India, Pakistan, the Philippines and many other countries worldwide.
So what does this mean for the ‘family’ in Abu Dhabi?
On a Friday, the day to be with family; children can be found in the parks and gardens running around meeting new friends and letting off steam. Parents are never far away and busy themselves with cooking food and chatting in large social groups, The housemaids and cleaners tend to congregate together, often window shopping at the Malls or catching up with the week’s gossip in the city’s public spaces. The construction workers can often be seen in the beach car parks playing cricket with a row of buses, their transport, lined up behind the wickets. The Corniche, the wide walkway next to the sea, comes alive on a Thursday and Friday night as everybody in the community share the space for many different purposes. There are skaters, cyclists, and people walking the boardwalk, all using a space which costs nothing to be in. This is important in a city where many wages are not spent. Family units in the city may not be traditional. Housemaids for example may leave their children with their grandparents in order to work abroad, when they return home it is often their children’s turn to move abroad. The number of migrants travelling away from home is on the rise, one in 33 people in the world are living in a different country to the one they were born in.
What caught me by surprise when I arrived in Abu Dhabi was the friendliness of all the different types of expatriate workers. We are all from different places but we share a common goal… to make a better life for our families.
Psst… quiet places in the city
Drifting in the Mangroves
Living on an island of only 75 km square and you are never that far from the sea. The Arabian Gulf originally provided pearling and fishing opportunities for the local tribes as well as a life-line for traders. Today the Gulf is the aesthetic backdrop to the expanding city. Isolated bays and indents in the coastline, to the south-west of Abu Dhabi Island, were great places to camp in relative isolation a couple of years ago. Today these coastal locations are under modern skyscrapers, marking the rapid development of the city.
To find sanctuary on this island is easy. All you need to do is step into a kayak or on-board a boat and travel away from the traffic, busy streets and city life, into the Arabian Gulf. Floating amongst the mangroves to the north-east of the island and you quickly forget about the daily humdrum of life downtown. It is not uncommon to see Osprey, Egret and Heron standing on the sandbars looking for their next meal as you pass by and if you are quiet enough the sharp ears of the Fennel Fox will not notice your closeness and the inquisitive mammal will appear amongst the half-submerged trees.
Living on an island of only 75 km square and you are never that far from the sea. The Arabian Gulf originally provided pearling and fishing opportunities for the local tribes as well as a life-line for traders. Today the Gulf is the aesthetic backdrop to the expanding city. Isolated bays and indents in the coastline, to the south-west of Abu Dhabi Island, were great places to camp in relative isolation a couple of years ago. Today these coastal locations are under modern skyscrapers, marking the rapid development of the city.
To find sanctuary on this island is easy. All you need to do is step into a kayak or on-board a boat and travel away from the traffic, busy streets and city life, into the Arabian Gulf. Floating amongst the mangroves to the north-east of the island and you quickly forget about the daily humdrum of life downtown. It is not uncommon to see Osprey, Egret and Heron standing on the sandbars looking for their next meal as you pass by and if you are quiet enough the sharp ears of the Fennel Fox will not notice your closeness and the inquisitive mammal will appear amongst the half-submerged trees.
Kayaking in different seasons, and we do have them, brings different surprises. The mangroves are sometimes covered in so many crabs that you cannot see the sand on which they stand, but if you step foot on land they quickly run for the protection of their burrows. In the cooler winter months the mangroves bleed out a red pigment into the Arabian waters. The rhythms of life are here you just have to look for them.
So many crabs
Abu Dhabi is located to the northern extent of the mangrove biome which dominates the coastal waters of the tropics. The mangroves are the most diverse and rich habitat in Abu Dhabi and thus are being protected. On the island of Saadiyat to the north of the main island, Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company have planted 750 000 mangrove seedlings. This is a planned nature reserve and is located across the water to the main area of mangroves which follow the north-eastern shore of the main island. Across the entire tropical region mangroves are under threat due to development. This stretch of mangroves located next to the eastern corniche in the midst of the city is more than a place to be conserved… It is my little sanctuary.
So many crabs
Abu Dhabi is located to the northern extent of the mangrove biome which dominates the coastal waters of the tropics. The mangroves are the most diverse and rich habitat in Abu Dhabi and thus are being protected. On the island of Saadiyat to the north of the main island, Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company have planted 750 000 mangrove seedlings. This is a planned nature reserve and is located across the water to the main area of mangroves which follow the north-eastern shore of the main island. Across the entire tropical region mangroves are under threat due to development. This stretch of mangroves located next to the eastern corniche in the midst of the city is more than a place to be conserved… It is my little sanctuary.
Life in the 24-hour city
If you shut your eyes and listen carefully, the sounds of the city reveal much about the natural and urban habitat shared by both the people and the wildlife of the Arabian Peninsula. Clanging and hammering, drilling and reverberations are the sounds from the ever-growing skyward developments. Beeping and screeching, revving and honking create an audible backdrop to city life. Living in an apartment on the fourteenth floor and you may be forgiven for thinking that the street life taking place far below does not permeate up so far…but you would be wrong. Several times an hour the sound of screeching tires across tarmac causes us to stop and wait in anticipation of the impending sound of crashing metal on metal. This splintering sound often fails to transpire, perhaps drivers are fine tuned to their vehicle’s precise stopping distance, or perhaps it was just not meant to happen, as we say In shallah.
Image: The click, click clicking of the city sprinklers keeping the grass green
Abu Dhabians have adapted to the extreme heat of the summer sun in many ways. Some people stay indoors close to the air conditioning; others change their waking times, becoming nocturnal in nature and then there are those who spend their time lounging around cooled pools on the edge of the city. Older buildings seem louder as the cooling systems fight against the soaring temperatures they hum and click and hum some more. As you move closer to the waters of the Arabian Gulf and the swimming pools of the hotels and clubs, the sounds surrounding you become increasingly more natural in source. Birds are more common by the shore nesting in the palms, loudly chattering and pwitching, piping and chirping as they move between shady sites. The nocturnal residents of the city include bats which fly along the coastline, clicking loudly to locate not only where they are, but where their next meal is coming from.
Abu Dhabians have adapted to the extreme heat of the summer sun in many ways. Some people stay indoors close to the air conditioning; others change their waking times, becoming nocturnal in nature and then there are those who spend their time lounging around cooled pools on the edge of the city. Older buildings seem louder as the cooling systems fight against the soaring temperatures they hum and click and hum some more. As you move closer to the waters of the Arabian Gulf and the swimming pools of the hotels and clubs, the sounds surrounding you become increasingly more natural in source. Birds are more common by the shore nesting in the palms, loudly chattering and pwitching, piping and chirping as they move between shady sites. The nocturnal residents of the city include bats which fly along the coastline, clicking loudly to locate not only where they are, but where their next meal is coming from.
Image: The hum of old air conditioning units as they drip, drip, drip water onto the street below
Humans awake in the night continue to add to the cacophony of sounds in this never sleeping city. Planes take off at all hours. The flight to Heathrow leaves daily at 2.30am. The flight path avoids the city and so I rarely hear this sound. Shopping also takes place under the stars, few establishments shut much before midnight, the clatter and crash of trolleys merges with the beeping of taxi cabs hailing potential rides outside the Malls, drivers, held up by other road users, hoot impatiently regardless of the hour. What strikes me about my city is that when I sleep everyone else seems to be awake. The city has blood in its veins 24-hours a day, I love living in this city because you can choose to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. If you listen carefully, you can hear the pulse of the city, it never ever stops.
Humans awake in the night continue to add to the cacophony of sounds in this never sleeping city. Planes take off at all hours. The flight to Heathrow leaves daily at 2.30am. The flight path avoids the city and so I rarely hear this sound. Shopping also takes place under the stars, few establishments shut much before midnight, the clatter and crash of trolleys merges with the beeping of taxi cabs hailing potential rides outside the Malls, drivers, held up by other road users, hoot impatiently regardless of the hour. What strikes me about my city is that when I sleep everyone else seems to be awake. The city has blood in its veins 24-hours a day, I love living in this city because you can choose to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. If you listen carefully, you can hear the pulse of the city, it never ever stops.
Hope – An evolving city
2009 marked the pivotal year when more of the planet’s citizens lived in urban rather than rural places. Rapid migration rates and youthful, fertile urban populations; with improving economic circumstances have driven both this urban transition and expansion. Over the last 40 years the number of urbanites in the Arab region has more than quadrupled. This is set to double again over the next 40 years. Abu Dhabi is very lucky, as it sits on proven crude oil reserves worth some $12 trillion, therefore it can potentially build a diverse and sustainable economic future before the oil wells dry up.
Image: The base of the barjeel at Masdar City
In order to create a city able to accommodate massive expansion the Urban Planning Council has created a visionary Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. It sets out the blue-prints for each unique area of the expanding city with their associated economic diversification strategy. Yas Island was one of the first and most prestigious projects, with a sport and leisure focus. The Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit first hosted the Formula One in 2009. When visiting Yas you can travel on the world’s fastest rollercoaster at Ferrari World and overlook Yas Mall and Yas Waterpark as they emerge out of the desert sands. The Masdar Initiative is a second project which is beginning to attract worldwide media attention. At the heart of it is Masdar City; a centre for innovation in clean energy. Students learn at Masdar Institute and the public can visit the commercial outlets; both using the personal rapid transit system and experiencing the cooling effect of the modern barjeel or a wind tower. |
The Corniche waterfront
The third project is perhaps the most accessible and successful one, if the numbers of users is considered. The Corniche is eight kilometres of landscaped multi-use waterfront, giving Abu Dhabi a focal point for tourism along the Arabian Gulf. It includes a cycle path and wide pedestrian pathways; public and family Blue Flag beaches; as well as shops, cafés and restaurants. The wider space at Al Sahil beach is used for temporary exhibitions, including the annual Yasalam festival, National Day celebrations as well as many other promotional events.
What these projects have done very successfully is to inspire. At Yas Marina Circuit you do not have to be a Formula One driver to get onto the track. Up to 800 mostly local cyclists and runners arrive each week for the free Train Yas sessions. During Formula One week entertainment events take place along the Corniche and the race is shown for free on huge screens. Masdar is a talking point, school students who have visited the site have come away with a vision of how a city can aim towards sustainability for the future, even one located in the Arabian Desert.
Global cities should be a place of dreams, ambitions and desires, Abu Dhabi fits this mould and as such, is a city paving the way for a better future.
The third project is perhaps the most accessible and successful one, if the numbers of users is considered. The Corniche is eight kilometres of landscaped multi-use waterfront, giving Abu Dhabi a focal point for tourism along the Arabian Gulf. It includes a cycle path and wide pedestrian pathways; public and family Blue Flag beaches; as well as shops, cafés and restaurants. The wider space at Al Sahil beach is used for temporary exhibitions, including the annual Yasalam festival, National Day celebrations as well as many other promotional events.
What these projects have done very successfully is to inspire. At Yas Marina Circuit you do not have to be a Formula One driver to get onto the track. Up to 800 mostly local cyclists and runners arrive each week for the free Train Yas sessions. During Formula One week entertainment events take place along the Corniche and the race is shown for free on huge screens. Masdar is a talking point, school students who have visited the site have come away with a vision of how a city can aim towards sustainability for the future, even one located in the Arabian Desert.
Global cities should be a place of dreams, ambitions and desires, Abu Dhabi fits this mould and as such, is a city paving the way for a better future.
Signs on the streets of Abu Dhabi
“To really understand a city, you need to walk its streets and read its geography through the soles of your feet”
P.D Smith City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age
Cars travel so quickly past most of the street signs in Abu Dhabi that the details that are written on them are often missed. This is what I can only assume must of happened last year, when I was biking along the cycle path on the Corniche waterfront and I was hit by a van driven far too quickly by a polish construction worker. So this week, the signs that I have picked out are those which can be caught by those travelling at a more leisurely speed.
P.D Smith City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age
Cars travel so quickly past most of the street signs in Abu Dhabi that the details that are written on them are often missed. This is what I can only assume must of happened last year, when I was biking along the cycle path on the Corniche waterfront and I was hit by a van driven far too quickly by a polish construction worker. So this week, the signs that I have picked out are those which can be caught by those travelling at a more leisurely speed.
Image: A Refresh Point in the Corniche Family Park
In order to stay outdoors when the daytime temperatures are high, the sign for a Refresh Point is tantamount to a survival tool. In many landscaped waterfronts and family parks, such facilities are a vital resource; with one press of a button the cooling water mist sprays a much needed respite from the mid-day sun. It is not the dry heat felt early in the summer that is so difficult to live with here on the Tropic of Cancer. Worse is the high humidity, which makes its presence felt in August and September at the tail end of summer. The sign that humidity levels are rising in a city of concrete, steel and glass is a hazy sky and condensation. Having grown up at a temperate latitude; condensation seemed only to occur on bathroom windows and in cars full of wet occupants. In Abu Dhabi, condensation occurs on the outside of buildings and it rolls down glass window panes to form pools of water on the walkways and entrance ways of apartments, shops and offices. Whilst condensation might be seen as a negative aspect of life in the city, I like the temporary artwork that appears as children pass by the blank canvasses that the glass panels provide; even if they disappear an hour later as the sun evaporates them away.
In order to stay outdoors when the daytime temperatures are high, the sign for a Refresh Point is tantamount to a survival tool. In many landscaped waterfronts and family parks, such facilities are a vital resource; with one press of a button the cooling water mist sprays a much needed respite from the mid-day sun. It is not the dry heat felt early in the summer that is so difficult to live with here on the Tropic of Cancer. Worse is the high humidity, which makes its presence felt in August and September at the tail end of summer. The sign that humidity levels are rising in a city of concrete, steel and glass is a hazy sky and condensation. Having grown up at a temperate latitude; condensation seemed only to occur on bathroom windows and in cars full of wet occupants. In Abu Dhabi, condensation occurs on the outside of buildings and it rolls down glass window panes to form pools of water on the walkways and entrance ways of apartments, shops and offices. Whilst condensation might be seen as a negative aspect of life in the city, I like the temporary artwork that appears as children pass by the blank canvasses that the glass panels provide; even if they disappear an hour later as the sun evaporates them away.
Moving indoors, the last two signs are ones that simply caught my eye. The first is a notice which is given out alongside the bill in a local restaurant I frequently visit. It reads ‘Tipping is not a city in China’. To have to highlight both what the practice of tipping is and where the money goes to seems unnecessary obvious, but that is just me.
The final sign is one that reflects many of the signs I see across this multi-lingual city. It reads ‘Geography is a flavour Its growing region imparts flavour Profile coffees grown theres result of local climate’ This sign is part of a temporary display in a global coffee shop. Whichever way I read it, it just doesn’t make sense, but it does make sense. Signs are so often translated for one language to another that they get simplified and shortened. This sign sounds like it was written by Yoda himself.
The final sign is one that reflects many of the signs I see across this multi-lingual city. It reads ‘Geography is a flavour Its growing region imparts flavour Profile coffees grown theres result of local climate’ This sign is part of a temporary display in a global coffee shop. Whichever way I read it, it just doesn’t make sense, but it does make sense. Signs are so often translated for one language to another that they get simplified and shortened. This sign sounds like it was written by Yoda himself.
Staving off cultural homogenisation in Abu Dhabi
Cultural homogenisation is a process which is happening across the commercial sectors of Abu Dhabi. As the income of individuals increases so too does the desire to buy the top spec cars and yachts, designer goods and other associated paraphernalia. The transformation or Americanisation of Abu Dhabi can be seen in the malls as Anglo-American firms such as Marks and Spencers, Gap, Next and Zara set up next door to local jewellery, scent and chocolate shops. Ferrari World opened in 2010 on Yas Island, and it certainly will not be the lone transnational theme park to be created in the city.
Abu Dhabi is often seen in the shadows of its larger, brasher, more well-known neighbour Dubai; although it is actually the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the emirate with the largest oil reserves and wealth. Both cities have seen the need to economically diversify and both have focused on the tourism industry. Abu Dhabi has focused on high-end hotels such as Emirates Palace, those interested in Formula 1 at Yas Marina Circuit and those with money. Bringing tourists into the city can be seen as controversial, due to the affect on local cultures. All women in Abu Dhabi should dress respectfully, covering shoulders and knees. However, this does not always happen and the impact of such behaviour is difficult to measure. Whether the cultural acceptability of western dress will alter with time is an unknown. In order to encourage tourism, it is likely that greater tolerance will prevail. The local women will no doubt still continue the tradition of wearing long black abayas and the men their white kanduras.
Abu Dhabi is often seen in the shadows of its larger, brasher, more well-known neighbour Dubai; although it is actually the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the emirate with the largest oil reserves and wealth. Both cities have seen the need to economically diversify and both have focused on the tourism industry. Abu Dhabi has focused on high-end hotels such as Emirates Palace, those interested in Formula 1 at Yas Marina Circuit and those with money. Bringing tourists into the city can be seen as controversial, due to the affect on local cultures. All women in Abu Dhabi should dress respectfully, covering shoulders and knees. However, this does not always happen and the impact of such behaviour is difficult to measure. Whether the cultural acceptability of western dress will alter with time is an unknown. In order to encourage tourism, it is likely that greater tolerance will prevail. The local women will no doubt still continue the tradition of wearing long black abayas and the men their white kanduras.
Female tourists who visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the largest mosque in the UAE, must wear an abaya in order to see inside the beautifully crafted building and walk on the largest carpet in the world.
Although only a fifth of inhabitants of the city are locals, the Arabic language is spoken by many more. Expatriate workers arrive from England, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines with their own native languages, but they also enter from other Arabic speaking GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman. In the classrooms of the city, children of many languages learn Arabic as non-native speakers. Such an education is invaluable for young people as it gives them both access and understanding of the people and culture of the city they live in. During the 40th Anniversary celebrations of the birth of the nation, my daughter won the hearts of many locals by singing traditional Arabic songs. This behaviour helps our family feel that we have been accepted into this city that we call home.
Although only a fifth of inhabitants of the city are locals, the Arabic language is spoken by many more. Expatriate workers arrive from England, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines with their own native languages, but they also enter from other Arabic speaking GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman. In the classrooms of the city, children of many languages learn Arabic as non-native speakers. Such an education is invaluable for young people as it gives them both access and understanding of the people and culture of the city they live in. During the 40th Anniversary celebrations of the birth of the nation, my daughter won the hearts of many locals by singing traditional Arabic songs. This behaviour helps our family feel that we have been accepted into this city that we call home.
Youth – ‘The real wealth of the nation’
The United Arab Emirates is a young country, with a young population. The Bedouin tribes of the 1950s were small in number as resources limited population growth. Since oil was first exported from Das Island in the1960s; petrodollars have not only been used to secure much needed resources, but they have been used to develop the education, health and infrastructure of the city of Abu Dhabi and beyond. The population of the country has risen ten-fold from 180,000 in 1971 when the United Arab Emirates was formed to around 1.8 million today. Of the 1.2 million people who live in Abu Dhabi, the Statistics Centre census data for 2010 shows that just over 26 per cent are youthful, under the age of 19 years of age. But this masks the true picture for the local population with the data of the economic migrants, resident in the city. Of the 228,225 nationals living in the Abu Dhabi region, 52 per cent or half of the population are under 19 years of age.
As a teacher here in Abu Dhabi, I am in a lucky position to teach in one of the oldest schools in the city, the British School Al Khubairat. There are over 50 nationalities represented in the school population. The education I gain is perhaps equal to that I provide. Through discussions, cultural exchange and the sharing of personal experiences the young people in my classroom gain a truly global perspective as they grow up in a world city. School holidays allow students time to travel and explore other countries, often travelling to a multitude of diverse destinations. Some national citizens make up London’s Arab diaspora for the months of July and August as they avoid the heat of the Middle East. The semi-nocturnal habits of the Arabs are changing the dynamics of life around Edgware Road, Bayswater and Kensington; the key areas where Arabs own second homes in the capital city.
As a teacher here in Abu Dhabi, I am in a lucky position to teach in one of the oldest schools in the city, the British School Al Khubairat. There are over 50 nationalities represented in the school population. The education I gain is perhaps equal to that I provide. Through discussions, cultural exchange and the sharing of personal experiences the young people in my classroom gain a truly global perspective as they grow up in a world city. School holidays allow students time to travel and explore other countries, often travelling to a multitude of diverse destinations. Some national citizens make up London’s Arab diaspora for the months of July and August as they avoid the heat of the Middle East. The semi-nocturnal habits of the Arabs are changing the dynamics of life around Edgware Road, Bayswater and Kensington; the key areas where Arabs own second homes in the capital city.
Image: The sun rising over a rapidly changing skyline
Forty years ago the youth was affectionately described by Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, to be ‘the real wealth of the nation’. Today, 22.5 per cent of the government’s budget is spent on their education. Such a huge investment, along with the government initiative of Emiratisation (employing citizens in both the public and private sectors) should ensure that the nation’s youth are trained, prepared and have a diverse range of prospects for a life of work. The rapidly changing skyline of the city, can only inspire and encourage the nation’s youth, they now have both the resources and the opportunities to drive forwards the development of their country and hopefully live up to the high expectations of their founding father. |
The changing face of Abu Dhabi
With a massively increasing income from petrodollars in the 1960s and 1970s accommodation for the expatriate workers, associated to the oil industry, were rapidly built along the north-west of the Abu Dhabi. Most of the first-wave of construction still standing in the city can be recognised by both their relatively low height, often between five and 18 storeys in height and the air conditioning units attached to vast walls of concrete. Today the population of the city is three times greater than it was ever planned for and the process of renewal is in full swing; following the detailed Urban Planning Council’s Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan.
The congested streets of downtown Abu Dhabi are starting to see more light appear in the skyline, as old buildings are bulldozed and removed from sight. What amazes me about these temporary spaces is how small the footprints of the buildings actually are. As the number of cars in the city is greater than the number of parking bays, these temporary spaces are sometimes converted to parking places to ease the congested city streets. In other places children take the opportunity to use these spaces for recreation; to kick a football around or to play in the sand, in amongst the more permanent features of the urban landscape.
The congested streets of downtown Abu Dhabi are starting to see more light appear in the skyline, as old buildings are bulldozed and removed from sight. What amazes me about these temporary spaces is how small the footprints of the buildings actually are. As the number of cars in the city is greater than the number of parking bays, these temporary spaces are sometimes converted to parking places to ease the congested city streets. In other places children take the opportunity to use these spaces for recreation; to kick a football around or to play in the sand, in amongst the more permanent features of the urban landscape.
Image: Temporary spaces appearing across the city, where once buildings stood
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Having grown up in East London the temporary spaces in the city remind me of the renewal that took place after the war and deindustrialization. What is different about renewal in Abu Dhabi seems to be the scale and pace of change. The rate of renewal can be measured by the number of cranes seen on the skyline. From my window I can see 27 cranes, and my view only takes in a third of the main island. In comparison, when I was in Manchester, at Easter this year, there were only three cranes towering over the city. New developments are appearing across Abu Dhabi as quickly as the Shard has added its outline to the London skyline.
In the two years have lived in Abu Dhabi I have watched schools, hospitals, new hotels and multi-purpose structures grow from the ground up to sky. Renewal is driving modernity across the city. It is providing retail and office space required for economic diversification; it is providing high quality housing for Emirates and expatriate workers and it is providing world class facilities for leisure, healthcare and education. Increasing the amount of housing stock combined with the global economic downturn has reduced city property prices by a third since 2008 and yet demand still outstrips supply. |
Renewal a positive process in this city; as long as you are not directly affected by the noise, sand and inconvenience of living too close to a new development. Signs of renewal give the urban dwellers hope. Both Yas Mall and the water park are exciting the younger people of Abu Dhabi, as these developments signal the arrival of new leisure activities. The developments at Nation Towers and Etihad Towers on the Corniche will increase the number eateries, shops and bars; pleasing the expatriate workers. Renewal is taking place at a phenomenal rate. If you talk to the older generations of Emirates who have grown up in the area they speak about the loss of the natural landscape and how it has been replaced by glass and tarmac and so many people. If you ask whether this is a good change; the answer is always yes. Emirates are very patriotic and proud of what has happened in their city. What next? Perhaps Abu Dhabi will aim high and break the record for the tallest building in the world.