Category: Dubai

In this work, I would like to tell you about my trip to Dubai, where I spent a very short but very relaxing vacation.

I had a 24-hour layover in Dubai on the way home. I was very irritated about it considering I was traveling in June. The peak of summer in Dubai. Let’s face it, summer is Dubai is definitely the best Dubai weather to visit the city. I could stay put and find something to do in the Dubai airport terminal. But I took the risk anyway and planned a day to explore Dubai in the little time I had.

My Dubai trip started with a great surprise. I caught the Dubai metro straight from the airport and I was out and about. The one thing that did notice in this short time was that as afraid I was that Dubai would be super expensive but summertime turned out to be very affordable. The air conditioning in the airport and the metro was amazing. I wouldn’t have known about the summer heat until I planned to step out in the open.

I was able to find a really nice room in one of the Dubai hotels in the old Dubai part. The new one is not something I could afford, though I would have opted for the underwater room at Burj Arab or at Atlantis hotel. But that is fine as it wasn’t a long stay anyways. But this one was really nice and the price I got was a jackpot. Turns out summer is off season in Dubai, making it the cheapest time to visit Dubai and save big.

My visit to Dubai had me wandering around the city. I was staying in the ‘old’ part of Deira which is rich in history. You can find the remains of the pre-glamor times. The gold souk, spice souk Dubai, and all the heritage sites located near the area. I planned my day to spend around the JBR Walk. I made my way to one of the many cafes that lined the area. It was a great meal, there were many places to decide from.

I then made my way to the beach and spent the day lazing around. Doesn’t cost that much to rent a lounging chair and an umbrella. I also got to take part in lots of water activities that they were offering. By, the time evening rolled around the heat around the beach did become better. But I decided to further my discoveries about the city that I am in. So, I headed out of the beach.

There is are a lot of things to do in Dubai. Choosing one or the other is very difficult. One of the main things to do was to visit one of the famous malls in Dubai. So, after a great day at the beach, I did decide to check out one of the largest malls in the world. It was everything I had imagined and more. Dubai mall was just breathtaking in every way. I could easily just relax in the mall, eat at any of the many amazing eateries that they have. Dubai foods are an experience nobody wants to miss out. The high rate of mixed nationalities residing in the city has brought together the cuisines of the world in a single place. A foodie such as me can never decide. I had my dinner here and I also got to experience the famous Dubai Fountain.

Dubai is definitely worth the time. I really wanted to stay longer, all my notion about the weather in Dubai were proven wrong. It was a very happening city and I would love a long stay.

Recycling is the process of changing wastes into new usable products. The purpose of recycling wastes is to prevent dumping potentially useful products, reduce environmental pollution, and control the use of raw materials. Recycling is an important method that is used in the modern world to dispose of and manage wastes. Dubai is a modern city that is recognized for its excellent infrastructure together with a well-defined and structured waste management system. This essay seeks to establish how recycling has enhanced the health, safety, and economic status of Dubai.

Reno and Alexander (2012) reveal that Dubai had registered over 20 waste recycling companies in 2012. The registration of these companies has enhanced the management of wastes that are released from industries, construction sites, residential areas, households, and institutions. Indeed, the management of industrial effluents, hazardous wastes, construction wastes, general non-hazardous wastes, and medical wastes among others has resulted in enhanced sanitation. This situation has heightened both safety and health amongst the city residents.

In the wake of waste management, the government has licensed various companies to establish water projects to meet the ever-rising demands for water by the city residents (Bains, 2009). As a result, several companies have established improvised technologies such as Membrane Filtration Technology and MBR systems for water treatment. Treated sewerage water has improved agricultural practices in the area through irrigation. Water treatment technology has remarkably improved since 2009. Presently, Dubai’s well-established water recycling technologies have led to the provision of water to other regions that are outside the country (Shinkuma & Managi, 2011).

Moreover, Rathje and Zimring (2012) reveal that Dubai produces large quantities of solid wastes that require frequent disposal. Several companies have established various strategies that are aimed at the management of solid wastes. These strategies have significantly enhanced the city’s environment by the reduction of environmental pollution. Extensive education has created waste management awareness to the public. This strategy has led to innovativeness in the management of recyclable materials (Pepper, 2010).

Dubai’s remarkable world-class facilities and physical infrastructure have resulted in a plethora of initiatives to create an eco-friendly city. All-in-one recycling methods have been introduced in the city. This situation has enormously enhanced the recycling of paper, plastics, glass, and metal wastes among other recyclables in one unit. As a result, there has been reduced waste trucking within the city. This situation has lessened waste management costs; hence, it has improved the economic status of Dubai (Beck and Martin (2009).

Other strategies that have been established by the government include green technology. According to Gavin (2007), Dubai has always had a strong focus on green energy, green economy, green city, and green life in its endeavors to manage the effects of climate change. Presently, the city has experienced intense development and promotion of green technology. The government has significantly supported the implementation of the aforementioned waste management projects. One of the greatest moves towards the implementation of these strategies was the launch of “Green Economy for Sustainable Development” (Goodship, 2010).

Recycling is an eco-friendly process that ensures the maximization of resources. Recycling in Dubai is highly structured because of the availability of many interested participants whose aim is the establishment of a haven for clean technologies. A large number of registered recycling companies have contributed significantly to the management of wastes that are released from different sources. Also, the government of Dubai has been actively involved in waste management through the establishment of strategies to transform the city into a haven for a green economy. Dubai’s recycling capacity has enhanced safety, health, and the economic status of the excellent city. Other countries all over the world should emulate Dubai’s recycling strategies to promote the wellness of the environment.

Introduction

Recycling is an effective strategy of cleaning the environment from hazardous materials and pollution (Zailani, Eltayeb, Hsu & Tan, 2012). The following research proposal focuses on how recycling can be conducted in the city of Dubai. The proposal provides insightful information as to why recycling has become a necessity for cities around the world.

In this regard, identifying what materials or objects are to be recycled is imperative. In addition, establishing recycling strategies that are effective and cost-efficient is important (Zailani, Eltayeb, Hsu & Tan, 2012). From the proposal, the importance of having realistic objectives for the recycling program in Dubai is realized. The proposal provides an insight into how recycling can be conducted and respective benefits of the same on the environment.

Key information

The proposal will highlight recyclables that require a focus in Dubai. For example, recycling paper products such as the newspapers and cardboards is vital in the city (White, 2011). Plastics are a global concern in terms of polluting the environment (White, 2011). In this regard, recycling of plastic water bottles, lid and containers are critical (White, 2011). Littering of metal objects and materials is an issue of concern in Dubai. Additional recyclables include glass materials and organic materials. The importance of recycling organic products especially those from food joints and restaurants is importance since the city has many hotels. However, utilizing water through recycling is vital since the city is located in a dessert.

The importance of Dubai embracing the concept of green living is vital in preserving the environment (Aboulnaga, 2013). In this regard, the importance of establishing a recycling program is inevitable. First, implementing a waste management program through private investors who specialize in the concept is critical. The waste management service providers are effective in collecting and transporting recyclables (Svara, Watt & Jang, 2013). In addition, the service providers provide waste collection bins, conduct research and promote recycling through public awareness programs.

It is imperative to ensure that the recycling program is sustainable for optimal benefits. There are effective strategies for recycling that could help in Dubai (Aboulnaga, 2013). For example, encouraging people to use Tupperware box for carrying food products instead of foil is effective (Svara, Watt & Jang, 2013). In addition, educating the public the importance of using shopping bags instead of plastic papers can be essential in preventing the hazardous material from polluting the environment. Recycling goods by giving them away to the needy through a global recycling network is necessary. Recycling water by treating and reusing the same to water plants and washing in households should be prioritized.

Ideas for thesis

The research proposal will entail a background fact-finding about recyclables in Dubai and how they affect the population and environment. Conducting a researching on previous recycling efforts in Dubai will be critical in understanding the efficiency for the same. The proposal will entail some objectives for a recycling program and how it intends to impact the environment. The proposal will be supported by an in-depth analysis of modern and efficient recycling strategies. In addition, the proposal will provide details of the expected outcome from the recycling program. Nonetheless, the main idea of introducing recycling in Dubai is to improve on environment preservation initiatives that have become a global issue. In this regard, maintaining recycling programs that are consistent with the global objective and cost-efficient is critical.

Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf, and it is one of the seven emirates that the UAE form. Dubai is the second largest emirate after Abu Dhabi with a population exceeding 1.3 million which makes about 32% of the UAE population (Al Awad, 2008). However, it is ready to expand twice as much if you add the man-made islands: Waterfront, Three Palms, World, Universe, Dubailand, as well as many other construction projects taking place in the desert.

Dubai is the best example of instant urbanization and spectacular urbanism, because it got transformed from a desert to a global city, depending on trades and real estate and oil reserve. This essay is talking about the fast development of the country that makes urbanization instant. But it is not a normal urbanization, what happened in Dubai is really surprising, because just in 5 decades it became spectacular urbanism, with amazing points of architecture makes Dubai special. It shows the important times of Dubai’s small history, from the point the UAE united to our present, with all the crisis that Dubai passed by.

Dubai’s Transformation

There is a popular question that everyone is asking, how Dubai got transformed from a desert to a spectacular urbanism just in around 5 decades? Earlier, Dubai was the trades hub for pearls to textiles, which was a very successful field for them in that time. In the late of 70s, Dubai established Jebel Ali Port, that was the largest man-made harbors and the biggest port in the middle east, followed by Dubai Airport in 1985 (Matly & Dillon, 2007).

The Economy Growth of Dubai

Emirates has important supply of oil and gas reserves, but in Dubai, Sheikh Mouhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum did not rely just on that because it is limited, and it was determined that it is going to run out in around 2010 (Matly & Dillon, 2007). He said: “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel” (Matly & Dillon, 2007). Since 1990, he was smart enough to not build the economy of Dubai just depending on the oil reserves (acuto, 2010), but the trade with Europe, Middle East, and Asia, while its neighbor countries were doing so. And one of the important steps that Dubai did is the World Trade Center in 1979 that opened more opportunities, unlike the other Arabic countries who closed their borders to the western countries and relayed on the oil reserves of their countries, their local businesses, while Dubai is developing their financial empire by the opposite through trade, business, and airline to connect with the world (Matly & Dillon, 2007).

Factors that Helped Dubai to Have Instant Urbanization

By the strong economy that Dubai built, that what more projects were built rapidly in there that transferred the desert to urban, which we can call what happened in Dubai is instant urbanization, by urbanization Dubai became stronger in strong in real estate which added to the economy of the city, and that called spectacular urbanism. But, behind this success there were hidden factors. Firstly, is the laborer that came from all around the world to work for their families, secondly, is the high labor discipline because of the low employment rate specially after the global economic crisis in 2008, and lastly, is the rules of residency in the country, which is the one-year resident and they never gave the citizenship to other than the local people, but although people can immigrate to countries gives the permanent resident then the citizenship. Dubai soon grew to become the world’s top immigration hub (L.Benton-Short, 2005).

The Challenges that Dubai Faced

In 2007, Dubai got the result of the economic plan that Sheikh Mouhammad did in 1990. It was remarkable, which laid him to think about the future of Dubai and he put a plan for 2005 and was called ‘Dubai…where the future begins’ (acuto, 2010). But always there is difficulties that a city passes in while developing. In the late 2008, global financial crisis hit the UAE which impacted Dubai from all the economic sides, so he stopped most of the construction work or even canceled them. Even though that happened, but the ruler did not give up (acuto, 2010). Even though Dubai stayed effected by this crisis, Sheikh Mouhammad dreamed about the globality that Dubai achieved (acuto, 2010). And by that the city won this crisis. To prove that, in 2009 Sheikh Mouhammed attended the ceremony of lunching Dubai’s metro which is the longest automated metro network in the world, that connect all of Dubai together to avoid Sheikh Zayed Street’s traffic problem (acuto, 2010).

Dubai Kept Going after the Economy Crisis

As mentioned, Dubai became very important in real estate industry that most of the city’s economy is coming from it, for example the world’s fourth tallest and one of the most expensive hotels, Burj Al Arab, luxury residential structures, including the tallest man-made structure the Burj Khalifa, and more that made an amazing skyline for the city (Briny, 2019). Dubai is famous with its artificial islands specially ‘Atlantis’. Year by year, Dubai took more projects that attracted the tourism, Khalifa tower is an example of that, and that laid Dubai to have Expo 2020 that might be postponed because of coronavirus that made global crisis in the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. The Expo 2020 aimed for sustainability because of the global warming Dubai has. And Dubai in few years took very important projects with sustainable concepts that are still under construction. ‘Creek Tower’ is the world’s tallest structure. Dubai nowadays is dream of a lot of people to visit or to live in. Even though it has a lot of negative aspects, like the weather, the resident, or the high prices, but Dubai is a step to the future, by its spectacular urbanism and beautiful architecture, which let them do the future museum which is still under construction.

Conclusion

To conclude, when anyone says that I am coming from the UAE, some people are asking where is this country, the same thing for Abu Dhabi they ask where is this city, but when that person say that he is coming from Dubai everyone will be surprised, because of the globalization that Dubai as a city in the UAE has. This city has work hard to be where it is now and that is all because its ruler Sheikh Mouhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum believed in what he wants to create. So, he transferred a desert to one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a spectacular urbanism, and it happened in a crazy instant urbanization, although all the crisis.

But Dubai did not stop here, Dubai is still working on going to the future, before any other country, and they are making sure that they are building in a sustainable way, and it is going to keep going on developing more and more, and the prove on that is the projects that are under construction or planned to be, and the Museum of the Future is one of these steps. As well as the loyalty that the people are living there, although they do not have much facilities, is boring discipline that makes people want to work to make this country more beautiful with its future projects.

Bibliography

1. L.Benton-Short, M. (2005). Globalization from Below: The Ranking of Global Immigrant Cities. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 945-959.
2. Matly, M., & Dillon, L. (2007, February 27). DUBAI STRATEGY: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE. Retrieved from Harvard Business School.
3. acuto, m. (2010, August 4). High-Rise Dubai Urban Entrepreneurialism and the Technology of Symbolic Power. Retrieved from elsevier.
4. Briny, A. (2019, May 9). Geography of Dubai. Retrieved from Thoughtco.
5. Al Awad, M. (2008). The Population of Dubai. Dubai: Dubai Economic Counsil.

Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf, and it is one of the seven emirates that the UAE form. Dubai is the second largest emirate after Abu Dhabi with a population exceeding 1.3 million which makes about 32% of the UAE population (Al Awad, 2008). However, it is ready to expand twice as much if you add the man-made islands: Waterfront, Three Palms, World, Universe, Dubailand, as well as many other construction projects taking place in the desert.

Dubai is the best example of instant urbanization and spectacular urbanism, because it got transformed from a desert to a global city, depending on trades and real estate and oil reserve. This essay is talking about the fast development of the country that makes urbanization instant. But it is not a normal urbanization, what happened in Dubai is really surprising, because just in 5 decades it became spectacular urbanism, with amazing points of architecture makes Dubai special. It shows the important times of Dubai’s small history, from the point the UAE united to our present, with all the crisis that Dubai passed by.

Dubai’s Transformation

There is a popular question that everyone is asking, how Dubai got transformed from a desert to a spectacular urbanism just in around 5 decades? Earlier, Dubai was the trades hub for pearls to textiles, which was a very successful field for them in that time. In the late of 70s, Dubai established Jebel Ali Port, that was the largest man-made harbors and the biggest port in the middle east, followed by Dubai Airport in 1985 (Matly & Dillon, 2007).

The Economy Growth of Dubai

Emirates has important supply of oil and gas reserves, but in Dubai, Sheikh Mouhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum did not rely just on that because it is limited, and it was determined that it is going to run out in around 2010 (Matly & Dillon, 2007). He said: “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel” (Matly & Dillon, 2007). Since 1990, he was smart enough to not build the economy of Dubai just depending on the oil reserves (acuto, 2010), but the trade with Europe, Middle East, and Asia, while its neighbor countries were doing so. And one of the important steps that Dubai did is the World Trade Center in 1979 that opened more opportunities, unlike the other Arabic countries who closed their borders to the western countries and relayed on the oil reserves of their countries, their local businesses, while Dubai is developing their financial empire by the opposite through trade, business, and airline to connect with the world (Matly & Dillon, 2007).

Factors that Helped Dubai to Have Instant Urbanization

By the strong economy that Dubai built, that what more projects were built rapidly in there that transferred the desert to urban, which we can call what happened in Dubai is instant urbanization, by urbanization Dubai became stronger in strong in real estate which added to the economy of the city, and that called spectacular urbanism. But, behind this success there were hidden factors. Firstly, is the laborer that came from all around the world to work for their families, secondly, is the high labor discipline because of the low employment rate specially after the global economic crisis in 2008, and lastly, is the rules of residency in the country, which is the one-year resident and they never gave the citizenship to other than the local people, but although people can immigrate to countries gives the permanent resident then the citizenship. Dubai soon grew to become the world’s top immigration hub (L.Benton-Short, 2005).

The Challenges that Dubai Faced

In 2007, Dubai got the result of the economic plan that Sheikh Mouhammad did in 1990. It was remarkable, which laid him to think about the future of Dubai and he put a plan for 2005 and was called ‘Dubai…where the future begins’ (acuto, 2010). But always there is difficulties that a city passes in while developing. In the late 2008, global financial crisis hit the UAE which impacted Dubai from all the economic sides, so he stopped most of the construction work or even canceled them. Even though that happened, but the ruler did not give up (acuto, 2010). Even though Dubai stayed effected by this crisis, Sheikh Mouhammad dreamed about the globality that Dubai achieved (acuto, 2010). And by that the city won this crisis. To prove that, in 2009 Sheikh Mouhammed attended the ceremony of lunching Dubai’s metro which is the longest automated metro network in the world, that connect all of Dubai together to avoid Sheikh Zayed Street’s traffic problem (acuto, 2010).

Dubai Kept Going after the Economy Crisis

As mentioned, Dubai became very important in real estate industry that most of the city’s economy is coming from it, for example the world’s fourth tallest and one of the most expensive hotels, Burj Al Arab, luxury residential structures, including the tallest man-made structure the Burj Khalifa, and more that made an amazing skyline for the city (Briny, 2019). Dubai is famous with its artificial islands specially ‘Atlantis’. Year by year, Dubai took more projects that attracted the tourism, Khalifa tower is an example of that, and that laid Dubai to have Expo 2020 that might be postponed because of coronavirus that made global crisis in the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. The Expo 2020 aimed for sustainability because of the global warming Dubai has. And Dubai in few years took very important projects with sustainable concepts that are still under construction. ‘Creek Tower’ is the world’s tallest structure. Dubai nowadays is dream of a lot of people to visit or to live in. Even though it has a lot of negative aspects, like the weather, the resident, or the high prices, but Dubai is a step to the future, by its spectacular urbanism and beautiful architecture, which let them do the future museum which is still under construction.

Conclusion

To conclude, when anyone says that I am coming from the UAE, some people are asking where is this country, the same thing for Abu Dhabi they ask where is this city, but when that person say that he is coming from Dubai everyone will be surprised, because of the globalization that Dubai as a city in the UAE has. This city has work hard to be where it is now and that is all because its ruler Sheikh Mouhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum believed in what he wants to create. So, he transferred a desert to one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a spectacular urbanism, and it happened in a crazy instant urbanization, although all the crisis.

But Dubai did not stop here, Dubai is still working on going to the future, before any other country, and they are making sure that they are building in a sustainable way, and it is going to keep going on developing more and more, and the prove on that is the projects that are under construction or planned to be, and the Museum of the Future is one of these steps. As well as the loyalty that the people are living there, although they do not have much facilities, is boring discipline that makes people want to work to make this country more beautiful with its future projects.

Bibliography

1. L.Benton-Short, M. (2005). Globalization from Below: The Ranking of Global Immigrant Cities. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 945-959.
2. Matly, M., & Dillon, L. (2007, February 27). DUBAI STRATEGY: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE. Retrieved from Harvard Business School.
3. acuto, m. (2010, August 4). High-Rise Dubai Urban Entrepreneurialism and the Technology of Symbolic Power. Retrieved from elsevier.
4. Briny, A. (2019, May 9). Geography of Dubai. Retrieved from Thoughtco.
5. Al Awad, M. (2008). The Population of Dubai. Dubai: Dubai Economic Counsil.