Old City Model Vs. New

Visit Abu Dhabi and the older (or rather less new) parts of Dubai and other UAE cities and you’ll find many residential blocks and office towers. Most are grouped in uniform heights of 5, 10 or 20 floors. Unfortunately, little was done in the way of providing parking for residents and patrons. The streets in such neighborhoods, especially the interior roads, are lined with parked cars. At certain times of day one is forced to drive in circles or resort to parking a 5 or 10-minute’s walk away.

That is characteristic of the old city model, but not the new. New developments are required to provide ample parking space for residents. Though there still may be shortages for visitors or patrons to the occasional office or shop, it is a great improvement over the former arrangement.

Regrettably, however, such good news does not apply to all the changes taking place between old and new. Another thing that one readily notices when visiting the old neighborhoods is that nearly every building—whether residential or office—has shops, restaurants and other commercial establishments on ground and sometimes mezzanine floors. The newer developments, however, are practically devoid of such establishments. There will be only the fortunate few whose towers stand beside or near shopping malls. For most, there will be little in the way of shops and restaurants , not to mention hospitals, clinics, schools or other community facilities.

This problem is discussed in today's Gulf News, A Case of Development Choking Lifestyle.

Residents in the new developments could wait for the municipality to eventually do something to fill the void. Another option, however, is for owners within these developments to look at having some of the essential services provided within their own towers. To complement the ubiquitous swimming pool and gym, owners might look into having, for example, an in-house doctor. The community halls that some towers will have could be used to hold lectures, seminars and workshops on matters of civic and cultural importance. Together with upgraded security features, owners and residents could make their tower neighborhoods safer and more convenient than they would otherwise be for the lack of nearby commercial and municipal services.

It does seem rather odd that what is being promoted as a better living environment would be one that requires residents to take what might otherwise be basic services into their own hands. It seems that there was a good but rather short-sighted plan to ensure a tranquil environment by removing parking, clutter and noise from the streets, while at the same time reducing convenience and access to essential services. Convenience and safety ought not to be neglected as much as it seems they are. But if this is indeed the case, there are a few things that residents and owners can do. It may in fact allow a level of participation in civic affairs that heretofore was not possible within the UAE’s system of royal governance.

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