Since I moved to Sharjah in the UAE last August for work I have tasked myself to understand how the built environment is shaped differently 5000km from the UK where I did my Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning. Previously a lot of my perceptions on space and place have been shaped by what I've read on European cities with little reference to cities in the Middle East or elsewhere. To be fair on my course it was never really designed to study planning outside of the UK and it never implied that the meaning of space and place is objective, it just taught us how to analyse it.
One of the first few interesting things I have encountered here as an amateur urbanist is author Yasser Elsheshtawy. A lot of his work is to do with researching the urban form in Arab cities and he touches upon the meaning of space/place a fair bit in his books and publications. One of the objects he has used to delineate the meaning of place in the UAE vis-à-vis the global narrative on cities is shopping centers. Traditionally a shopping center is viewed as a haven for hyper-consumers running around in a less than spectacular concrete structure. Elsheshtawy however suggests that for people in the UAE shopping centers are seen as vibrant public spaces, much like a public plaza. This would make practical sense as there's only so much you can do outdoor when it's 40+ degrees, and having been to a few shopping centers in the UAE I can definitely feel a different vibe from the malls I have been to in the US. Ultimately I think there are different ways public indoor spaces can be created that shouldn't be restricted to shopping centers, but the fact remains that the meaning of a public place in the UAE needs to be appreciated differently.
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| Mercato mall Dubai. Link: http://inzumi.com/images/destinations/AE_Vereinigte-Arabische-Emirate_Mercato_Shopping_Mall.jpg |
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| Mercato mall Dubai. Link: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcROH1IhaYM9oxguU2bF9ZLb_AQ4gDhONUpt-NW-YfxQac_doAyD17Lgn_qeIlscQH8MtNau1S2Bo3Mcey_TYzued744Vukj6MRhAkW-NxAT1u6JOvRvZkZbknPIVwlCW28S977_SJSRo/s1600/DSCN5903.JPG |
During my first week at work I encountered another situation where I had to recalibrate my thoughts on what place means here. One of the planners was briefing me on the Sharjah Autozone development they have been working on with the government, a massive business and leisure facility dedicated to used-car dealerships at a rumoured cost of 300-400 million USD, in many senses it as an oasis for petrol-heads. The government of Sharjah appears to be interested in creating an entertainment automobile retail facility much like Abu Dhabi's concept plan for Motor World, which apparently is meant to house a 3 star hotel, office space, retail podiums and a range of fine dining outlets! I found it ridiculous that the government would invest so much money on such a development. Amazingly though the motive of this investment is urban improvement.
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| Abu Dhabi Motor World. Link: http://abudhabiliving.net/system/files/07.jpg |
In a relatively small neighbourhood in Sharjah called Abu Shagara right behind my office building around 500 used-car dealerships form the biggest center for used-car trade in the Middle-East. The areas isn't even commercial, it mostly consists of residential buildings with the basement of almost every building occupied by used-car dealerships. Apparently if you drive through the neighbourhood merchants sometimes walk up to your window and ask to buy your car on the spot and in some cases they will also invite themselves into your car to pitch their offer. It might be an interesting and successful used-car trade hub but the quality of living in Abu Shagara is unpleasant, mostly due to bad traffic and congestion caused by the car dealers, and the neighbourhood just feels like it's suffocating.
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| Used-cars for sale in parking lots. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1230328!/image/1210161183.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/1210161183.jpg |
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| Traffic jam Abu Shagara. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1230328!/image/1210161183.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/1210161183.jpg |
There is thus a justification for relocating the car dealers out of Abu Shagara to improve the neighbourhood's quality of living, but what of the 400 million USD cost of Sharjah Autozone? In the words of my co-worker cars are an extension of people in the Emirates. People in the UAE appear to value cars a fair bit, apparent in the amount of money some would spend on buying a specialised number plate and on decorating their cars for the UAE National Day celebrations.
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| UAE National Day car decoration. Link: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.547350!/image/487009351.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_640/487009351.jpg |
To some degree Sharjah Autozone can be seen as a development intrinsically rooted in aspects of UAE culture with regards to car consumption, which makes me feel a bit more sympathetic towards the development although I'd still argue money can always be spent on more urgent things in the city such as improving public transport and alleviating traffic congestion. Nevertheless if you're a car lover and a frustrated resident of Abu Shagara I think you might just see Sharjah Autzone as a necessary development.
