Introduction
The government of Dubai undertook a mega project entitled the Palm Jumeirah in 2001. The mega project involved the building of an island on the shoreline of Dubai with intentions of attracting tourists and create a grand tourist sector. This was not a lofty goal as it has been met and expounded upon. Dubai is now considered the world’s most modern city with the Palm Jumeirah and other mega projects. The impact of the mega project has been local and global. Locally, the city has seen rapid economic growth and now attracts corporations and tourists from all over the world. Globally, Dubai has been impacted economically, socially, technologically and politically as a result of the creation of Palm Jumeirah.
Dubai
Dubai is the only city in the Emirate, and has existed as a commerce and maritime trade center for nearly 1,600 years. It later became known for its pearl trade and diving industry. The city, with its natural harbor, has many advantages. It strategically overlooks Iran, and it is on European and Indian trade routes. Dubai rulers were always open to immigrants and encouraged traders and other Arabs to locate in the city. Multinational companies chose to settle in Dubai due to its liberal trade regulations. Dubai also attracted businesses with its reduced customs duties. In the early 1980’s, Dubai underwent significant land development, economic and urban growth. After the establishment of the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the goal of the city was to become the” e-commerce, internet and media capital of the Middle East”. The city moved from an oil dependent nation to a tourist and entrepreneurial based economy. It moved from resource to market actor and now boasts shopping malls, leisure destinations, theme parks, housing communities, office facilities and is headquarters for multinational and transnational corporations.
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is one of the largest artificial islands in the world created to add to the beach front properties of Dubai. It was constructed in 2001 and consists of 2.209 square miles. Sheikh Mohammed first envisioned the island as a luxury residential and commercial area targeting tourists. The Palm Jumeirah was developed by the government owned Nakheel Properties as the first offshore mega project of its kind. Islands were created through dredging sand from the Persian Gulf floor and spraying it to create land masses. Palm Jumeirah is constructed in the shape of a palm tree and added forty miles to the coastline of Dubai. It added a recreational waterfront to the city with hotels, resorts, yachting, speed boating, private tours. It consists of residential, retail and resort developments. It was created to be a pioneer in mega projects, to create a tourist sector in the city and to make use of coastal areas of the city. When first built, the Palm Jumeirah was called the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Palm Jumeirah helped Dubai out of its 2009 financial crisis as the land has high value as property prices went from 750 to 3 million . The mega project was built for large scale tourism and has seen such a result. Tourists include famous Britain sport players as well as presidents of nearby countries, Russians, Iranians and more .
Local Issues
The Palm Jumeirah created a restructuring of the Dubai’s urban area. Urban development in Dubai has changed dramatically over the past thirty years. Dubai has sought to become a global city with the creation of the Palm Jumeirah and other mega projects. It has become a non-Arabic city in the middle of the Arabic region. Dubai has become the most modern metropolis in the world with its focus on tourism, expanding the economy and placing Dubai on the world map.
There has been a large expansion of the urban economy in Dubai, and the city has global architects and contractors and immense national real estate corporations as a result of the creation of its mega projects. Palm Jumeirah has given Dubai global attention as it attracts visitors from around the world. In response to attention, city has created national real estate companies which has resulted in enormous financial flow into the city. The Palm Jumeirah has made Dubai a center of culture. The city attracts experts, architects and works from around the world . Nakheel expects to have over 15,000 hotels on Palm Jumeirah by the year 2020, and is also looking to enhance the entertainment and dining on the island which will include fountain shows. The developers are expected to attract 50,000 visitors daily, over half of which will be tourists . The only negative impact upon the community of Dubai as a result of the Palm Jumeirah is that the indigenous people of Dubai have become near distinct.
With this substantial local impact, many issues arose. The development of the project was government run, but where was the workers to complete the mega project to come from. The workers were mostly immigrants and were housed in labor camps, creating a human rights issue as well. Another local issues were how to build the mega project and have it last as it was man made. This resulted in a substantial amount of money being invested into the design that would last. The sand was drudged from the ocean and that may someday create and issue in the city as the shaping of the ocean floor has been changed by man and that could result in some sort of natural disaster. Finally, another local issue would be the impact of bringing on the tourists to the city. Although it would be economically advantageous, would there be any security or safety issues that arise.
Global Issues
The Palm Jumeirah has created many global issues economically, socially, technologically and politically. As a result of the mega project, transnational corporations and global finance was necessary. Economic global impact has resulted from the creation of Palm Jumeirah. Dubai has become a multinational network of trade and finance. Technological global impact has resulted as any government restraints that may have existed have been reduced and multinational networks have been created. Additionally, Dubai significantly upgraded its technological infrastructure to support the networks attracted by Palm Jumeirah. Dubai created Dubai Internet and Media Cities in order to support the mega projects. Being inside a Free Trade Zone, brings great advantages to Dubai as a result. Political global impact has made the political territory of Dubai less significant. As a result of the construction of Palm Jumeriah, major policy reforms had to occur in order to attract investors in both the real estate and financial areas. Transnational corporations have moved their base to the area as a result of Palm Jumeirah.
Globally, the creation of Palm Jumeirah has had a positive impact on Dubai. However, several issues may likely arise that should be considered. These issues can be categorized in the same manner as the global impacts: economically, socially, technologically and politically. Economically and politically, issues could arise when there is a change in the regime in Dubai. There could also be political issues that arise by the housing of many international players who could be opposed to one another with the possibility of some sort of dissension occurring. A technological issue that could arise could concern the massive involvement of the government in the technological industry in Dubai. There seems to be very little separation between the state and private sectors.
Conclusion
The Palm Jumeirah was an undertaking by the government formed developer Nakheel. The project began in 2001 and was intended to become worldwide attraction. The mega project consisted of building of an island on the shoreline of Dubai and adding miles of shoreline to Dubai. As a result, Dubai is now considered the world’s most modern city with the Palm Jumeirah and other mega projects. The project impacted Dubai both locally and globally, raising issues in both arenas. Locally, the city has seen rapid economic growth and now attracts corporations and tourists from all over the world. Globally, Dubai has been impacted economically, socially, technologically and politically as a result of the creation of Palm Jumeirah.
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