Following the discovery of oil, the urban form of Dubai underwent a radical transformation. Once a small fishing village Dubai became a global megalopolis in three decades. The well documented physical change conceals an equally extraordinary change in the communal life of Emirati citizens. This paper examines and critiques the new urban fabric in terms of the social and cultural impact on the freej, the Emirati word for neighborhood. Traditional neighborhoods like Al Bastakiya marked a dense interplay of commercial, social, and domestic activity were demolished in favor of John Harris’ 1971 master plan featuring segregated zones of discrete activities scattered across the desert. The move away from the polyvalent village included new purpose-built neighborhoods with large, air-conditioned villas surrounded by expansive walled gardens. Those same gardens increased the distance between neighbors and profoundly disrupted social connections. Today cultural traditions that evolved in the traditional freej linger only in nostalgic memories bearing little resemblance to life in the contemporary freej. Residents no longer walk to work or to the mosque and thus informal, public life has been lost. Our team examined the contemporary condition to develop alternative proposals aimed at restoring lost traditions. Synthesizing local identity with contemporary design principles, new strategies of augmentation, iterative development and de-privatization serve to restore walkability, density, and social cohesion. This research seeks to unveil nuanced ways in which targeted architectural interventions can spark a domino effect of transformative change, ultimately contributing to the sustainable evolution of Emirati culture and community.
Abdulla Abbas, an Architecture major at the American University of Sharjah, is dedicated to the craft of a distinct architectural language tailored to the Gulf region. He envisions architecture not merely as built form but a transformative force for the region’s benefit. Abbas aspires to weave a narrative that integrates tradition with modernity, leveraging his love for diverse disciplines and mediums. Beyond traditional means of representation, he employs drawing, painting, and digital art as essential tools to communicate design ideas.
Maryam Bin Bishr, a student majoring in Architecture at the American University of Sharjah, emerges as a versatile and multi-disciplinary artist. With a passion for exploration in diverse mediums, Maryam endeavors to forge meaningful connections between people, space, and experience. In her projects, she also blends the boundaries between art and design and uses both to help create different projects with a sense of authenticness. Architecture becomes a canvas for storytelling, where creativity and functionalism come to play.
Educated at the University of Virginia and Princeton University Michael Hughes is a Professor of Architecture at the American University of Sharjah. His academic work is focused on small, unremarkable, and often forgotten places adjacent to the lives of underserved people. Located in the boundary between architecture, urbanism, and landscape his projects seek to create experiential delight out of small-scale design opportunities that augment existing infrastructures, provide pragmatic functions, promote play, and exhibit a social and environmental conscience.