IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

Urban transformation of the city of Dubai since the late 20th century demonstrates a rapid pace of contemporary city-making in the region. While early developments, was closely linked to the city’s revenues generated by oil exports, urban planning decisions in the early twenty first century have been focusing on pursuing an alternative economic trajectory based on diversification, global connectivity, finance, logistics and real estate developments. Within the discourse of liveable cities, Dubai offers a distinctive case in which liveability has been pursued through economic adaptability and attractive urban branding. Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan introduces five major urban centres and emphasizes a sustainable growth strategies and balanced quality of life. The plan specifically identifies Deira and Bur Dubai as important and strategic heritage-centred urban zones. Within this wider context Al Ras in Deira occupies an important position that developed through dense narrow streets, courtyarded merchant houses and retail structures up until the 1960s. Recent planning policies of the city’s future vision recognize this value. The policies indicate an emerging emphasis toward more liveable urban environments through improved public transportation, walkability and public space design. Challenges with relation to the implementation of these strategies and policies demonstrates an important research area, especially in the continuously inhabited areas of the city that contain diverse examples of buildings from different phases of Dubai’s urban development since the 1960s post-oil era such as Deira, Bur-Dubai, Al Ras, and Al Karama. This paper investigates the urban transformation of Al Ras in Dubai from the first master planning phases of 1970s until today. The study contributes to wider debates in urban transformation, by investigating how historical urban fabric responds to contemporary liveability policies within Dubai’s post-oil era development strategies.