Why many people say Arabian Gulf cities look "Fake " and "Soulless" ?

[Dimethyltryptamine]

Originally Posted by oliver999

we should respect other cultures, these houses and streets may look not so good for us,but good for arab people.

I think we're being pretty respective of their culture, but can't blame telling fibs on difference in culture. To call Dubai the most vibrant city of its size is sheer lunacy, and a reflection on ones travels (or lack thereof).

I'll remember it's a matter of cultural respect the next time someone calls Las Vegas tacky and soulless...

I love Dubai for what it is, but it isn't a vibrant bustling city... if I wanted that in the first place, I would go to New York/London/Paris, etc.

[scraper123]

Originally Posted by AnOldBlackMarble

It is only in societies where women are FREE that sex trafficking does not happen

Actually both in USA and Europe trafficking, icluding sex trafficking is a multibillion dollar businesss. Only recently governments started to apply more appriopriate legal frameworks to fight it but it's still not enough.

For decades women from Eastern Europe, especially before EU expansion have been enslaved and forced to prostitution in cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Hamburg, London on industrial scale. Modern day slavery exists right under your nose and it doesn't only concern immigrants. People who are homeless, ex-addicts, mentally ill are often free labour on farms in Britain, Italy etc.

[Suburbanist]

Totally bizarre combination of OP's question, assumptions and answers.

It is a myth this idea that cities, being a collection of steel, glass, stone, betumen, concrete, iron, sand and what else could have a "soul".

It is even more bizarre IMO this idea that only old forms of shopping, rendezvous and leisure would be "legit" whereas all "modern" stuff would be "fake".

The thing is: we live in an era of globalization. We have SSC to connect people all over the World. We have Youtube. We have easy dissemination of music, foods, clothes... This mean trends, including architectural ones, are no longer localized. Modern buildings can't be told of their location usually be merely looking at them, unless they are famous.

Likewise, with immigration and the (positve) expansion of western trends on popular culture, someone's photo will not tell anything about where is he from.

Get over it: the quest for "character" or "soul" is moot, outdated and has run its course.

[Suburbanist]

Originally Posted by oliver999

we should respect other cultures, these houses and streets may look not so good for us,but good for arab people.

Disliking something doesn't mean disrespecting it. Nobody is slandering "arab people". We were just asked our opinion in specific context and we are saying it.

Enough with appeasing everyone but ourselves (Westerns).

I find the aesthetics of places like Rhyad or Mecca hideous. I find the Arab-inspired high-rises of Dubai (not the ones following more global trends) ugly, personally. Just a matter of aesthetic preferneces. I will also say the same of ecletic architecture in Europe of late 19th Century, cheap industrial imitations of classical architecture.

Expressing tastes and likes/dislikes is not disrespecting anyone. If you (hypothetically) heard rap and hiphop all day long, I'd say I really dislike these music styles and found them unbearable to my ears, but I would not be atuomatically saying you can't listen it.

And I'd take Las Vegas over any major city of S. Arabia or UAE anytime.

[AltinD]

Originally Posted by Dimethyltryptamine

... It's a city built for millions more than currently live there.

You definitelly haven't visited any public place on Fridays or Public Holidays, and certanly haven't been cought in the daily rush and regular hours traffic

[AltinD]

Originally Posted by Manila-X

Nightlife may matter to westerners visiting this region but it does not to those native of this region especially to most Arabs.

As with Dubai, at least this city allows special permits for western expats to purchase and drink alcohol, and even some nightlife areas where they can hang out.

Dubai has actually a very busy nightlife and not only restricted on weeknights, with World top DJs stopping by more often and regularely then in the cities of the majority of people who have posted here.

[AltinD]

Originally Posted by HK999

I for one couldn't live in Dubai (or any Gulf cities for that matter), because of one simple reason: I'm not a Muslim, so I don't want Islam and its weird laws / culture to mix up with my daily life in any way.

And yeah I forgot: There are no (hot) girls on the streets of Dubai, all I see are men, men and men. I wonder how would everyone react if I approach a girl in a traditional tea / coffee shop, talk to her and ask her out lol?

Originally Posted by AnOldBlackMarble

Essentially since single women are BANNED from walking around and going to clubs and bars on their own

WAIT, WHAT?! ... SSC, where you "learn" new things everyday

[jbkayaker12]

Originally Posted by Dimethyltryptamine

It's not something that is reserved only to Dubai. I've heard the Gold Coast labeled soulless, and Las Vegas the same. They are city's that don't have particularly rich histories and the grand architecture that comes with it, instead they have seen significant boom in the modern era (be it the 70s/80s - like the Gold Coast, or the 00s like Dubai). Dubai is probably the best example, though. They built well above their league, but they have the money to do so now, and did so in an attempt to diversify their economy for when the oil $$ runs out.

When you see as many high-rises/skyscrapers as you do, you expect great things at street level. In Dubai, this is not the case. The fact they built these over-the-top shopping malls, which themselves have long been considered sterile and soulless environments reserved to newer and outer suburbs. Then there's the enormous freeway, and mass transit system... until the population catches up and for once the infrastructure (be it housing, public transport, roads, etc) is lagging behind demand, Dubai will be considered soulless. It's a city built for millions more than currently live there.

That's my take anyway.

Well, looking at the photos here, Clark County's Las Vegas Strip will blow away Dubai even with their American designed Burj Khalifa. Vegas is a world renowned destination where people from all over the world come to visit and have fun while Dubai________________________.

Street level away from the famous blvds. of Las Vegas and Dubai, Vegas wins. Our suburbia and even our ghetto areas are maintained well and YES with LANDSCAPING, trees and xeriscaping. Mojave desert is beautiful in the valley and up in the mountains. Vegas skies are BLUE but I have yet to see UAE skies posted on this thread that even come close. Dubai cannot match the shopping, nitelife, dining and entertainment of Vegas. It is trying but Vegas will still come out on top. It has been around longer as a FAMOUS tourist destination for shopping, dining, entertainment and nitelife.

Vegas has been immortalized in music and movies by world famous artists then and now. The reach of Vegas goes beyond Clark County, it has influenced the development of resort destinations all over the world especially in Asia and yes even Dubai copied what has been done in Vegas.

Just saying!!!

[eklips]

Given that you are yourself from Las Vegas, all of what you said is pretty meaningless, no offense. It's not because you don't know about something that it doesn't exist.

Doesn't Dubai receive more internationnal tourists than Las Vegas by the way?

[Suburbanist]

Originally Posted by eklips

Doesn't Dubai receive more internationnal tourists than Las Vegas by the way?

Moot point, because US is, in itself, a source market bigger than any other. All US tourist destinations except New York City rely much more on multi-night (e.g., excluding day-trips and commutes) trips from Americans than from any other nationality.

A small country like UAE, Singapore, Belgium, Vatican etc. will attract naturally much more foreigners.

[Suburbanist]

I don't think high-rises are necessarily associated with "things happening at street level". Before criticizing many cities for it, pleas check a freaking climate records table! It is simple biologically uncomfortable to stroll all day in Dubai or Houston during summer, in Moscow or Anchorage during winters etc.

The human body has physiological reactions to certain conditions like dew point, air temparature and wind chill that make "open street strolling and chilling out" EXTREMELY discomfortable under certain prevalent weather conditions. No matter how the streets are planning or how zoning is made.

I guess even in Australia, if Darwin or Cairns were major high-rise centers, we'd not see tons of people taking their toddlers to walk in a pedestrianized boulevard Sunday 2pm at the height of summer in mid-January!

[jbkayaker12]

Originally Posted by eklips

Given that you are yourself from Las Vegas, all of what you said is pretty meaningless, no offense. It's not because you don't know about something that it doesn't exist.

Doesn't Dubai receive more internationnal tourists than Las Vegas by the way?

You very well know Vegas is more popular with visitors all over the world and which city is recognizable all over the world and which city has influenced the development of resort destination in many parts of the world.

As far as international arrivals, you are sadly mistaken if you are only going to get international arrivals count from McCarran International Airport. Many foreign visitors fly into Clark County from other states via a domestic flight in the USA, aside from that, many foreign visitors come from California driving into the city. I have lived for over 25 years in Clark County and a great number of years working on the Strip having had interactions with foreigners from all over the world.

[HK999]

Originally Posted by AltinD

WAIT, WHAT?! ... SSC, where you "learn" new things everyday

I admit that I'll hold on my final judgement before visiting Dubai (probably this year, together with Tel Aviv). Will need to stay at least for 1 week to get a clear picture of the city.

[Muttie]

Originally Posted by Suburbanist

Disliking something doesn't mean disrespecting it. Nobody is slandering "arab people". We were just asked our opinion in specific context and we are saying it.

Enough with appeasing everyone but ourselves (Westerns).

I find the aesthetics of places like Rhyad or Mecca hideous. I find the Arab-inspired high-rises of Dubai (not the ones following more global trends) ugly, personally. Just a matter of aesthetic preferneces. I will also say the same of ecletic architecture in Europe of late 19th Century, cheap industrial imitations of classical architecture.

Expressing tastes and likes/dislikes is not disrespecting anyone. If you (hypothetically) heard rap and hiphop all day long, I'd say I really dislike these music styles and found them unbearable to my ears, but I would not be atuomatically saying you can't listen it.

And I'd take Las Vegas over any major city of S. Arabia or UAE anytime.

Its all relative. You probably have some Western-centric view about architecture and aesthetics. This discussion is thus useless.

[Fitzrovian]

Originally Posted by Suburbanist

Moot point, because US is, in itself, a source market bigger than any other. All US tourist destinations except New York City rely much more on multi-night (e.g., excluding day-trips and commutes) trips from Americans than from any other nationality.

A small country like UAE, Singapore, Belgium, Vatican etc. will attract naturally much more foreigners.

Spot on. Virtually all tourism to Dubai is "international" whereas most tourism to Vegas is "domestic" . In absolute numbers I am sure Vegas blows Dubai away.

Something like 22 of the 25 largest (by room count) hotels in the world are in Vegas. Enough said.

I have heard Dubai described as "Vegas on steroids" but it sounds like a gross exaggeration.

[AltinD]

Not that I care, but a tourist is a tourist, and when numbers are published, there are no distinctions ... however, since the statistics are collected by night accommodations in hotels and air arrival, daily visitors arriving by cars might not be included indeed.

[Skyprince]

Originally Posted by Dimethyltryptamine

I love Dubai for what it is, but it isn't a vibrant bustling city... if I wanted that in the first place, I would go to New York/London/Paris, etc.

Simple logic:

Bangkok is said to be the most vibrant city in Southeast Asia.

But actually, only a few places in Bangkok city are "bustling" - the 3 malls, Khao San Road, etc. while most of Bangkok are relatively calm and made of residential area.

Same with Dubai- there are places which are bustling like the Burj-Khalifa Dubai Mall, Deira, Bur Dubai , along the Dubai Creek etc. which are exactly comparable to places in Bangkok I stated . Most other parts of Dubai are either residentials or semi-vibrant, lesser-known districts

Since I've been to Perth I found only few places within the city area are vibrant- along St Georges Street, parts of Northbridge etc. The rest of Perth are calm.

In Dubai, the "vibrant" locations are alot more than Perth, and more widespread into different areas. Not only Dubai filled with huge record-breaking shopping malls, but also it also has loads of vibrant districts full of street-shopping activity during daytime ( and intensified at night !)

[Taller, Better]

Skyprince, I'm assuming all the photos posted are your own, right?

[jbkayaker12]

Originally Posted by Fitzrovian

Spot on. Virtually all tourism to Dubai is "international" whereas most tourism to Vegas is "domestic" . In absolute numbers I am sure Vegas blows Dubai away.

Something like 22 of the 25 largest (by room count) hotels in the world are in Vegas. Enough said.

I have heard Dubai described as "Vegas on steroids" but it sounds like a gross exaggeration.

Here is the best distinction regarding "international" visitors between Vegas and Dubai. Foreigners visit Vegas to enjoy and have fun in the city, foreigners that visit UAE come to Dubai to work as contract "slave" workers. Oooopps did I just say that, yes I did and I know so.

By the way those foreign visitors driving into the city from other States stay overnight, otherwise Vegas would have not built the biggest resorts in the world and I'm not saying domestic tourism does not count for a big number of visitors to Clark County.

[Fitzrovian]

Originally Posted by Skyprince

Simple logic:

Bangkok is said to be the most vibrant city in Southeast Asia.

But actually, only a few places in Bangkok city are "bustling" - the 3 malls, Khao San Road, etc. while most of Bangkok are relatively calm and made of residential area.

Same with Dubai- there are places which are bustling like the Burj-Khalifa Dubai Mall, Deira, Bur Dubai , along the Dubai Creek etc. which are exactly comparable to places in Bangkok I stated . Most other parts of Dubai are either residentials or semi-vibrant, lesser-known districts

Since I've been to Perth I found only few places within the city area are vibrant- along St Georges Street, parts of Northbridge etc. The rest of Perth
are calm.

In Dubai, the "vibrant" locations are alot more than Perth, and more widespread into different areas. Not only Dubai filled with huge record-breaking shopping malls, but also it also has loads of vibrant districts full of street-shopping activity during daytime ( and intensified at night !)

I have no idea why you keep comparing Dubai to Perth. Perth is only the fourth or fifth most important city in Australia, roughly half the population of Dubai, and one of the most isolated cities in the world.

I mean if you want to tell us that Dubai is more vibrant than Perth I don't think you are gonna see anyone up in arms. But that's not a very ambitious benchmark for a city like Dubai, which is a global tourist destination, supposedly an alpha world city, and a major air hub.