Middle East

While a number of mega retail developers crashed and burned during the recession, some smaller developers have thrived.

This piece from The New York Times looks at the role of private gardens and public-facing landscaping in the city of Baghdad.

With closed borders and a military lockdown on all imports and exports, the Palestinians of Gaza rely on a network of smuggling tunnels to obtain goods.

With barely a third of its metro stations in operation, there is some doubt over whether Dubai's metro will be a success.

While other nations work to fight climate change and cut oil consumption, Saudi Arabia thinks they should be guaranteed compensation for the fall in revenue.

In order to cope with the Israeli blockade, millions of dollars have been invested in tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. Israel has bombed many of them. Now investors want their money back.

A TIME reporter attempts to pay a visit to The World, the collection of manmade islands off the coast of Dubai that has gone from dream to disappointment in the economic crisis.

The World, the artificial islands being constructed off the coast of Dubai in the shape of a global map, has been officially canceled.

A new rail system has opened in Dubai, becoming the world's longest fully automated, driverless metro system. But some wonder whether the system will see much use in the oil-rich Emirate.

U.S. Military bases in Iraq are being consolidated, but their footprint is hard to ignore. Many operate much like small cities, housing as many as 20,000 people and all the services and infrastructure they require.

Citywide metro rail service is set to begin operations today in Dubai. The system will start out with ten operational stations, but eventually include 47 stops along 70 kilometers of track.

In Afghanistan, cities are changing. More and more people are leaving behind their agricultural past for city life, and the tide of new urbanites is stressing the fabric of the city.

A new 50,000 seat amphitheater is being planned for construction in Tel Aviv's new urban park, which was built on top of a garbage dump.

Once a booming mideast Las Vegas, Dubai is struggling amid the economic downturn. As a result, bills are going unpaid. By some estimates, UK engineers and architects are owed more than $652 million. One architect breaks his silence on the issue.

Energy consultant Michael Lynch argues that there are upwards of 10 trillion barrels of oil out there, as opposed to the 2 trillion that peak oil proponents recognize.

Historic downtowns in Israel are struggling against the growing tide of suburban American-style shopping malls that are developing on the outskirts of town.

Construction is underway on Saadiyat Island. The atoll off the coast of Abu Dhabi is seen by developers as a new artistic oasis in the middle east. But some question whether the plan will pay off.

Some estimate that almost 50% of current projects in Dubai are on hold or canceled. Can Dubai recover from the financial crisis?

A nonprofit program started in 2007 is teaching kids in Kabul, Afghanistan how to skateboard. This slideshow from the Los Angeles Times takes a look.