Dubai

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

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.

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.

New world cities are emerging, and the "first truly urban century" will be shaped by the way increasing wealth is handled in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, Shanghai, Beijing, Sao Paulo and Dubai.

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.

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

The economic downturn has halted many projects in Dubai, but the show's not over in the elaborate emirate. In fact, its patterns of development may even be spreading to other cities around the world.

These videos show images of locations that have seen significant change over the past few years as seen through Google Earth images, from Dubai's manmade archipelago to Utah's disappearing Lake Powell.

Hundreds of Dubai property investors may have been misled by photos showing half-finished adjacent towers, rather than the buildings they had invested in -- which don't yet exist.

The economic downturn is hurting Dubai, as glitzy skyscraper projects come to a halt. But the biggest pain is being felt among the hundreds of thousands of migrant construction workers who came to the city seeking their fortunes.

The recession digs into Dubai, where property prices fell 41% in the first three months of 2009.

The United Arab Emirates has plenty of tall, flashy buildlings, but the rush to build has largely left street life scarce in many parts.

Beneath the shiny allure of Dubai lies a litany of human rights and environmental abuses so severe that collapse cannot be far away, writes Johann Hari.

Christopher Hume tours Dubai, and though he finds some redeeming qualities, the overall impression is that the fantastical city is a "ruin-in-waiting".

Possibly coming soon to freshwater-poor Dubai is a self-sustaining vertical farm that uses seawater for irrigation, cooling, and humidifying.

This piece from Next American City looks at the human toll major building projects are taking on construction workers in China, Dubai and other rapidly developing places.