United Arab Emirates

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.

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.

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.

WBUR's On Point takes an hour-long look at plans for Masdar City, the zero-waste, carbon-neutral city under construction in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is looking to develop itself into a new global arts hub, and an incubator of green technology. This piece takes a tour of two ambitious projects seeking to reform the oil-rich emirate.

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.

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.

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

Masdar City, the elaborate and ambitious planned green development in Abu Dhabi, is slowing coming into shape. This piece from Technology Review looks at how the city's development could inform the future of citybuilding.

While the economic downturn is slowing many construction projects in Dubai, the city's 47-station light rail system is moving forward on schedule.

The eccentric megaprojects keep coming in Dubai, leaving some to question the environmental wisdom of so much development in a notoriously water-poor desert.

Native of the bustling United Arab Emirates are cheering the global economic slowdown, crediting it for curbing development in its cities that had been blamed for destroying much of their local heritage.

With too much focus on "architectural bling" and a hyperactive development pattern, Dubai is in danger of becoming a modern planning disaster, according to architect Thom Mayne.

Dubai is increasingly attracting architects and planners as a blank slate, and it's becoming a vibrant testing ground for ideas new and extreme.

This article from The National takes a tour of Abu Dhabi with architect and planner Riyad Albuhlaiga, who points out the best parts of the city -- and the parts that must be improved to make Abu Dhabi a truly great city.