Architecture Doesn't Hide Bad Planning in Dubai

All the architectural wonders of Dubai don't overshadow the city-state's poor urban planning, according to Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin.

1 minute read

January 11, 2010, 12:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg


"A tour of this once-booming Persian Gulf city-state, which has shifted into low development gear from hyper-drive, reveals a disturbing disconnect between its architectural spectacle and its short-sighted development practices. Dubai's ultra-modern transit line, which opened last year, is a significant exception. Yet the emirate and its leaders appear obsessed with architectural superlatives at the expense of the fundamentals -- or even the fine-grained art -- of making livable cities."

His tour of Dubai finds a series of extravagant projects, and a collection of enclaves with little connection between them.

Friday, January 8, 2010 in Chicago Tribune

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