CRITICAL REVIEW MEERAS URBAN DESIGN - JUMEIRAH GARDENS AL SATWA
INTRODUCTION Dubai’s remarkable transformation from a fishing village to a futuristic metropolis due to the economic boom in the last 50 years had led to the initiation of many projects which made Dubai a financial hub for trade, tourism, and banking. This economic boo m has drawn many expatriates from different countries mainly from the Indian subcontinent, Philippines, and other Middle eastern Arab countries. The working-class community settled with the existing neighbourhoods, merging with the cultural fabric and lived a traditional neighbourhood lifestyle. To make Dubai’s ‘‘Tall and Grandeur’’ look, a lot of freedom was given to private entities by the government of Dubai for profit generation and investment return. In doing so the traditional community neighbourhoods were razed and the local residence including low-income expatriate population was displaced from their communities and created a form of gentrification which only considered the elite classes but was insensitive to the traditional existing communities there, mainly in the major areas close to downtown. This impacted the liveability in the cities in Dubai where a traditional fabric existed that helped to give a sense of identity to the inhabitants, imageability of streets and existing neighbourhoods. The city has given less attention for growing system of green spaces and the designers behind them. Many fear that if central areas in Dubai is offered as free zone areas for towers and high end urbanism, it will have a ripple effect over adjacent traditional areas, and this would create a Dubai that considers the destruction of diverse central neighbourhoods as an ‘accepted norm’ of its agenda. (Nelson 2010) Many researches have been conducted and planned out by different architects and urban planners on how the city could achieve independence in terms of sustainability, leisure and smart living. However, there is no proper evaluation done on how Dubai’s agendas affect the quality of life and psychology of its inhabitants, working class, expatriates it att racts and its future as a city with everyone as a part of it. Also seeking to westernize Dubai had in fact disturbed the fabric of the city, which created a widely changing urban morphology that tips the balance of the city character. Recently the issue of traditional architecture in UAE is being examined as it realized the value of its identity and vernacular architecture as a country . This study mainly discusses the sentiments of the people of Satwa and how to understand requirements and create a Dubai that fits for all, to live happily as one community, removing the evils of gentrification, classifications, and divisions. And this study also examines the different aspects of how a better neighbourhood can be viewed in Dubai keeping the current scenarios i n mind. AL SATWA Al Satwa, being one of the oldest parts of Dubai, is regarded as an important landmark of UAE reflecting the Dubai that exists behind the city’s glamorous image. Every day at Satwa’s