World's Most Outrageous Boom Town May Soon be a Ghost Town - Dubai
For the last few years, Dubai has become the land of retardedly opulent dreams, some that seem designed to single-handedly kill the planet (ahem, Ski Dubai) and even some supposedly green celebrity pet projects. Man made islands, record smashing sky scrapers, and sprawling developments have sprung up like a playground for the super rich in an environmentalists worst nightmare -- all in the vastness of the Arabian desert. Not exactly the most sustainable place to put a 21st century Las Vegas. Of course Las Vegas isn't exactly a great place to put a Las Vegas either.
This video does a pretty good job explaining how Dubai might be one of the most conspicuous examples of a oil boom town in this millennium. Imagine, if you can, a city the size of Manhattan that was all built in the last 5 years and now runs the risk of being deserted.
The whole development just seems like a huge waste of resources and time, with even the most "sustainable" projects looking completely ridiculous and impractical. I haven't come across anyone who has done a better job harpooning the Dubai boom and bust better than David Galbraith. From the article:
"Short of opening a Radio Shack in an Amish town, Dubai is the world's worst business idea, and there isn't even any oil. Imagine proposing to build Vegas in a place where sex and drugs and rock and roll are an anathema. This is effectively the proposition that created Dubai - it was a stupid idea before the crash, and now it is dangerous."Sure, the economy will bounce back and Dubai will still be there to welcome in few willing investors, but it will likely never see all of its towering luxury condo projects reach capacity and you may never have to wait in a lift line at its indoor ski mountain.
[via BoingBoing]
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