Research and Other Investigations from China

Dubai or Bust: The New Babel Falls

February 20, 2010

The Burj Khalifa is the largest building in the world and still relatively empty.

This past week I finally got to visit the developmental monstrosity that is Dubai. Nothing can really describe the audaciousness and scope of the luxury metropolis they hope to raise from the sands of the surrounding desert. Ranging from the largest mall in the world to the tallest building in the world, Dubai is building a new Babel that is already on the verge of going completely bust. For the foreseeable future however, despite the world economic downtown, the cranes are still moving as one of the largest construction sites in the world continues to lurch forward.

Beachgoers stand off in front of the massive high-rises lining the Dubai Marina

Huge art instillations are scattered about the Dubai MallYet another shoe store in the Dubai Mall

Massive towers rise next to the waters of the Dubai MarinaConstruction company signs clutter a crossroad in the new business district

The Dubai Mall is one of the most lavishly decorated in the worldDubai prides itself as a international destination for luxury goods

A new subway line runs by newly constructed towers near the Dubai Marina