"What signals the true success of a city, however, is the culture; it is when people start to move there after realizing that it’s not just the economic benefits but also a preferred way of life."
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentence. That's why I'm skeptical about Dubai. 90% of the UAE's population are non-nationals, often 25-50yo male migrant workers from South Asia. I guess these guys don't plan to build their lives in the UAE (only 28% of women in the UAE and no simple path to citizenship for them) but at some point to come back, a bit richer, to their home country, where they may have their wife and kids. Similarly, many Westerners living in the UAE just stay there a few years and then leave for another city.
How can a city like Dubai be more than just a hub, a place where people stay for a few years to make more money, and become a city where people want to build their own future?
"What signals the true success of a city, however, is the culture; it is when people start to move there after realizing that it’s not just the economic benefits but also a preferred way of life."
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentence. That's why I'm skeptical about Dubai. 90% of the UAE's population are non-nationals, often 25-50yo male migrant workers from South Asia. I guess these guys don't plan to build their lives in the UAE (only 28% of women in the UAE and no simple path to citizenship for them) but at some point to come back, a bit richer, to their home country, where they may have their wife and kids. Similarly, many Westerners living in the UAE just stay there a few years and then leave for another city.
How can a city like Dubai be more than just a hub, a place where people stay for a few years to make more money, and become a city where people want to build their own future?