U.A.E: How are the Dreamers keeping their visions alive?
Abu Dhabi & Dubai — United Arab Emirates
May May, be the end of the rainy days & In hope, we enter budding June.
Dubai, known as ‘the land of Dreams’ where Tourism, booming Construction & Oil have the limelight but with this article, I hope to take you through a journey of generosity, resources & perspectives, this land I call home has to offer during these uncertain times. The Nation that continuously strives & thrives on breaking world records, crosses two million in coronavirus mass testing leading them to rank third in the Tests/1Milion Population sub column according to Worldometer. “The UAE acted proactively and transparently in the early days of the outbreak. Notably, it was the first country in the Middle East to report a confirmed case, one of the first countries to begin coronavirus testing and early detection, and among the few countries that are still performing strict testing.” Stated by Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention. (Khaleej Times, 2020) According to the Deep knowledge Group, U.A.E ranks #11 out of the Top 20 Most Safe Regions for Covid-19 safety. (Forbes, 2020)
Through the detailed point system analysis for U.A.E, it is understandable that the country focused on its attainable attributes by strengthening measurements through early screening, resiliency, and disaster management.
COVID-19 STATISTICS & RESPONSE OF THE U.A.E: -
Stage 1 — The Inception
· Jan 29th — The first four cases of Covid-19 reported.
· Feb 28th — UAE Tour, An International Cycling tournament — The first major public event to get canceled due to the detection of two COVID-19 positive participants.
· Mar 3rd — An early commencement of Spring break for Educational Institutions effective from March 8th. (The National, 2020)
· Mar 25th — All Commercial centers, Places of worship, and recreational units were directed to close, Remote working implemented & suspension of air travel until further notice.
Stage 2 — The Protocol
· Mar 26th — The launch of the nationwide disinfection program to sanitize the urban space. Online Movement permit system, Stricter laws, and fines were introduced to ensure safety. Night-time Curfews were implemented. (Khaleej times, 2020)
· Mar 29th — The First drive-thru COVID-19 testing center open to the public in Abu Dhabi, free of cost however pre-booking was mandatory. (Gulf News, 2020)
· Apr 4th — A two-week 24-hour sterilization campaign began.
· Apr 5th — Public transport suspends operations until further notice.
Stage 3 — The Reinforcement Strategies
- Mar 31st to Apr 26th —
High-Density District 24hr Lockdown
Mar 31st to Apr 26th — A month-long area-specific lockdown was initiated in the Al Ras & Naif district of Dubai. The Government Authorities provided essential medical and food necessities. (Khaleej Times Youtube Video, 2020)
2. By mid-April —
Adaptive reuse of Architecture
By Mid-April, to re-term, the word “Hospital-ity” comes into the line of action, where the Dubai Health Authorities (DHA) & Hospitality sector unites to isolate mild to no symptoms COVID-19 positive patients. The total treatment package includes the stay, daily meals, wi-fi & other necessary facilities all free of cost. The Nurses & Doctors have daily check-in calls to the patient’s discussing their symptoms & vitals. Routine COVID-19 testing is done with an interval of 2–5 days & a minimum of 2 negatives are required to get discharged. Some recovered patients describe the experience to be “Luxurious & surreal”.
- Multi-purpose exhibition center being converted to a field clinic hospital
By April, The Dubai World Trade Centre was converted into Dubai Field Clinic Hospital, largest in the MENA region accommodating up to 3,000 beds for the precautionary measures in case of a rise in coronavirus cases.
3. By May —
The 10 Million Meals Campaign (The World’s Largest Donation Box)
Apr to May — Ramadan is commonly known as the month for Fasting & Giving, individuals usually help by donating and distributing food at normal times. In light of the coronavirus and to ensure maximum safety of food distribution a national campaign was launched by the Ruler of Dubai. Anyone could contribute to the campaign for a fee of 10 AED (3 US Dollars) for a box. The box either contains an essential food supply for a family of 4 or cooked meals. The campaign turned out successful within a week's span and achieved more than what they had planned for.
Stage 4 — The Revival of Economy
By May end to June beginning — As daily new cases started to drop, restrictions and movement started to ease up with specific occupational capacity limits in accordance with the typology of spaces.
Certainly, these are difficult and challenging times, but the map makes me feel hopeful. I am forever grateful for being in a place that prioritizes to keep everyone safe & secure. Hopefully, we shall emerge stronger and appreciate the abundance of life.
THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS & PROSPECTS: CONQUERING THE PLUNGE
The legacy of our nation’s Founding President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has enrooted a vision for a striving future that has led this country from a shepherd’s land to a dream city today. Our leaders continued enhancing his path by constantly endeavoring for a better tomorrow. The rapid urbanization is an example of how proactive the country envisions and builds it to reality. With years of fast pace lifestyle and opportunities led to attracting multi-national, multi-cultural, and foreigners to the country and many now call it “home”.
The alarming wake-up call caused by COVID-19 has made us realize the dependency on the digitalized world and the need to accelerate to the route quicker. This unintended experiment has led us to realize we can survive and overcome challenges & adapt to change along the way. As great inventions have been devised through unconditional ways, this pandemic hopefully makes us re-evaluate our individual and national-level priorities.
The Government’s portal is already a step ahead and has issued publications anticipating “Life post-COVID-19” with short & long terms scenarios in different sectors including Retail, Education, Entrepreneurship, finance, etc. One common theme among them all is Digitalisation, Automation & Age of Artificial Intelligence. Creativity & Innovation would go hand in hand as many traditional jobs could be replaced. The way we could cope with the downfall is to be self-aware and prepared towards reality.
URBAN GOVERNANCE — THE WAY FORWARD
The U.A.E has evolved successfully through great leadership and a vision of a prosperous future. Certain themes I would like to address are: -
1. Affordability
Dubai’s main challenge is affordability. Many commute to work in centralized portions of Dubai but stay further away to minimize the cost of living. This causes a stressful use of automobiles leading to excessive carbon emissions. Prioritizing affordable housing/ Legalized Hostels to cater to the vast community in the “hot-spots of Tech Hubs” can ease the strain on citizens and carbon footprint.
2. Sustainable Urbanism
More & more sustainable, livable, smarter districts emerge as the new ideal model, but how do we retain our existing districts and make them the latter?
Abu Dhabi has a plan to retrofit 150 government buildings to implement energy and water conservation measures. Building retrofitting aims for significant cost savings, system reliability, and environmental benefits, in line with the vision of Abu Dhabi and UAE’s national strategies for sustainability. With stricter waste disposal agreements & eliminating single-use plastics and elongating building lifecycles, we could make our existing neighborhoods greener.
3. Education
Distance learning has always been around & after decades of being unappreciated or undervalued, this age-old concept could be the future of education. Usually, distance learning is considered when cost & time are the main constraints. Now with education becoming digitalized and virtual can we expect a shift in paradigm to the notion of “e-learning”? I hope to expect a significant decrease in tuition fees and inculcate a more practical approach through institutions to set them apart from online resources. Intuitions would have to reassure to bridge the gap between employer need and intuitional resources as the future is already here.
4. Retail Experience
With the next step to a digitalized world being on its way, Architects would have to rethink how existing and new spaces needs to be designed or renovated. The volume and necessity of space will take priority to the user's needs and experience. Retail spaces may lead to re-defining of “window-shopping experience” to ensure touch-less amenities as hygiene becomes the main priority. Car Parking areas could be remodeled for contactless shopping experiences and drive-thru options may increase in malls.
It comes down to strict policies and plans that could be implemented so we can look ahead. Re-planning & evaluating our current approaches for a prepared tomorrow. The Pandemic is a testing time for all but surely an accelerator to change. A Nation I believe goes all out or stays home safe.
