International knowledge mobility and urban development in rapidly globalizing areas: building global hubs for talent in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Talent management in Covid-19 crisis: how Dubai manages and sustains its global talent pool

“…The vast majority of these expatriates is, at their different status levels, economically driven. They come to Dubai because of the attractive salary packages, compared to those they could have received at home, no income tax, and for all but those at the lowest levels of society, the comfortable living conditions (Ewers 2017). Fundamental to the legislation in Dubai is that expatriates' employment and their residency visa are intricately bound up together, so that losing one means losing the other.…”

Cultural-based challenges of the westernised approach to development in newly developed societies

“…The fast-paced urbanisation of Dubai and regional Middle Eastern cities brings challenges in terms of the traditional local city fabric and contemporary high-rise buildings (Ewers 2016). It is imperative that project stakeholders take into account the cultural values, local environment, human scale, and current historical urban fabric in their strategy to fulfilling project needs, which mainly demand "iconic high-rise buildings" overlooking basic and fundamental conditions in creating sustainable building designs and comfortable spaces that can easily be utilised.…”

“…The creative class is being drawn to destinations that offer rich lifestyles and opportunities for social and cultural interaction (Florida 2002). Similar to many globalised cities, Dubai is embracing the growing role that culture and creativity play in urban policy and planning (Stephenson 2013;Ewers 2016). The new policy initiative, titled "creative city movement", is a strategy based on developing a city's culture.…”

“…The fact that Dubai has recognised the significance of culture in urban development models is evident by its focus on creation of a knowledge-based economy, in the form of international educational institutions and development of free zones for various knowledge and creative economies (Mould 2012;Ewers 2016). With leading companies such as TECOM Group and initiatives such as Expo 2020, Dubai has positioned itself as a social and economic capital of the Gulf (Tournois 2018).…”

“…With leading companies such as TECOM Group and initiatives such as Expo 2020, Dubai has positioned itself as a social and economic capital of the Gulf (Tournois 2018). 1 In line with the emphasis on culture and creativity (Ewers 2016), the strategic plan for Expo 2020, which is expected to attract more than 25 million visitors to UAE, focuses on a combination of education, innovation, and entertainment (Tournois 2018). Selling Dubai through culture is linked to attempts to build emotional bonds between the city and the creative class (Ogaily 2015).…”