Kuwait is the Past, Dubai is the Present, Doha is the Future

Abstract

Many cities in the world define themselves as ‘smart.' Is this term appropriate for cities in the emergent Gulf region? This article investigates seven Gulf cities (Kuwait City, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Muscat) that have once grown rich due to large reserves of oil and gas. Now, with the threat of ending resources, governments focus on the development towards a knowledge society. The authors analyzed the cities in terms of their ‘smartness' or ‘informativeness' by a quantitative survey and by in-depth qualitative interviews (N = 34). Especially Doha in Qatar is well on its way towards an informational city, but also Dubai and Sharjah (both in the United Arab Emirates) make good scores.

Informational Urbanism. A Conceptual Framework of Smart Cities

“…A good example for a prospering MICE economy can be found in Doha, Qatar [31]. Examples are the Qatar Motor Show (each year), the World Climate Summit (2012) and the planned FIFA World Cup (2022).…”

“…Low-income jobs are performed by foreign workers who have to leave the country when their job is finished. Examples are Singapore and all cities on the Arabian Gulf [31].…”

The innovation diffusion and neighbors in the 4th wave through Dubai-city

“…이미 많 은 보도 자료가 나와 있기 때문에 많은 사람들이 지금은 알고 있지만 초기만 해도 많은 다른 나라 사람들이 성공에 대한 의 문을 가졌다. 두바이의 아카데미 시티(Academy city)는 이렇게 해서 형성된 사막위의 거대한 대학 도시이다 (Gremm, 2015).…”