At least 40% of the newly built skyscrapers will never be occupied. Its tallest, the Burj Khalifa, isn't even connected to a sewage system, and sewage has to be hauled off in trucks. The man-made islands are falling into the sea. And the new amusement parks will never be finished.
"Dubai is a cautionary tale about what money can’t buy: a culture of its own."
--http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/04/dubai-201104
The city has 3 classes of people. The Emiratis are very wealthy but this isn't their city. They are a minority there, and don't know how to do anything. Then there are the expats, who don't put down roots and are just there for the money. Finally, the slaves, contract laborers from Bangladesh or Pakistan or the Philippines, who are paid little and have no rights.
The harsh climate ages buildings rapidly. "The average lifespan of a building in the UAE is 15 to 30 years, due to the harsh climate and humidity. As many as 30 per cent of all buildings in the emirate were either too old or decaying rapidly." Empty buildings are a magnet for crime, and hundreds of them are being demolished.
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