If you take just about any other industrialized city, you’ll find that the majority of people have moved there to settle down, build a life, invest in their fut

If you take just about any other industrialized city, you’ll find that the majority of people have moved there to settle down, build a life, invest in their future; and as a result of that they work hard, they blend in to the fabric of the multi-cultural society, they build strong personal relationships, they develop a sense of belonging, they care about the city, and the country, and they contribute to its growth and its cultural richness; because it is home to them, and their lives and those of their children are closely tied to it. Dubai, on the other hand, is just considered a station by the majority of people living in it; they go there and they’ve already decided that it’s going to be only for a few years, and then they’ll be moving on to somewhere else, or back to their home countries. That means that they’re not as involved, they don’t develop a strong sense of belonging, they don’t really invest much into personal relationships, they never really care enough. And that makes a world of difference, and everyone visiting Dubai feels it. Not everyone knows how to put it in words, but some of the things I’ve heard most are that it feels ‘fake’, that it’s too materialistic, that it lacks identity …etc