by Valentin Schipfer
In 2007 I undertook a one-week trip to my Viennese friend Ferdinand staying in Dubai. Back then his father was the Commercial Counselor, so there was nothing to complain about accommodation, food nor transport. On the contrary the luxury, the government provided them with, swept me off my feet: A huge villa with several guest-rooms, terraces and a swimming-pool, two American cars and of course a permanently filled fridge with all kinds of Arabian and international goodies. But the address was irritating: Instead in a silent residential area, the mansion had been set up next to a road with four lanes. Only later it turned out that the car is the number one city planner. Continue reading
