TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE
REAL ESTATE
COMPANIES CHANGED
DUBAI IN THE 21ST
CENTURY?
By Muhibba Gani
Candidate Number: 0017
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Muhibba Gani 0017
, Saint Andrews International High School
Table of Contents
Abstract:..........................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction:...................................................................................................................................................4
Research Review.............................................................................................................................................7
Primary Research:...........................................................................................................................................7
Secondary Research:.......................................................................................................................................7
My source of research mostly came from books such as “Keepers of the castle”, TV series – ‘Selling
Sunset’, websites and articles, all the information that I gained from these are mentioned down below.
My secondary sources of information were dependable and trustworthy since they had no underlying
motivation to prove a certain point of view and simply presented their views. However, because authors
easily create programs with explanations that promise false development with the motivation to sell
their expertise for profit, it was critical to pick secondary research that was not biased and poor in
validity.............................................................................................................................................................8
Discussion.......................................................................................................................................................8
Size of Dubai’s real estate sector:...................................................................................................................8
Economic Empowerment:..............................................................................................................................8
Tourism:........................................................................................................................................................10
More Employment Opportunities:...............................................................................................................11
Environmental Issues:...................................................................................................................................11
Climate Change:............................................................................................................................................12
Sustainability:................................................................................................................................................13
Nevertheless, it can be argued that the environmental issues that the UAE is facing have paved the way
for more sustainable living measures to be introduced, particularly funded and advertised by companies
like Emaar. Following on from the success of the Sustainable City, Emaar Properties recently set out the
‘Pearl Pledge’ to combat climate change. Pitched by Emaar Hospitality, the pledge aims to “decrease its
consumption of energy and water by 30% and 25% respectively [by 2021]...and divert 75% of waste away
from landfill.” (Navdar, 2020). All incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LEDs and solar energy will be
used where possible. These methods will be used in conjunction with current passive design methods,
such as thermal mass (which omits the need for cooling systems such as air-conditioning and hence
significantly reduces energy costs). This guarantees cooler conditions during the extremely hot summers
(Shorten, et al., 2002), helping to combat the extreme weather conditions that the UAE currently is
facing. In particular, this pledge set out by Emaar will encourage other real-estate companies to switch to
more sustainable means. This will have a positive counter-effect on the UAE by making it a greener,
more sustainable country that will be decreasingly dependent on its treasured oil reserves....................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................................13
Evaluation.....................................................................................................................................................14
My project was very interesting to me; evaluating the extent to which real estate has changed Dubai in
the twenty-first century was something completely different from what I would normally investigate in
or outside of school, and I learned a lot of new things that I was previously unaware of or didn't
automatically make connections with..........................................................................................................14
Originally, I planned to label this project "The extent in which real-estate companies have changed the
UAE in the past decade?" However, because it was difficult to obtain materials discussing each region of
the UAE as well as dates from the decade, and because real estate has been steadily growing since the
1990s, I decided to eliminate the geographical and the detailed timeline portion of the project..............14
If I could redo the project, I would definitely spend more effort on the environmental element, since it
would be fascinating to evaluate whether the outcomes we're receiving are worth the environmental
cost, and it would have brought another dimension to how real estate would alter Dubai in the future. 15
Another thing I would have done differently would be to start my writing earlier in the year because I
had more time earlier in the year that I could have used for my dissertation, but as the year progressed
and the exams approached, I discovered that I had a lot more work and it became difficult to find time to
write my dissertation....................................................................................................................................15
I've discovered that I can be much more organized with my schedule, since juggling this project with my
three other A-levels was a difficult task, but one that I was able to do. Also, this project extended my
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Muhibba Gani 0017
, understanding on a critical topic in the business and economics world, and the information I gained from
it was extremely beneficial in my telephone interview. .............................................................................15
Appendices:..................................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 1:...................................................................................................................................................15
......................................................................................................................................................................16
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................................16
Abstract:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated in the Southeast of the Arabian Peninsula,
bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. In December 1971, the UAE became a federation of six
emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, and Fujairah, while the
seventh emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the federation in 1972. The capital city is Abu
Dhabi, located in the largest and wealthiest of the seven emirates. Since its Federation in
1971, the UAE has developed rapidly and is now noted for its modern infrastructure,
international events and status as a trade and transport hub. Prior to the major introduction
of the real estate industry in the UAE, pearling and fishing were the sole contributors to the
UAE’s economy to the population of 25,000. The hospitality, leisure and retail sectors have
been the significant contributors to the UAE’s economy that have turned this country into
the bustling area that it is today. The concepts of real-estate in the UAE via companies like
Emaar, Nakheel and Dubai Holdings Company have made the UAE flourish from a lifeless
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Muhibba Gani 0017
