Dubai - City of the Future

A metropolis realizes dreams of the future

2025

Note: Dubai is changing rapidly. All information is therefore without guarantee. I work independently and, apart from my apartments, do not receive any financial compensation for recommendations in my travel blog.

I'm meeting up with a good friend. We want to take a detour into the future.

Perhaps a better one. One after the pathological disputes of our time.

We walk to the metro station, which looks no less futuristic.

The principle is incredibly simple. You enter the pleasantly air-conditioned metro station, follow the signs to the metro—in our case, the Red Line, DMCC station, from Jumeirah Lake Towers—buy a card, and load at least 50 AED into your account. You can then travel as you please.

Then you place the card on the card reader and go through the turnstile to the platform. Incidentally, the metro is driverless and operates fully automatically. The trains are also equipped with women's compartments. These are taboo for men.

There's also a Gold Class compartment. But you can save yourself the money. With a bit of luck, you might get a seat outside of rush hour. During rush hour, however, it's almost impossible unless you board at the beginning of the line, i.e., the first station.

Museum of The Future

My rating: *****

Adress: Sheikh Zayed Road - Trade Center - Trade Center 2 - UAE

Open: 9 - 21 Uhr

Travel tip: If possible, avoid visiting on weekends. There are long queues then. You can order your tickets online or buy them at the ticket office. Tickets are date- and time-specific. In addition to regular tickets (159 AED), there is a Pioneer Pass available for 399 AED. This offers priority entry, regardless of time, and other perks.

At the ticket counter, you'll receive a wristband, and then you'll join the queue. A genetically modified creature that's somewhere between an airship and a whale, and the building's futuristic architecture, shorten the wait. The whale ship flies gracefully over the heads of the time travelers.

By the way: You have to lock your backpacks. Head towards the café and follow the signs. For 10 AED and by providing a mobile number, you'll receive a coupon that you can use to redeem your backpack.

Depending on the crowds, you should get in the queue early. The procedure is reminiscent of the economy class check-in counters at the airport.

The Dubaiers are certainly self-confident. They're not shy about it; they've installed a space station in orbit especially for Mohammed Bin Rashid, and you'll now be catapulted up to it.

Ready for takeoff?

And there you are, standing in the crew quarters of the Space Shuttle. Or maybe it's an oversized elevator. The Dubaiers aren't letting anyone see their cards here. Don't believe me? Then see for yourself.

I shot the video in the utmost secrecy, even at the risk of being abandoned in the desert.

And there she shines, as if in the aftermath of a Russian atomic kiss. Or was it an American one? The Earth. The thought of these overripe, unscrupulous disputes makes me want to vomit ice cubes again.

"On the screen!" Like on the Enterprise.

Thoughts in the comparative.

I've been thinking about what the Museum of the Future would be called in Germany. I'm guessing "Future Museum of the Past," because the completion of such a building would take at least 30 years. Why? Because

1. There would be no skilled workers available, and those who were available would go on strike every year for higher pay for less work. That would take

2. 10 years. Then it would be discovered that the ventilation was undersized. So

3. it would have to be torn down again. This would require an application to the responsible building authority, which would also insist on the implementation of the Energy Directive:

4. Renew the facade, retrofit water treatment cisterns:

5. And because the planning approval procedure was violated. 10 more years.

6. On top of that, another 10 years would pass before the opening because there are no gender-specific restrooms and

7. a commission would have to determine beyond doubt that the museum's name does not violate the

8. ethical guidelines.

9. In addition, some activist would certainly discover the spotted beetle, which is a protected species, in the kitchen of the restaurant.

10. But such beetles don’t even exist. But that doesn't matter to the lawyers. After all, he could exist. Right?

    
    

Tunnel vision: It leads straight from the metro station to the Museum of the Future.

Light at the end of the tunnel? My German practical pessimism, which I worked hard to achieve as a Deutsche Bahn passenger, is set to end in 2025. The new government promises improvement with the help of a gigantic investment package.

Strange: Even in space, a traditionally dressed Muslim woman shows the way.

Greetings to Donald

The exhibition spaces also address current problems facing the Earth. Here, the museum organizers attempt to highlight important future topics of hopefully independent and free research: urban planning, medicine, technology, the environment. Social issues. Certainly controversial. But of course, you, Mr. Donald, are the smartest, youngest, best, handsomest, richest president ever. Did I forget something in my list? Corrupt perhaps.

As in a futuristically arranged and illuminated pathology room, specimens float in the glass.

Visitors are repeatedly encouraged to conduct small experiments. Dubaianer are very family-friendly, so children also get their money's worth. They, too, can participate in the experiments and marvel at the future.

I'll repeat myself: The woman's clothes don't fit in space.

The look into the future doesn't stop at transportation. The time will come when air taxis will take us from A to B. It's quite possible that the cars of the future will also fly. Or we'll book driverless, autonomous means of transport, like minibuses or whatever.

And humanoid robots take care of the house, help in the garden, or care for seniors in their homes. It's not impossible that one or the other will fall in love with an android, marry them, and become redundant. Star Trek lives on. "May the force be with you." Oh no, that's the line from the rival film with the lightsaber.

"Fascinating!" But that was from Star Trek.

What we can learn from the Emiratis

When the government of the tiny emirate of Dubai planned the first 5-star hotel in the 1970s, it was met with scorn and ridicule: "Who, pray tell, would book a 5-star hotel in the middle of a desert of stone and sand?"

And who would have believed that the wide, sprawling Sheikh Zayed Road could barely handle the massive flow of traffic?

The Emiratis planned the expansion of infrastructure on a grand scale: roads, electricity, and water first, followed by housing, security, the expansion of medical care, and services of all kinds. This paved the way for the tourism industry. The small emirate of Dubai grew to more than 3 million inhabitants and continues to grow. Almost too much of a good thing, at least for my taste.

Wind tower between tradition and modernity.

Here, too, the omnipresent luxury leads to fatigue, wears out, can hardly be improved upon, and becomes a real satire. Light and shade, in other words.

Nevertheless, I respect the tenacity with which the Emiratis clung to their visions. In other words: We Germans would have already capitulated to the water problem.

1 million inhabitants? Where will the water come from in the desert?

An 8-lane highway? Where will the cars come from?

Multiple cultures and religions? How can we reconcile them?

Create parks and plant trees? In the desert?

How does Dubai meet its enormous water needs?

Over 90% of the drinking water required comes from thermal seawater desalination plants. This is pushing the wastewater system to its limits. Therefore, Dubai is investing approximately $22 billion in this area by 2033. The mechanical pumps will be replaced with a more environmentally friendly gravity system, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The extent to which cloud seeding will be used and the associated risks remain unclear.

Grafik: Fotolia

In the future, water recycling will help make water from showers, sinks, and washing machines usable for other applications:

• Garden irrigation,

• Irrigation of desert forests,

• Irrigation of orchards,

• Flushing toilets,

• Swimming pools, etc.

Dubai und die VAE sind noch weit von der Klimaneutralität entfernt. Immerhin haben sie das Problem erkannt. Ihr Focus richtet sich auf die Problembehebung durch technologische Offenheit. Energiegewinnung mit Erdöl wird zukünftig durch erneuerbare Energien ersetzt, was den Co2-Abdruck stromintensiver Industriezweige nachhaltig reduzieren dürfte.

Jumeirah Lake Towers

The Jumeirah Lake Towers are in close proximity to the swanky Dubai Marina. Here, the restaurants are quieter, more affordable, and the staff is significantly friendlier.

The residential concept of this area is aimed at tourists and expats living in Dubai, and the infrastructure is accordingly good. Public transport, hotels, restaurants, bars, beauty salons, massages, doctor's offices, veterinarians, small supermarkets, pharmacies, ATMs...

Why should I care about the future in this sweltering heat?

I'll make an exception here and recommend this small Thai restaurant. The food and drinks are fresh, the service is excellent, and the prices are reasonable. It's pleasantly cool inside, and in the evenings, you can sit comfortably outside by the water and unwind. I'll gladly repeat: No, I do not receive a commission, and I do not identify myself as a blogger during my restaurant visits.

The area around Jumeirah Lake Towers boasts a culinary diversity: Thai, Indian, Pakistani, Italian, French...

My accommodation

You can book here. It's a duplex apartment on the 39th floor of the Laguna Tower, where the Moevenpick Hotel is also located. It's managed locally by HiGuests. You can book or get more information at the following link.

https://book.higuests.com/en/properties/fabulous-duplex-with-breathtaking-lake-views-60

The apartment is within walking distance of the DMCC metro station, which takes you directly to the airport. Have fun with your planning.