E U RA U 2 0 1 4 I C O M P O S I T E C I T I E S I N o v e m b e r 1 2 - 1 4 , 2 0 1 4 , I I s t a n b u l Tu r k e y

DUBAI: CITY BRANDING OR PLACE MAKING?

FOR THE EURAU 2014: COMPOSITE CITIES
Jasmine Shahin
Department of Architecture
School of Architecture, Art and Design
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Email: jasmine_shahin@yahoo.com

Abstract
The following paper will investigate the socio-urban phenomenon of Dubai,
proposing that the phantasmagoric shadows detected through the citys socio-urban
image could be possibly translated through a critically informed hermeneutic
approach. The paper will argue that Dubai epitomizes the dichotomy between global
and local, where the increasingly fading boundaries between these two concepts
are rendering the overall experience as well as perception of Dubai highly illegible.
Through a hermeneutic analysis of Dubai, the paper will attempt to provide an
interpretive understanding of the city not only as a politically manufactured brand
image, but also as a unique social space. For, the fact that a brands image acts as
a mediator between the brands equity and its socially perceived value, hence
representing the essence of its being, necessitates that the brand image must
reinforce its physical market existence through some constantly negotiable yet
reaffirming social discourse.
Keywords
Dubai, city branding, urbanism, philosophical hermeneutics, phenomenology.

Jasmine Shahin

Introduction
The city as a subject occupies a prominent position in the works of many urban,
architectural and social theorists alike. Despite a critical disparity among the many
proposed methodologies, few of them have denied the entwined relationship
between society and the typological development of the built environment. While an
understanding of this relationship requires a historic investigation of the physical
development of these two codependent entities, many current theoretical
approaches are intentionally blind to the presence of some subjective and
psychological constructs that are inherent in the formation of socio-urban
phenomena. For, the city is an open playground of multiple discourses, which aim at
revealing some cultural, social, political and ideological tensions that are embodied
in the lived experience of the city itself, in which every building, path, node and
curbstone speaks of some important events that were meaningful enough to remain
encapsulated in the collective memory of its people. Regretfully, today's global
cities seem to have lost connection with Man, who became a hermit endlessly
wandering the vicinities of his muted city, looking for the faintest sign that might
remind him of the meaning of being in the world. In order to explore this
proposition, the following paper will use the city of Dubai as a chief subject of
investigation, an example chosen for its prominent position not only as a successful
urban project, but also as a tangible testament to the powerful role played by
ideology, branding and capital in shaping our understanding of today's global cities.
The intriguing aspect in Dubais relatively young story, and which makes it a subject
worthy of serious investigation, transcends the superficial advertising of the city as
a space of glitz and glamour. For, Dubai is not only a phantasmagoric collection of
architectural images, but is also a politically and socially manufactured hybrid of
contrasting aspirations, motives and fantasies. For this reason, our understanding of
Dubai must move beyond its classification as a plutocratic system, given that its
manufactured dialogues include more than its rulers and decisions makers, as these
dialogues extend themselves to reflect the mode of being of its citizens and
consumers, who must be seen as integral contributors to the citys larger
hermeneutic circle. In other words, the facets of this discourse include more than
the citys market driven nature, its branding techniques and its production modes,
representing, yet rather less evidently, a highly diverse population in the process of
developing a genuine internal dialogue with the citys politically manufactured
brand image. Similarly, the argument that a brand image must be acquiescent
enough to accommodate the shifts in social values, cultural needs and political
agendas reflects itself on most global cities today, as they strive to sustain or
expand their touristic market share. Unlike conventional brand images, it shall be

Jasmine Shahin

argued that the city image is shaped through some invisible bonds that relate its
historical physical development to the evolution of its socio-cultural body, hence
representing a collective image of its residents cultural, social, political, and
economic ideologies, where I constantly refers to some internally shared and
reciprocated values, while Other refers to an externally negotiated understanding.

Jasmine Shahin

Figure 1 - Dubai Urban Development (by author)

Accordingly, the paper will employ a philosophical hermeneutic approach that aims
at examining the role of projection, introjection, and phantasy as critical
constituents in the interpretive process. In addition to their direct implications on
the hermeneutic praxes of history, language and experience, these concepts are
tightly related to the phenomenology of perception, or the phenomenology of
phantasy, as described by Edmund Husserl in Phantasy, Image, Consciousness and
Memory (2005). For, perception is considered as a primary step for identification,
where the physical encounter with an architectural stimulus must instigate an
individuals need for interpretive understanding. This need stems from Mans
recurrent search for his true being within the expanding environment around him,
and this being, I shall argue, resides within the many facets of the architectural
discourse itself. The role of imagination in this interpretive process is critical to our
current discussion of Dubais urban discourse, as it highlights the role that
architecture, along with its mental interpretation, can possibly play in establishing a
shared horizon between the citys externally perceived image and its internally
developing dialogues. Through Husserls argument, it is assumed that imagination is
one form of phantasy, and that the bringing to appearance of a mental phantasy,
as in the case of an architectural design, into a physically experienced phenomenon
represents what he refers to as phantasy presentation. Yet, the physical
experience of this phantasy requires a consistent engagement with its historic,
social, cultural, and most importantly symbolic content, which in turn will reveal
new unforeseen possibilities of the nature and motives behind the phantasy itself.
As such, the main enquiry of this paper is concerned with the relationship between
phantasy presentation and perceptual apprehension, which according to Husserl is a
multilayered process controlled by an individuals ability and willingness to decipher
the enigmatic content of the image.

Jasmine Shahin

Furthermore, perceptual comprehension is guided by a set of invisible layers of past

experiences and social guidelines, or what Hans Georg Gadamer refers to in Truth
and Method (2004) as prejudices. These include social traditions, belief systems,
cultural upbringing, political economy, and ideological affiliations. For example, the
architects mental image is transformed into a physical reality through many
external guidelines, including the clients brief, financial budget, time frame for
completion, the specificities of the site and the building codes for that specific
geographical region. The introjection of these variables into the architects own
mental phantasy shapes the formation of the project and its realized object image.
Still, introjection here also refers to the architects own development through an
accumulation of past experiences and knowledge, confirming Gadamers argument
that long before we understand ourselves through the process of self-examination,
we understand ourselves in a self-evident way in the family, society and the state in
which we live . . . the prejudices of the individual, far more than his judgments,
constitute the historical reality of his being, (Gadamer, 2004). Still, the completed
project will not reveal all of these components at once, for the projected image, as a
pictorial representation of the architects phantasy, will coincide in form but rarely in
content to the original intentions of its author. This is due to the varying
interpretations that this image will engender in the minds of its perceivers, who in
turn will ascribe different meanings to the symbolic content of the building,
depending on their own set of prejudices and disparate modes of projection.
The concept of projection, then, becomes a final step in the interpretive process,
representing the essence of our own being-in-the world as suggested by Martin
Heidegger in Being and Time (1992). Heidegger refers to projection as a special
state of pure perception, which, unveils without making what is unveiled as such
into an object of contemplation, (Heidegger, 1992). In other words, projection
allows man to experience the many possible meanings of his own existence in
relation to other physical or worldly objects around him. For, through projection we
not only acquire a sense of self but ascertain our belonging to a larger community
of meanings, where the power of projection resides in its ability to bridge the gap
between our perception of the real and our conception of an ideal world. Similarly,
Gadamer argues for the value of projection as a form of critical reflection, based on
the ability of human imagination to build and project images from one source onto
another, an act that requires some form of sensus communis, or common sense
that he claims is to be, what gives the human will its direction is not the abstract
universality of reason but the concrete universality represented by the community
of a group, a people, a nation, or the whole human race (Gadamer, 2004).
DUBAIS POLITICAL PHANTASIES: BEYOND AUTHORIAL INTENTION

Jasmine Shahin

Given its distinct historical, economic, political

and cultural development story, Dubai was
privileged to surface on the global map with
readily available urban references. Dubais early
formation years were also influenced by the
presence of some hegemonic others, such as
past colonizers, imported labor, and above all a
hierarchal tribal heritage. All these factors
contributed greatly to the formation of Dubais
personality, acting as introjections that not only
define but also mask the appearance of Dubais
Real self. Granted, Dubais architectural
products are arguably containers of cultural and
historical realities, acting as reservoirs of some
shared social values, and pointing beyond
themselves to some significant moments in the
citys development story. Even though a detailed
discussion of Dubais urban development is
beyond the scope of this paper, it is important to
note that phantasy is among the most powerful
ingredients in the citys history. This claim can be
traced back to the political visions of its former
and current rulers, who saw urbanism as an
integral tool in communicating with a more
developed West. According to Jim Krane in City of
Gold (2009), in the early 1960s, Sheikh Rashids
dream of putting Dubai on the map made him
venture into some of the grandest projects in the
region. For this reason, he has been constantly
accused of having an edifice complex, of being
insensitive to cultural heritage and above all of
being a gambler. These accusations have been
readily transferred to his heir, Sheikh
Mohammed, whose once mocked fantasy was to
turn Dubai into a prime touristic destination.
Despite the validity of some of these criticisms, it
is undisputable that Dubai is one of the most
prominent urban examples today, hosting the
worlds largest building, the largest man made port, the largest man made islands,
an advanced infrastructure, and some of the most luxurious resorts and vacation
spots in the world. Yet, such achievements were earned at some high price,

Jasmine Shahin

including the destruction of architectural heritage, the dissolution of the tribal

council, and above all an increasing GDP leverage that led Dubai into a severe crisis
back in 2008.
The growing pains of Dubai were a direct result of its fast paced urbanism, which
neglected the value of social input as an integral voice in the citys urban discourse,
an observation noted by Hashim Sarkis and Nasser Abulhasans UN report in 2005.
Still, in criticizing the Dubai project one must also consider the effects of
globalization on the young city, its social body, its architectural production, and
above all its policy makers. Until 2008, most international headlines saw in Dubai a
dizzying urban phenomenon, with a real estate market that raises many doubts
regarding the validity, sustainability and efficiency of its urban developments. One
typical investigation could be seen through The Sunday Times reportage titled
Desert Storm (2005) by Peter Conradi, who wondered if Dubai is a bubble about
to burst or a no-lose deal? Conradis article establishes some facts regarding
Dubais real estate actions during 2002-2005, a period that relied extensively on
iconic structures and star-architects in building
Figure 2 - Burj Khalifa (by
the city image. Architecture as a universal
author).
linguistic medium enabled Dubai to bridge the
imagined gulf between itself and the West, creating an urban image that aims at
increasing the citys financial gains and at establishing a shared horizon of
intercultural interests.
Arguably then, Dubais 2008 financial crisis did not only strip the city of its
economic glory, but has also resulted in some major symbolic losses in the citys
architectural ego. On the 4th January 2010, Dubai set the stage for the inauguration
of the Worlds tallest building (initially called Burj Dubai), revealed at the
unprecedented height of 829.8m. The Burj was renamed at the final countdown,
resulting in a state of collective shame, when amidst the lavish celebrations of the
day HH Sheikh Mohammed declared that, the highest point in the world should be
linked to the big names and I announce today (Monday) the opening of Burj Khalifa
Bin Zayed. Many media reporters, such as Hugh Tomlinson and David Robertson,
saw the event as a humiliating statement that confirms the reality that Dubais
achievements are not its own as long as Abu Dhabi is picking up the tab. For this
reason, it could be argued that Dubais urban activities until 2008 were little beyond
corporate shares in its expanding financial investments. Iconic architecture, as
hyper commodity, played some role in the stability of the citys economic stance,
and became an imaginary representation of Dubais place in the global race for

Figure 3 - SOM Conceptual Inspirations for Burj Khalifa

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excellence, a proposition confirmed in HH Sheikh Mohammeds first published

manifesto, My Vision (2006). In 2006, Sheikh Mohammed saw Dubais position in
relation to a fast changing world, immersed in technological advancement and
commercial competition. This limited perspective represents the model of external
communication that Sheikh Mohammed believed best fit for Dubai, where the
process for building superior states to him was a long process of learning, planning,
and embracing the advancements of other cultures, while tailoring them to the
particular needs of his growing society. Still, his urban vision was lacking an
authentic social inclusion, where what he refers to as cultural needs has been
architecturally translated rather icon-ically, as in Burj Al Arabs sailboat image or
Burj Khalifas faintly recognizable concept of the desert rose, as proposed by the
towers designer Adrian Smith of SOM, (Smith, 2008). Such limited perspective was
highly criticized by Western critical thinkers, like Mike Davis, who saw Dubais urban
project as a consequence of the dialectic of uneven and combined development,
of a backward society that, takes not their beginnings, nor the stages of their
evolution, but the finished product itself. In fact it goes even further; it copies not
the product as it exists in its countries of origin but its ideal type, (Davis, 2007).
The effects of the 2008 crisis could be noticed in Sheikh Mohammeds second book
Flashes of Thought (2013), portraying what could be considered a poetic turn in his
political, economic and social development strategies. In here, Sheikh Mohammed
considers the concept of social happiness, or customer satisfaction if I may propose,
as a chief criterion for development. This change in perspective could be also seen
in many of the citys reformation strategies that aim at controlling property rents,
readdressing ownership policies, and ensuring customer satisfaction through social
surveys that test the efficiency of provided services and urban facilities. In contrast
to his previous emphasis on financial profit, Sheikh Mohammed believes that Burj
Khalifa represents regional pride, as much as it points at some cultural affinity
between East and West, where the Burj is no longer symbolic of his own personal
achievements, but is representative of the collective effort of some of the greatest
minds, a motto that has been espoused in Dubais EXPO 2020 bid, Connecting
Minds, Creating the Future. For him, great buildings reinforce the image of the city
and its people collectively, which in turn establishes stronger bridges of trust with
the outer world, (Al Maktoum, 2013).
URBAN BRANDING: ESTABLISHING THE EXTERNAL DISCOURSE
The Burj Khalifa project established Dubai as a leading urban brand, connecting
East and West while resonating to all humanity some shared values of progress and
technological advancements. Still, the Burj, as another icon in Dubais saturated
skyline, emerges as an integral part in the citys lager marketing plan, symbolizing a
tangible presentation of its rulers aspirations for effective communication. The Burj

Jasmine Shahin

also mirrors many of Dubai Brands promises of luxury, uniqueness and exclusivity,
as highlighted on the official web site of Dubais Municipality of Commerce and
Tourism, whose chief aim is to advertize Definitely Dubai as a prime travelling
destination. Just like any other marketing campaign, Dubais storyboard does not
deny its market laden intentions, yet it makes a crystal-clear distinction between
Definitely Dubai, as a touristic brand, and what they refer to as, an everyday
brand Dubai. This distinction aims at identifying the different levels of perceptual
apprehension that relate to Dubais image, where the former aims at establishing
communication bridges with the external world, while the latter aims at building
some forms of socio-urban identification.

Figure 4 - Dubai Population Growth vs. Urban Expansion

The success of Dubais touristic campaign could be traced through the numbers of
tourists, rates of hotel occupancy, and the escalading numbers of new residents.
According to Dubais Statistic Center, Dubais population increased exponentially
from 862,387 people in 2000, to an impressive 2,213,845 people in 2013. As for
tourism, the number of sold hotel nights show a similar growth rate, with 70%
occupancy in 2011, 74% in 2012, and 78% in 2012 . Based on these findings, it
could be argued, then, that project Definitely Dubai has achieved many of its goals
using architecture and urbanism as its chief tools. Despite such results, architectural
and social critics still find in this image a representation of a distorted reality, a
hallucinatory pastiche of the big, the bad and the ugly, (Davis, 2006). A similar
observation by architect Rem Koolhaas emphasizes that the citys skyline has
become a collage of unsynchronized icons, where the addition of new icons results
in an experience of perpetual hollowness, (Koolhass, et al. 2007). These negative
readings, while partly justified, point at some major deficiencies in the critical
analysis of the city, where the genesis of such misinterpretation lies in the
intentional neglect of everyday Dubais historical, social and cultural
developments, which constitute a big share in the citys internal socio-urban
discourse.

Jasmine Shahin

Granted, it could be argued that Dubai succeeded in positioning itself as an

exclusive brand image, with an established external dialogue that aims at
negotiating the contrasting perceptions of the city. Still, it must be noted that the
process of branding in cities needs to acknowledge local background, culture and
history, where turning a town into a brand therefore means building perceptions
among strategic audiences, turning it into a unique and attractive destination, for
companies, individuals, cultural or educational organizations that might think of
moving there. (Anttiroiko, 2014). For, the consumption of places is comparable to
the consumption of other products, given that it involves the simultaneous
participation of place manufacturers and consumers alike. While manufacturers of
city brands shape the overall image of the event, consumers, as in tourists or the
residents themselves, complement the process by ascribing meaning to the created
city image. This image is then based on, attributes, functional consequences (or
expected benefits) and the symbolic meanings or psychological characteristics that
consumers associate with specific place, which in turn affects its positioning
(Groves and Go, 2009). Still, there is a dialectic tension that arises between cultural
identity and commercial interests, where communities are constantly striving for a
genuine depiction of their lived and cultural realities, while the different interest
groups are merely concerned with theatrical representations. Yet, the presence of
such tensions does not always behold negative connotations, as it possibly reveals
the presence of some polarities, seeking resolution through constant social
interpretation of the truth content of the brand image itself. Accordingly, city
branding is possibly understood as built brand identity, which influences the
consumption attitude and loyalty of tourists and residents alike, (Raffelt, 2012).
Therefore, it could be argued that one merit of combining architecture and
marketing lies in the possibility of forging some powerful communication channels
for enforcing group identity, while relaying the brands core values to the world.
SOCIAL PROJECTIONS: FOLLOWING THE TRACES OF AN INTERNAL
DISCOURSE
Given all of the above, it is only valid to finally establish the method through which
we can hermeneutically reveal the extent of truth in Dubais internal urban
discourse without falling prey to future criticisms of subjectivity. According to Ursula
Raffelt in Architectural Branding (2012), one possible way to measure the effects of
architectural branding on socio-urban dialogue is through brand-related

Figure 5 - Analysis of Sample's Nationalities by Region.

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performance indicators, tested against the brands values and projected image.
For, what is needed is to understand how Dubais urban and architectural images
manifest themselves as substances in the societys aesthetic experience of the
everyday Dubai brand, where, substance is understood as something that supports
us, although it does not emerge into the light of reflective consciousness, it is
something that can never be fully articulated, although it is absolutely necessary for
the existence of all clarity, consciousness, expression and communication,
(Gadamer, 1986). Accordingly, the remaining section shall investigate this
proposition by means of comparing Dubais brand values to its general social
perception, employing the findings of a social survey conducted between March
2014 and May 2014. The objectives of the survey are twofold: first, to determine the
validity and facets of uniqueness in Dubais architectural brand campaign, and
second, to uncover the many possible readings of the citys projected image as
symbolically understood by its everyday residents. The hypothesis is that Dubais
architectural products are unique in their formal appearance, and in turn do possess
some layers of hidden symbolism that relate directly or indirectly to some socially
manufactured values. The 10 questions survey was published through social media,
and targeted professional expatriates from age groups 18 onwards. The inclusion
of other sectors was impertinent for the current paper as a result of many factors,
including language barriers and detachment from spectacular city events. The total
number of included respondents is 224, showing a highly varied resident population
with a major concentration in the Arabic sector (Fig. 04), an observation that
highlights Dubais imperative role as a promising Middle Eastern haven for young
Arabs, especially after the political upheavals that swept the Arab world since 2010.

Figure 5 - Analysis of Sample's Age Group and Mode of

Residency.
The fact that 96% of the respondents were able to identify a monochromatic
silhouette of Dubais skyline validates the brands success in manufacturing an
instantly recognizable image, with 51% agreeing on the uniqueness of Dubai as an

Jasmine Shahin

attractive working and living urban package. According to 86% of the respondents
Burj Khalifa is the most representative building of the city, alluding to some positive
values of achievement, uniqueness, beauty, luxury, presence, memory, elegance,
heroism, creativity, power, perseverance, and exposure. According to one
respondent, it [Burj Khalifa] represents Dubais stance in the world, summarizes its
development and growing wealth, and puts Dubai on the map. Still, some
respondents, who affirm Burj Khalifas dominance over the citys skyline, express
critical concerns regarding the embodied messages in Dubais overall architectural
image, where to him/her, ambition and vision outweigh the means to achieve it.
Similarly, when asked to describe the whole city using one word, responses varied
widely, with some of the mostly used positive adjectives being unique,
cosmopolitan, fighter, fast, fantastic, fancy, growing, luxurious, promising,
innovative, organized, dynamic and beautiful; as opposed to some negative
perceptions, including artificial, crowded, materialistic, Disney-ish, and a salad bowl.
These descriptions represent some of the many architectural dialogues that
manifest themselves in Dubais socio-urban discourse. For, the affluence that
accompany Dubais architectural image poses many challenges on its growing
society, which is always playing a catch up role with the citys imagined and
symbolic projections. This proposition is supported by the responses acquired on the
last two questions of the survey, where respondents were expected to define Dubai
in relation to other known brands. While the majority of the respondents (76%) saw
an affinity between Dubai and globally renowned luxury brands, such as Mercedes,
Ferrari, Rolls Roys, Porsche, Gucci, Rolex, Graff, Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and
Armani, some detected a resemblance to technology brands, like Apple, Google,
Sony and Samsung (Fig. 06).

Jasmine Shahin

What these interpretations inform us is that Dubai has succeeded in positioning

Figure 6 - Survey Analysis of Dubai's Brand Perception

itself within the league of luxury brands, using architecture to communicate its
aspirations for uniqueness, dynamism and economic affluence. As such, it is
possible to argue that there exists no inconsistency between the intended values of
Dubai, or its brand equity, and the imaginary content of its architectural
representations, which in themselves could be understood as forms of thrown-ness
or projections onto the global scene. However and as previously postulated, the
problems are generally noticeable on the symbolic levels of the urban discourse,
where societys inability to identify with the city beyond its mere physical shell
points at some deficiency in the communication process. For this reason, and by
looking at some specific architectural examples such as Burj Khalifa, it was
intriguing to note than there exists some traces of an emerging internal dialogue
that is trying to make sense of Dubais relevance as a genuine lived experience.
This dialogue is arguably moving beyond mere perceptual affirmation of the Burjs
authorial intentions to the larger horizons of imaginative interpretation, echoing not
only the global dilemmas of modern Mans existence but also mirroring his need for
belonging to a larger meaningful community.

Jasmine Shahin

For, the lived experience around the vicinities of the Burj represents a daily ritual for
many Dubaiians, who seek the area for leisure or shopping. Yet, aside from the
commercial rituals, the Burj manifests itself as the site for national festivities and
celebrations, simulating the role of many similar urban spaces, such as New Yorks
Times Square. As such, it could be argued that the icon in its domineering presence
has replaced what could be referred to as conventional spaces of worship or social
congregation, where todays urban nomads are constantly engaging dialogically to
retrieve some hidden meanings from their surrounding urban structures. This could
be seen again through the above mentioned survey, where the respondents
detected in Burj Khalifa many underlying metaphors, like a social mirror, a rocket, a
vertical city, stacks of money, a magic stick, a tree (form of new life), hanging
gardens, a Gothic cathedral, and most importantly a ladder to heaven. While many
of the metaphors point at a materialistic postmodern culture, with the Burj
representing the temple of a global
Burj Khalifa
capitalist sect, some of them have
The Cathedral, the Rocket, the Stack of
not lost faith in the possibility that
Money, the Magic Wand, the Ladder to
Dubais icons could still host some
Heaven and the Shard
magical divine presence.
CONCLUSION
It could be concluded that the
enigmatic content of Dubais
architecture is possibly understood
in the light of its marketed values
and its manufactured customer
perception. Yet, it is evident that
the citys urban image has been
induced following a one sided
political phantasy that marginalizes
the effects of cultural differences,
while also failing to recognize the
vital social role that architecture
can purport into peoples
understanding of their own being.
In spite of that, social imagination,
as one form of interpretive
understanding, plays a crucial role
in establishing the basis for a
dynamic socio-urban discourse,
where both architecture and society
disclose aspects of their Imaginary

Figure 7 - Burj Khalifa and Social Perception (by

author)

Jasmine Shahin

content and Real self. On the one hand, it could be argued that the univalent nature
of many of Dubais icons signal at the presence of a highly fragmented society that
seeks some form of cultural coherence through a shared understanding of the citys
simple architectural metaphors. On the other hand, it is possible that Dubais
spectacular urban forms anticipate cultural depth through constant historical
validation and social dialogue. For, Dubais apparently fragmented cosmopolitan
social body is not completely different from other traditional societies that possess
many subdued or neglected idiosyncrasies. For, the conceptualization of society as
a uniform body endows on it some form of universalism, or an absent fullness,
where the universal symbol, in the form of architecture or society, ceases to have
meaning on its own, as it is constantly filled with peculiarities that are then
redefined into a shared horizon. The emergence of such horizon sustains continuous
social discourse, alluding to new forms of social negotiation and identification. The
role of symbolism in shaping society understanding of the built environment is
possibly reinforced by the urban forms ability to instigate multiple meanings to its
different social sectors. Granted, the symbolic content of Dubais social and urban
morphologies is arguably dependent on the production of empty signifiers, which
allow a discourse to be filled with particularistic and potentially incommensurable
contents whilst maintaining a universal representation, (Laclau, et al., 2006). Such
universality allows the signifier to host a variety of meanings, and to possibly
decrease the communication gap among internal, as well as external, intended
audience. Understood as such, it could be finally proposed that Dubai, as a universal
brand, anticipates the presence of an Other, which manifests itself in the form of a
linguistic cultural matrix that contributes, directly and indirectly, to the
establishment of some genuine socio-urban discourse. For, both concepts of the
symbolic and the imaginary relate directly to social identity, allowing architecture
and urbanism to resonate to all human beings, without being confined to the
boundaries of specific cultural constructs.

Jasmine Shahin, Mphil

Dubai based Interior Designer and adjunct professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the American University in
Dubai. With over 10 years of professional experience in the Middle East and a Masters degree in Architectural Theory
from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, Shahin is currently a PhD candidate in architectural and urban theory,
investigating the role of phenomenological hermeneutics (especially that of Hans Georg Gadamer), critical theory and
psychoanalysis
in understanding todays global spaces and architectural practices.
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Jasmine Shahin

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