‘Projected Futures for the Commons in Dubai’ at the Seoul Biennale ‘Imminent Commons’: Considering how Dubai’s unique diversity presents both challenges and opportunities for urbanism
An installation conceived and curated by George Katodrytis, Kevin Mitchell, Maryam Mudhaffar, and Mei Chang, at the prestigious Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2017. The exhibition addresses questions on the future of the city through projects and urban narratives. Entitled ‘Projected Futures for the Commons in Dubai’ it explores the Biennale’s theme of ‘Imminent Commons’ by considering how Dubai’s unique diversity presents both challenges and opportunities for urbanism. The installation brings together emerging UAE-based architects and designers. In keeping with the Biennale’s focus on the future of cities in the face of social, ecological and technical transformation, the installation considers what is shared by residents of a city as culturally diverse as Dubai. Each of the contributors presents a proposal that addresses how parks and other amenities can be re-imagined to facilitate a sense of community among the many diverse cultures that live in Dubai. The proposals look to a future when Dubai will achieve its aspiration of reducing dependence on the automobile, allowing space currently occupied by parking to be repurposed into community-accessible amenities.
