20yrs later, Dubai's much hyped Palm Islands and The World are a failure

[JEDI]

May 2020:

2 of the 3 Palm Islands with 'The World' and artist rendition of 'The Universe' in between:

I remember being in awe of such a cool concept back in the 2000s. (God, im old...)

- Palm Jebel Ali (not pictured) was built but has been abandoned.
- Palm Deira (rightmost Palm) was the biggest Palm. that project has been downsized and the 'Palm' portion abandoned. The islands that form the base of that Palm are now called the Deira Islands.

Land for the dozens of islands of The World are done but only 2 of those islands have buildings.
And one of them was a show island built by the developers for perspective buyers. (The other island is still active, i think.)

The Universe wraps around the lower part of The World in a semi-circle.
from left to right: Sun, moon, planets of the Milky Way, and a galaxy
It was only in the planning stages when it was placed on hold in 2009.

 

[FaaR]

Considering sea level rise is something like 1mm/year or so it won't take terribly long for erosion to start chewing up those fake islands in a bad way. Also, storm surges and fiercer storms, due to global warming.

Madcap projects like this one is what happens when someone has more money than brains. That problem usually remedies itself eventually though.

 

[Jeeebus]

Palm Jumeirah is pretty awesome though. Was there about 6 months ago and stayed on the Palm this time (our 3rd time there). Just driving around it's awesome to see everything they've built throughout.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Palm Jumeirah is pretty awesome though. Was there about 6 months ago and stayed on the Palm this time (our 3rd time there). Just driving around it's awesome to see everything they've built throughout.

Don't be shy my good man. Hit us up with some pics or vid you shot.

 

[Jeeebus]

Don't be shy my good man. Hit us up with some pics or vid you shot.

Pretty sure I've posted pics of the past trips, but in any event, here's a few from this last trip:

Slumming it in Emirates business class.

Hotel pool at the Five Palm Jumeirah. This hotel was pretty awesome.

Nighttime view from the hotel outdoor bar

Beach at the hotel

We went out dune bashing in the desert. Redneck mudding equivalent but in the vast desert and up/down some rather dicey hills.

 

[shortylickens]

those people have too much money.

 

[JEDI]

those people have too much money.

had.
and not people but the Dubai govt that funded the Palms experiment.

Dubai's oil has dried up.
they only get 5% of their revenue from oil now so were looking at other ways to expand revenue.

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

had.
and not people but the Dubai govt that funded the Palms experiment.

Dubai's oil has dried up.
they only get 5% of their revenue from oil now so were looking at other ways to expand revenue.

Huh? If the Dubai government funded the Palms experiment then the people of Dubai funded the Palms experiment. It was their money that got pissed away on ego.

Dubai was forced to move away from oil because they have so little. But they invested heavily in things that are dying as quickly as their oil reserves and their economy is in deep shit. Almost all of their money comes from real estate (market collapsed) aviation and shipping (dead) and tourism (deader than dead). The government of Dubai went all in on the rest of the world being rich enough to vacation in Dubai, buy land in Dubai and buy ships and planes from Dubai and none of that looks too good now. They overbuilt and overspent to attract business from a class of people that don't exist anymore. Even before the virus hit they were in trouble.

 

[JEDI]

Huh? If the Dubai government funded the Palms experiment then the people of Dubai funded the Palms experiment. It was their money that got pissed away on ego.

yup, the investment company is govt owned:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_World

but the wiki said it was created in 2006 whereas the Palm Islands project started in 2001.
I cant figure out who owned/backed Nakreel (developer) in 2001.

edit:

The evolution of an icon | The National

Dubai World: a history A little known Gulf company led by a young executive achieved global status despite the odds.

www.thenational.ae

the developer was first called Dubai Palm Developers (2001) before folding into Nakheel. (And Nakheel would in turn become part of Dubai World.)
it was backed by the Dubai govt in 2001

 

[Red Squirrel]

What's the difference between Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

People in Dubai don't know about the Flintstones, but Abu Dhabi do.

 

[JEDI]

Dubai Sets New Record With Sale of Palm Jumeirah Mansion for $82 Million

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/dubai-sets-new-record-with-sale-of-palm-jumeirah-mansion-for-82-million/

Apparently Palm Jumeirah island isnt dead yet.

 

[IronWing]

I told them to design them as Christmas trees; everyone likes Christmas trees.

 

[AdamK47]

I told them to design them as Christmas trees; everyone likes Christmas trees.

Except in an area predominantly Muslim.

Now they have a world that looks kind of mushed together thanks to erosion.