A glimpse of Dubai in Khartoum and Nouakchott, Prestige Urban Projects on the Margins of the Arab World

Armelle Choplin (1, 2) , Alice Franck (1, 3)

1 PRODIG - Pôle de recherche pour l'organisation et la diffusion de l'information géographique
2 ACP - Analyse Comparée des Pouvoirs
3 GECKO - Laboratoire de Géographie Comparée des Suds et des Nords

This paper deals with the spread of prestige urban projects in Nouakchott and Khartoum, the capitals of Mauritania and Sudan respectively. We hypothesis that for these cities, located on the margins of the Arab world, prestige projects inspired by the Gulf model epitomize a new way of development based on hypermodernity. They epitomize economic development, success and opulence thanks to oil exploitation. Undergoing discovery and exploitation of oil resources makes the Mauritanian and Sudanese governments hope to follow the same path. Moreover, the towers of Dubai represent a specific cultural model for two states where affiliation to the Arab world is a contested political issue. The comparative approach brings out the importance of foreign investments in these urban transformations, characterized by privatization processes and real estate speculation. The emerging urban model is in strong contrast to the citizens' expectations and national political unrest.

Mots clés: Urban prestige project; Dubai; oil; foreign investments; real estate; privatisation; margins; Arab world; Khartoum; Nouakchott

Domaines: Géographie

Armelle Choplin, Alice Franck. A glimpse of Dubai in Khartoum and Nouakchott, Prestige Urban Projects on the Margins of the Arab World. Built Environment, 2010, 36 (2), pp.64-77. ⟨halshs-00547524⟩