ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the Dubai model is reflected in Damascus as the combination of the local authorities need for a quick fix to solve multiple internal urban issues, the Syrian state's desire to attract new investments and the investment strategies from big Gulf property developers. The rapid changes of the 2000s in dealing with the city were made possible by the fact that after decades of tight state control, the authorities started selling numerous public plots and authorized the development of projects on public, private and sometimes waqf assets. The urban crisis also affects the economic environment, which some projects aimed to improve, in particular for the transportation system and industry. The renewed interest of public authorities in urban issues is also to be understood in the context of the economic policy objectives that president Bashar al-Asad set in the 2000s, which included an increasing role for private investment.
