Reimagining Sustainable living in Dubai
Creative Ideation, Sustainability
2022
THE CHALLENGE
ATÖLYE is a community-powered creative services organization based in Dubai and Istanbul. As a community member and resident of the city, I joined a creative gathering where we dreamed of and envisioned sustainable living in Dubai.
THE OUTCOME
Collectively, we discussed significant sustainability issues that we, the people of Dubai, face daily. First, we dug deeper into the roots of these struggles and identified important themes of opportunity: awareness, food & waste, urban planning, mobility, diversity & multi-generations. We then worked in groups to explore each theme and develop possible improvements.
©2022 – Atolye. Jamming in progress!
THE PROCESS
Starting with a guided meditation, we closed our eyes and imagined the Dubai we dream of. We then created a collage to visualize our mental image. Mine was around self-expression, nature, and family.
Next, we discussed our vision and heard the stories of others. I remember my fellow participants envisioned learning from the regenerative beauty of nature and the need for a multi-generational approach so people of all ages can call Dubai a ‘home.’
Our group explored the theme of diversity and multi-generations. We discussed why diversity is essential for Dubai and who the key target audiences and stakeholders are. We looked at recent developments in this area and discussed the critical blockers – things like living costs, school costs, and imbalanced civil representation. We imagined possible futures of affordable lifestyle options, housing strategies, and diversity-centered policymaking. We then identified together how different stakeholders can co-create our foresight.
(Left) ‘My Dubai’ collage. (Right) The harvest canvas that houses our ideas.
