Uploaded on 2017-02-28 by Samira Azgua

The picture shows the new built Opera House a place for cultural exchange. A lot of international and national events take place in the opera house. 1. San Francisco, USA 2. Sevilla, Spain 3. Vienna, Austria 4. Dubai, UAE 5. Wiesbaden, Germany 6. San José, Costa Rica 7. Sydney; Australia 1. People- open minded, friendly, international 2. Climate- warm and mild climate with a lot of sun 3. Environment- easy access to nature (forest or sea), 4. Sustainability- protection of the environment by the government, less emission (air/noise/water/waste/clean energy), public transportation 5. Diversity of activities in the city - culture, sports and leisure To 1. Recently I am living in Dubai. Dubai is a very international city where expats from all over the world are living. Apart from the local people that make only about 15% of it´s population you will find a mixture of many cultures, that makes it a really interesting city. Most people are open minded and are curious to get to know their neighbors and other cultures, though you will also find people that prefer to stay in their habits and are not interested in the neighbors. The City and the communities are doing a lot by organizing multicultural events and street fares etc.There is also a center for cultural understanding in an old typical building where traditional dinners and lunches are organized and tourists as well as residents can talk to local people and learn about their culture. To 2. Dubai is a popular holiday destination due to it`s climate. In winter many Europeans come for holidays as there is nearly a 100% sun guarantee. Nevertheless in summer from June to September it becomes very hot, even up to 50 C which makes it complicated to live and there is no way to turn of Air Condition. There should be found ways to make AC´s more efficient and more environmentally friendly, this can be done by law regulation. To 3. Dubai is located by the sea and has some well protected and clean beaches with easy access. Of course, due to the climate zone, the land is mostly desert, which is also interesting for a nature escape but to most people (also for me) not as attractive as mountains with forests. There is a lot of artificial green but in general nothing can be done about the lack of green due to the climate zone. To 4. The government became aware of the need to be environmental friendly and sustainable because of the climate change and it´s consequences they are working on it seriously. They try to produce more alternative energy, solar parks are being build, also in the city you will find lanterns and parking meters powered by solar energy. The metro is one of the most modern in the world but I think the public transportation network could be increased for the future. The City enforces waste education, installs recycling bins etc. but there still are things that could be improved. For example the supermarkets give away plastic bags for free and people take it, later you will find them in the desert. I would recommend that plastic bags in the supermarkets are sold and not given away for free in order to reduce the consumption. Of course for tourism and also in private households a lot of water is consumed. It should be worked on concepts to use less water. For example use more water flow controllers. Use lawn that does not need a lot of water, especially for golf courses.