Quote:
Originally Posted by KevininPhx
(no reason for a there to be there.)
I think Dubai has proved beyond a doubt that the way to create a great, thriving city is to take "no reason for there to be a there" and transform it by doing precisely what CG is hoping to do - giving people a reason to be there. You don't attract people to empty land. You build something first.
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Dubai is also a very very very very very wealthy Emirate (yes that is 5 verys). They are being very progressive and forward thinking, knowing that the wealth coming in from petroleum will not be permanent, and that their economy has to greatly diversify in order to maintain themselves as a thriving city and a significant player in the world market.
Dubai was already a there. It is an important port off the Straight of Hormuz, and has been an important trading post for ages. Not as important as it is now, but it always was a significant city-state in the Arabian peninsula. Now they have built a world class airport to assure themselves to become a major hub in transcontinental flights. They have built incredible infrastructure in order to become one of the next great economic world trade markets, and they have also invested greatly in bringing the top architects in the world to design museums, libraries, buildings, and everything also you can imagine to assure that once oil is gone, Dubai remains as a top tourist destination.
So no, Casa Grande is not Dubai. It doesn't have the money, it doesn't have the long term planning (one large project is not an overall long term shift), it doesn't have the leadership.This is just one project, and even if it does get built, it will not catapult Casa Grande to the world stage. Heck, probably not even to the American stage. The project's name is PhoenixMart, it is not trying to lift Casa Grande out of the dust, it is tying itself to a city that is an hour drive away.