Community Built for Foreigners in Dubai to Be Torn Down
2021-11-14
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1Jebel Ali Village, in Dubai, is a group of homes built in the late 1970s for European port workers.
2It has largely stayed the same over the years.
3Foreign residents still walk along quiet roads and play games at the clubhouse, a kind of gathering place.
4But now, large building machines are coming to tear the buildings down.
5Nakheel, the state-owned developer of Dubai's famous palm-shaped islands, is seeking to build a new gated community of costly two-story homes known as villas.
6Residents found 12-month eviction notices on their doors.
7An eviction notice is a document that tells someone to leave a place.
8Amanda James' British father first moved the family to Jebel Ali village in 1984.
9James, age 53, recently told The Associated Press, "I arrived here during the Iran-Iraq War. I stayed through both Gulf wars. ... We've had three generations. There's a history of people growing up, meeting each other, having their families right here."
10In response to an Associated Press request for comment, Nakheel said it informed the residents of its plans and has met all legal requirements.
11"We recognize Jebel Ali Village's importance to Dubai's history and its residents and, for this reason, have taken the decision to redevelop the community to preserve and enhance its longevity for many more generations to come," the company said.
12 It argued that the planned pools, parks, sports courts and bike paths would bring residents together in new ways.
13During the 1970s, American and European employees of international oil companies moved to towns in the Persian Gulf.
14The foreigners, known as expats, lived with their families in communities across the area.
15Dubai did not have much oil, but used what it had to build Jebel Ali, the area's first major shipping center.
16Dutch and British port workers moved into houses nearby.
17As the neighborhood grew, a school opened.
18So did other places where residents met to tell stories over food and drinks.
19Donna Dickinson, a 40-year-old from Norfolk, England, spent her teenage years in the village.
20She moved back with her family last year "to replicate for my children the childhood that I had."
21"That sense of community is quite unique to this place," Dickinson said.
22Unique is a term that is used to describe something that is unlike anything else.
23"When you're an expat, having a sort of history to a place is quite a difficult thing," Dickinson said, as her 7-year-old son played nearby.
24Cory Rhodes is a 43-year-old community resident from the American state of Oregon.
25His home serves as his place of business as well as a home school for his daughter.
26Rhodes told the AP he is sad that the housing development is going away.
27"The emotional feeling you get from living here -you're just not going to get it anywhere else," he said.
28Amanda James wonders if Dubai may lose more than it gains by removing Jebel Ali Village.
29"My hope is that young people today don't think Dubai is Disneyland - because it's not," she said. "It had so much depth."
30I'm John Russell.
1Jebel Ali Village, in Dubai, is a group of homes built in the late 1970s for European port workers. 2It has largely stayed the same over the years. Foreign residents still walk along quiet roads and play games at the clubhouse, a kind of gathering place. 3But now, large building machines are coming to tear the buildings down. 4Nakheel, the state-owned developer of Dubai's famous palm-shaped islands, is seeking to build a new gated community of costly two-story homes known as villas. 5Residents found 12-month eviction notices on their doors. An eviction notice is a document that tells someone to leave a place. 6Amanda James' British father first moved the family to Jebel Ali village in 1984. James, age 53, recently told The Associated Press, "I arrived here during the Iran-Iraq War. I stayed through both Gulf wars. ... We've had three generations. There's a history of people growing up, meeting each other, having their families right here." 7In response to an Associated Press request for comment, Nakheel said it informed the residents of its plans and has met all legal requirements. 8"We recognize Jebel Ali Village's importance to Dubai's history and its residents and, for this reason, have taken the decision to redevelop the community to preserve and enhance its longevity for many more generations to come," the company said. It argued that the planned pools, parks, sports courts and bike paths would bring residents together in new ways. 9During the 1970s, American and European employees of international oil companies moved to towns in the Persian Gulf. The foreigners, known as expats, lived with their families in communities across the area. 10Dubai did not have much oil, but used what it had to build Jebel Ali, the area's first major shipping center. Dutch and British port workers moved into houses nearby. As the neighborhood grew, a school opened. So did other places where residents met to tell stories over food and drinks. 11Donna Dickinson, a 40-year-old from Norfolk, England, spent her teenage years in the village. She moved back with her family last year "to replicate for my children the childhood that I had." 12"That sense of community is quite unique to this place," Dickinson said. Unique is a term that is used to describe something that is unlike anything else. 13"When you're an expat, having a sort of history to a place is quite a difficult thing," Dickinson said, as her 7-year-old son played nearby. 14Cory Rhodes is a 43-year-old community resident from the American state of Oregon. His home serves as his place of business as well as a home school for his daughter. 15Rhodes told the AP he is sad that the housing development is going away. "The emotional feeling you get from living here -you're just not going to get it anywhere else," he said. 16Amanda James wonders if Dubai may lose more than it gains by removing Jebel Ali Village. 17"My hope is that young people today don't think Dubai is Disneyland - because it's not," she said. "It had so much depth." 18I'm John Russell. 19Isabel Debre reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 20_____________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place 23preserve -- v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition 24enhance - v. to increase or improve (something) 25longevity - n. the length of time that something or someone lasts or continues 26replicate - v. formal: to repeat or copy (something) exactly