{"product_id":"castles-in-the-sand-9780786477609","title":"Castles in the Sand","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Michael Cameron Dempsey\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: McFarland \u0026amp; Co Inc\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: McFarland \u0026amp; Co Inc\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Abu Dhabi--an obscure Middle Eastern principality that happens to be the richest city in the world. This book tells the story of Abu Dhabi's ambitions to transform itself from a sleepy sheikhdom into a thriving international metropolis and a hub of business and leisure. It traces Abu Dhabi's boom years from 2009 to 2011 from the perspective of a Westerner working for the Urban Planning Council, the government agency that planned and coordinated all of the massive development activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eCastles in the Sand\u003c\/i\u003e explores the drastic changes in Abu Dhabi's built environment, where entire islands are forested with skyscrapers and billions of dollars in infrastructure are spent on a whim--while recounting the disorienting experience of an outsider encountering a society in which foreigners outnumber locals nine to one and modernity clashes head-on with centuries of embedded tradition. General readers will find a broad introduction to Abu Dhabi, and architects and planners will gain a firsthand glimpse inside an unprecedented experiment in city-building.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Co Inc","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45608229142679,"sku":"9780786477609","price":2837.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780786477609.webp?v=1767182188","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/castles-in-the-sand-9780786477609","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}