The square that surrounds Al Markaziyah’s Ali bin Mushid mosque is already packed with children playing football, gossiping maids and packs of feral kittens by the time Hazrat Uddin arrives to perform his daily balancing act.
Uddin’s feat, which the Pakistani performs unnoticed each evening amid the neighbourhood’s bins, substations and neon-lit alleyways, involves a Flying Pigeon and kilograms of cardboard.
The Flying Pigeon is Uddin’s trusty Chinese bicycle, which he rides with the confidence and precision of a high wire artist between the parked cars packed in the betel-stained backstreets among Abu Dhabi’s Liwa, Lulu and Khalifa Streets and the manicured Corniche.
The cardboard consists of many oversized stacks of collapsed boxes, like giant jigsaw pieces, that are bound together with string and clasped, vice-like, to the side of Uddin’s bike.
Like kabariwalas across South Asia, Uddin makes money from the things we no longer want, collecting objects that can be recycled, reused or sold on at a profit, with a speed and efficiency that is the envy of most municipalities.
But despite his skills, Uddin’s is a life in the shadows. Renumerated rather than appreciated, tolerated but unnoticed, by day he works in an office and at night he enters the world of waste, an operative of the kind of “informal urbanism” upon which cities have always depended.
For the Indian poverty campaigner Sheela Patel, the fact that modern city governments and planning authorities continue to ignore “informal urbanism” in their master plans is a fact that is as unjust as it is short-sighted.
“We’ve always dealt with the formal city. We forget that that formality is serviced by the informal sector,” Patel explained at the recent CityLab 2015 conference in London.
“There is lots of excitement about digital mapping technologies and big data at the moment but when planning comes into a city it never acknowledges informality,” said Patel, founder of the Bombay-based Sparc, the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres, which campaigns for the rights of the city’s street dwellers.
Patel was joined at the CityLab conference by the campaigner and environmentalist Sunita Narain, who cited the example of kabariwalas such as Uddin as evidence of a culturally-appropriate approach to an alternative model for urban life.
“We don’t value them because we are so fascinated with what the developed world is doing. We don’t look at what we already have and what could be rejuvenated to deal with the [urban] situation we face.”
For Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, in New Delhi, the use of western models of city thinking are inappropriate for the complexities of urban life in the Global South.“We do not have a model of urbanisation that is appropriate for our world ... We need to understand that if India wants smart cities, which is what government is talking about, we need to find a model of urbanisation that is appropriate not for the rich of our cities but for the poor. Unless urbanisation is affordable, it will not be sustainable.”
The value of Abu Dhabi’s informal urbanism will be one of the topics for discussion on Saturday, Nov. 21 during “Design Lab: An Instant Urban Phenomenon”, a panel discussion that is being chaired by the UAE University-based architect and academic Yasser Elsheshtawy, as part of Abu Dhabi Art.
An expert on urbanism in the Arabian Gulf who was recently selected as curator for the UAE National Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, Elsheshtawy’s research was the subject of a recent exhibition, “Little Bangladesh – Mapping Abu Dhabi”, held at New York University in Manhattan.
Elsheshtawy conducted the research under the auspices of Find (Forming Intersections and Dialogues), a New York University Abu Dhabi initiative dedicated to exploring the relationships between people and the UAE’s urban and natural landscapes.
“It’s about looking at an alternative reading of the city that goes beyond traditional models,” the academic explains.
“People produce their own social spaces. It may not be that visible in Abu Dhabi but it does happen.”
Informed by the ideas of urban researchers such as William H Whyte, author of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, and architectural theorists such Jan Gehl and Kevin Lynch, Elsheshtawy's is a ground-up approach to urbanism that sees lessons and value in life as it is lived and in the everyday.
“You can see it in the way that children play in parking lots and in the informal mosques that you find inside Abu Dhabi’s super blocks,” Elsheshtawy says.
“It’s in the gardens that people plant in front of their stores and, most importantly, in the gathering sites that workers create on street corners.
“I’ve been trying to move beyond the notion of the city as a spectacle, of gleaming towers and fancy shopping malls, to understand that there is something else happening in this city.”
• Design Lab: An Instant Urban Phenomenon takes place November 21, 2015, at 3pm at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Nick Leech is a features writer at The National.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
