The Abnormal Population Growth and Urban Sprawl of an Arabian Gulf City: The Case of Abu Dhabi City

Abstract

Abu Dhabi \nis the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The capital went through a radical \ntransformation from a nomadic settlement before the 70’s of the 20th century to a metropolis that \nranked as the world’s fourth \nfavorite city in 2013. It became “the safest city in the world” for the fourth time \nin January 2020. Abu Dhabi and other Arabian Gulf cities have evolved rapidly in \nthe second half of the 20th century, due to investment of oil and gas revenues. Abu \nDhabi’s population \nhas been growing significantly at an average annual rate of 5.2% during the last \ntwo decades. To this end, the total \npopulation of the city has grown rapidly by 1000% over the last 42 years. According \nto the first census conducted in 1975, the total population of Abu Dhabi was 120,000 inhabitants, \nwhich increased in 2019 to more than 1.3 million. This increase makes Abu Dhabi’s population one of the fastest growing cities in the world in terms of annual population \ngrowth rate. Abu Dhabi city is a good example of a rapidly developing city. Until \n1969 the city was characterized by its slow-growth economy. Its population lived \nin traditional houses made of palm fronds with poor infrastructure. The rapid development \nof the city transformed Abu Dhabi from a small \npoor and isolated fishing village into a global financial and leisure center. \nIts built-up area increased from only 54 square kilometers in 1975 to 758 square \nkilometers in 2019. This rapid spread (1300% in 44 years) makes the city one of \nthe fastest growing cities in the world. The researcher applied the topical approach with the use of analytical and cartographic techniques to reach \nthe aims of the study to understand the issue of population growth and its effect \non urban sprawl in Abu Dhabi city during the period 1960 to 2019 which has been \nfuelled by economic growth and technological advancements.