Posts and work related to the GCC and Middle Eastern regions.
On my recent visit to Dubai, I found another Brownfield site (abandoned development might be more accurate) where some interesting natural regeneration is occurring. Like most such places, it is presumably awaiting redevelopment. This particular area is located in Bur Dubai, next to Creek Park. If you’ve read any of my older posts, you will
Last month (January 2026) I visited, for the first time, Al Mushrif park, on the outskirts of Dubai. I’ve passed it many times on my various visits, but this time I went straight there from the airport in my hired car, having arrived early morning, with the day to myself. I’d left a cold, drizzly
Mangroves are increasingly recognised in the Gulf region for their importance as unique ecosystems, protective coastal buffers and carbon sinks. However, there is a limited focus on how mangroves (referred to collectively as “mangal”) connect with land ecology, especially where they grow alongside cities. Although traditional parks and urban plantings may sit alongside mangroves, these
This article was originally published in March 2020, and updated here July 2025 This is the third in a four-part series. In previous articles (links at the bottom), I discussed the spontaneous regeneration of brownfield sites in the UAE and the utilisation of seeded landscapes to create semi-natural ecosystems without irrigation. Another factor of these
This article first appeared in Landscape Middle East magazine, in May 2025, worded slightly differently. There is a new opportunity arising within landscape/urban design, of delivering Nature Based Solutions (NBS or NbS) to both our urban and rural landscapes. The design of urban parks, commercial developments and streetscapes need an uplift to become ‘ecosystem communities’
Urban greening contributes a lot of benefits to the fabric and quality of life in an city environment, and the vertical plane is often the most readily available and underutilised space. Trees are fantastic and as a designer and consulting arborist, I will extol their virtues all day long, but viable root volume is often
First published in Landscape Middle East magazine, September 2024 (with different title). If there is one thing that makes being outdoors bearable in an urban arid environment, it is trees. It can be up to 20°C cooler in the direct shade of a tree, whilst a street with trees planted along it will be several
As we are again beset by storms and high winds, which will bring another bout of tree loss, it seems a good time to think about the reaction of trees, once they are wind thrown. We assume that’s it; end game, but the tree knows better and will regenerate if it can – and if
This article was published in Landscape Middle East magazine in January 2024. In light of the recent severe storms and floods in the UAE, I thought it would be timely to post this here. How we treat soil and irrigate trees has a big effect on how resilient trees are in resisting damage from such
On this last day of the year, it’s wet and dull outside, so I thought I’d look back at some of the amazing trees I’ve had the privilege to encounter this year whilst visiting and working in the UAE. Some of these I have worked directly with, surveying them as part of a project or
