Comment by habosa

I just went to Dubai for the first time ... one thing about Dubai is they can still build fast. All of Downtown Dubai was built in about a decade and it is really something. Tallest building in the world, largest mall in the world, multiple huge public spaces and many luxury hotels and residential buildings. All built in the 2000s in the shadow of the financial crisis.

And what they're doing for the upcoming 2020 Dubai Expo is equally mind blowing.

Before the downvotes come: I know it's an autocracy and the building labor practices are questionable. But many achievements on the list are subject to those caveats so it deserves mentioning.