Having been something of a nomad recently, I’ve been on work trips to Lebanon and France, I decided to take a walk around my neighbourhood this week to reacquaint myself with the city and with 8th Street, which runs down one side of Umm Al Emarat Park.
Stretching between the Mary Mother of Jesus mosque and the low, bunker-like International School of Choueifat, 8th Street is lined with ramshackle houses and overshadowed by the cooling shade of shaggy fan palms, Australian eucalypts and thorny jujubes, whose uncut canopies lie full and low over the pavement, forcing me out into the road.
Where the footpath is visible, the residents of 8th street have ripped up the paving stones to create vegetable plots filled with blooming okra, tomatoes and all sorts of salad and every wall, roof and balcony is festooned with trailing and climbing plants that cascade from home-made containers and recycled pots.
While the ducks and the geese that cross my path might not be to everyone's liking, there's a ramshackle, green-fingered anarchy here that immediately makes me feel welcome, even though I am no longer a resident, and a quiet reclamation of the streets reminds me of the Parisian événements of May 1968.
Back then, revolutionary graffiti proclaimed, "Under the pavement, the beach”, but the guerrilla gardeners of 8th Street could just as easily claim: "under the pavement, the plot."
By growing their own food in the street and letting their gardens run wild, the residents here have created a sense of community that's often absent from Abu Dhabi’s more manicured neighbourhoods and my walk is punctuated by their smiles of recognition and by children playing outside.
8th Street is also where I brought my first daughter back to after she’d been born, to a 3-room, 3-windowed apartment that constantly wanted for light but was just the right size for bewildered and exhausted new parents, whose thoughts were never very far from sleep.
Looking back now I find it difficult to believe that I lived here – many of the houses appear derelict even though they are not - but at the same time I also cannot believe I ever moved away.
With its warm, homemade humanity and even its chickens, 8th Street is a model of informal urbanism, a place that is clearly loved and inhabited with pride, the kind of street that Abu Dhabi’s architects and planners would do well to learn from but which is more likely to be viewed with dismay.
By the criteria that are used to judge Abu Dhabi’s modern developments, 8th Street isn’t a success, it’s actually more of a slum, but that ultimately it depends upon your perspective and whether you value tidy pavements over home-grown vegetables or having somewhere to play. Until it gets beautified, 8th Street will remain a place where everyone is included in the city’s conversation and in its celebration, which makes for a perfect welcome home.
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Read more of Nick's columns:
If you can't beat the UAE heat, your children may be able to help you out
Why my travel broadens other minds
A chance meeting with an old friend allows us to reflect on our lives
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Company%20profile
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Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Company%20Profile
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Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Company%20Profile
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Not Dark Yet
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Four stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5