10.17192/meta.2019.12.7935 Verdeil, Eric Eric Verdeil Arab Sustainable Urbanism: Worlding Strategies, Local Struggles Middle East - Topics + Arguments : Vol 12 (2019) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2019 Megaprojects Arab Cities Rentier States Climate Change Green Urbanism Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) 2019-07-03 2019-06-25 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2019/230/7935 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0003-2019-230-79359 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2019/230/7935/7935.png 2196-629X application/pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Unlike many metropolises that use green urbanism as a worlding strategy, Arab cities seem reluctant to embark on ambitious schemes addressing sustainability issues. To explain this situation, the article highlights three arguments. Firstly, as state-led governance prioritizes social stability, existing green plans have been scrapped in the face of political threats. Second, large, allegedly sustainable projects such as Masdar should not hide ongoing unsustainable urbanization features. Thirdly, the dominant framings of sustainability tend to focus on global issues (greenhouse gas emissions and low carbon energy), hence neglecting local claims for sustainability that do not fit into global environmental narratives. 2196-629X Middle East - Topics + Arguments Vol 12 (2019)