The city of Dubai has its origins along the Creek and has continued to expand since the arrival of the Al Maktoum family in 1833. In recent years, the Dubai Creek has seen the effects of extensive development in the outer rings of the city, moving higher income earners to new housing estates in its outer suburbs. As a result, the old city centre has slowly lost its residents and decreased in vitality over time.

Village Well was commissioned by Sama Dubai on the first of three stages of work, which included the development of a detailed Placemaking Strategy for the Dubai Creek Revitalisation Project. The Village Well team visited the site a number of times at different times of the day and week over different months. The objective of these sites visits was to map out the areas and capture information on their physical aspects, social connections and patterns of movement. Extensive research of existing literature including web searches, travel guides, printed publications, local media and government material was further conducted to fill any gaps and to understand the perception of the sites.

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Extensive market research was conducted to ensure the whole of the Dubai Creek community had been considered in the research findings. An online survey, workshops, interviews and behaviour mapping was undertaken. The information collated and synthesised provided data for future work. It was used to create a coherent and relevant story for each of the five precincts identified along the Dubai Creek, and gave a fresh view to analyse the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the area.