The world is full of cesspools...
...DXB is just a monied version of one. Why, oh why would you voluntarily aim to spend transit time there? At the least any of the Asian capitals afford the average traveller a double dip at another box tick on their once or twice lifetime journey.
I cannot imagine that Dubai will ever be anything more than a crossroads experience, albeit with good duty free. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot lead a horticulture.