HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, visited the Future Cities Show 2017 to review the innovative projects on display

HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, visited the inaugural edition of the Future Cities Show, on Tuesday April 4th, to review the innovative projects presented at the show, which serves UAE vision for sustainable and happy future cities.

HE Al Zeyoudi commended the show’s role in promoting the sustainable culture and appreciated the positive and innovative practices which will help design and build the future cities, and face the climate challenges to guarantee safety and happiness for next generations.

HE Al Zeyoudi noted that UAE, inspired by the wise vision of its leadership, aims to be the most effective country in the region and across the world for strategic future planning involving economic, environmental and development growth. HE Al Zeyoudi also referred to 'The UAE Centennial 2071’ which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which aims to make the UAE the best country in the world. The comprehensive government programme aims to help UAE diversify its income resources to be the number one country in the world by 2071.

Sustainability and innovation has been the centre of focus on the third and final day of the inaugural edition of ‘Future Cities Show’ 2017 in Dubai, UAE. Dubai has been named as the region’s most sustainable city, by Construction Consultancy Arcadis. The company has placed Dubai 52nd in its 2016 Sustainable Cities Index, which was compiled by the Centre for Economic and Business Research.  

The third day of the Future Cities Show observed a presentation by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development highlighting ‘How smart technologies are changing in the UAE road network’. The presentation focused the new and smart applications used by the Ministry on the federal roads.

“The Ministry of Infrastructure Development aims to increase the safety and security for the public using the road network through the use of smart technologies. Currently, the Ministry uses and implements several smart technologies such as ’cold asphalt’, ‘asphalt recycling’ and ‘Nano’ technology. These technologies help increase the asphalt age by more than five years as compared to the traditional methods. In addition, using asphalt recycling reduces the cost by 35 per cent, and also decreases the execution time,” said Eng. Ahmed Abdallah Alhammadi Director of Road Department, Ministry of Infrastructure Development.

“One of the most remarkable benefits of using smart technologies is to reduce carbon emissions on the roads which help achieve the desired environmental sustainable development. In addition, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development also implements numerous innovative initiatives on the federal roads. One such initiatives is ’’The smart tower initiative’ which merges all the smart control devices, such as screens, cameras, speed control devices, fog detectors, in one device, which leads to improved efficiency and enhanced sustainability,” added Alhammadi.

“We are delighted with the success the inaugural edition of the Future Cities show has witnessed. As the world is moving towards a technological revolution, the sustainability agenda is of particular importance. As such we placed a strong emphasis on supporting a sustainable future at the Future Cities Show which set the stage for scaled-up action on best environmental practices and better luxury for the residents of these cities,” said Dawood Al Shezawi, Chairman of Strategic and Head of the organisation committee of the Future Cities Show.

It is noted that by 2030, 60 per cent of the world’s population is expected to live in smart-cities equipped with all luxuries and fast fashion. However, a city can be defined as smart only when it can fuel sustainable economic development. As sustainability is becoming a predominant concern in our society, leading building experts, city developers and architects put spotlight on the sustainability required for setting up smart cities at the third and final day of the show which was inaugurated on Sunday April 2nd in Dubai World Trade Centre.  

Experts and business leaders along other attendees of the Future Cities Show drew an effective roadmap for achieving their corresponding countries’ infrastructure targets in a financially and environmentally sustainable way as the biggest policymakers and leading lights of the public and private sector delve into the core issues to build the future cities from all the technological, environmental and economic aspects. Experts discussed policies and codes that are required to encourage sustainability in the country and in the region. They highlighted challenges faced by investors and consultants in implementing sustainable designs and outlined policies for green and sustainable buildings.

“Innovation is the corner stone in building the future cities. The cities we aspire to build will have the latest technologies, green buildings, and advanced infrastructure that use renewable energy solutions. To achieve these objectives, we need to have innovative ideas, initiatives and projects to help increase efficiency. With that being said, Dubai proved once more that it is the right place to host Future Cities Show as it is widely considered the capital of the international innovation, and the premier supporter of all the ideas that try to find solution for the current challenges,” said Al Shezawi.

Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the show was supported by strategic partners as Dubai Land Department, Federal Transport Authority-Land and Maritime, Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme and the Sustainable City. 

The final day of the show witnessed many activities, conferences, and workshops focusing on sustainability and innovation in the future cities such as ‘Costs of Building Zero Energy Projects in GCC’, ’New Engineering and Smart Technologies Shaping Future Cities’, ’Wasteful Energy in Food Waste’ and ’Harnessing Waste Energy from Landfills’.

In its three days, the show has attracted experts, city developers, architects and investors from all over the world. It has provided them an opportunity to show their innovations as it highlighted dimensions of future cities. The show also featured futuristic designs that can help generate energy, preserve electricity and water consumption up to the latest international sustainable standards.