Future visions for sustainability in Abu Dhabi and Dubai outlined

DUBAI // Less traffic and more community areas focused on sustainability and the environment were some of the main features in the future visions of Abu Dhabi and Dubai as smart cities.

But streets, pavements and residential areas will have to be evaluated to be able to accommodate the necessary changes.

“They have to be reviewed, as roads were built for other purposes rather than walking or cycling, 40 years ago,” said Falah Al Ahbabi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council.

“The future of the city of Abu Dhabi and its vision is to create a sustainable city where services are constantly answering the problems of citizens; citizens are happy, transport is sustainable, and we will have private vehicles that will cover part of transportation.

“We are also focusing on the environment, including marine life and wildlife.”

He said that although technology changes every three to four years, suitable infrastructure was put in place to benefit future smart cities.

“One of our goals is to have developed streets, from pavements to public transport,” said Mr Al Ahbabi. “We want harmony between the environment, the city and its streets, and we wanted to provide all services in no more than 10 seconds.”

According to the United Nations, 70 per cent of the world population will be living in cities by 2030. Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have ranked high in providing smart services to their residents, but more needs to be done to improve living conditions.

“There is a preference for grid systems like in New York, Abu Dhabi and Portland,” said Mr Ahbabi. “It helps with ease of transport and walking around. Transport and infrastructure are essential and we cannot neglect entry and exit points, so there should always be a specific plan and structure.”

He said it would be beneficial if residents were to adopt public transport almost exclusively.

“Cities cannot continue with only highways, tunnels and bridges during the next 10 years,” he said. “So it’s very important to focus on this to ensure the city’s sustainability. Today our objective is to achieve liveable cities so we have to reorganise traffic for that objective, to help the elderly and children in the coming 10 to 15 years.”

The scenario is similar in Dubai. Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said: “Sustainability is an essential element to shifting to a smart city.

“Humans used to do everything with their own hands at first. Then there was machinery and man became the operator, while in the future, men will be in the final ranks and the smart systems will manage people’s lives. Men will start focusing on innovation, creation and outside the common space we live in.”

But the city will need reshaping through its infrastructure to meet development needs.

“We have to go into laws and regulations to limit the number of cars in the streets,” Mr Lootah said. “We need to focus on communities. Some companies provide buses for their employees, while some housing units can be placed closer to work.”

Studies are needed into the projected age of the population and the needs of the elderly, children and those with special needs.

“We have to build a database,” he said. “We cannot undertake a lot of smart activities and planning if we don’t have a proper database as it is the main tool for any system today.”