DUBAI — The Smart Cities Council on Saturday rolled out a roadmap for smart cities at a Smart Cities Readiness Workshop in collaboration with the Dubai Real Estate Institute and Bechtel.



Urbanization is a key driver towards smarter cities. By 2050, over 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas.  Dubai has embraced plans to become one of the smartest cities on the planet.  The Smart Dubai project is aimed at embracing innovation to make Dubai one of the best-connected cities in the world.



Studies show that smart cities use up to 40% less water and 30% less energy while delivering greater efficiencies at reduced costs. Reports also show that we are becoming smart citizens. Mobile phone users are demanding more services and information such as traffic volumes or energy use data and in this way are helping cities to grow smarter. The GCC is well positioned to maximize on its young, highly educated and well-connected population to drive the transformation to smart cities. With over 70% of the region’s population under the age of 34, studies show a sizeable increase in mobile government services in the Middle East region, which today represents 24% of the global m-gov services, and the GCC countries taking center stage representing over 85% of the region’s m-gov services.



Governments are clearly integrating smart services across some of their infrastructures, including transport, building technology and government services.



Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, called on all government entities to deliver their services to the public through mobile phones and devices, setting the stage for the transformation to m-Government as part of a more comprehensive drive towards smarter cities.



“Dubai is at the forefront of the smart city evolution that is transforming the way in which we live and work in cities,” said Jesse Berst, Chairman of Smart Cities Council. “By harnessing technology to implement smart systems across the city infrastructure, Dubai is well positioned to be one of the smartest cities on the planet.”



Jim Denton-Brown, a workshop speaker and Manager of Planning and Smart Cities at Bechtel, said: “Amidst the growing challenges of urbanization, shifting demographics and rapid technology changes, cities are recognizing the need to adopt a more holistic, long-term approach to planning.  Smart cities such as Dubai are moving from incremental updates to a system-wide approach to infrastructure investment, whilst embracing the power of new technologies to achieve their long-term ambitions.”



The workshop offers an interactive and practical session focused on implementing a roadmap to becoming a smarter city. Participants include international experts in planning, infrastructure, finance and technology. The workshop follows the framework of the Smart Cities Council Readiness Guide, a practical roadmap addressing city infrastructure growth strategies. The roadmap started with an assessment of a city’s unique issues and characteristics.  It moved onto technology plans, mapping out each element relevant to the implementation of improvements in transport, water and other infrastructure systems.  It concluded with the identification of milestones to mark progress and key performance metrics for cities to measure success. — SG