BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)

With climate-conscious infrastructure, inclusive design, and data-driven governance, the UAE is setting new regional benchmarks for how cities can serve both ambition and humanity.

During the second day of the third edition of the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Summit, The Smart City Blueprint session featured insights from some of the UAE’s most forward-thinking leaders in urban planning, technology, and sustainability.

Abdulla Mohamed Al Blooshi, Acting Director General of the Urban Planning and Permits Centre at the Department of Municipalities and Transport, underscored the critical role of data in smart city operations.

He explained how Abu Dhabi has started integrating data from transportation and urban infrastructure to manage congestion and respond to community needs.

“The UAE is actively shifting the way cities are designed and managed,” Al Blooshi said during the session, whether through smart transportation systems, digital twins that allow full 3D visualisation of infrastructure, or building facades and underground pipelines.

Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO and Vice Chairman of BEEAH Group, shared how his company’s journey from waste management to smart city development reflects broader shifts in the UAE’s climate agenda.

With operations spanning the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, BEEAH has become a regional benchmark for landfill diversion, achieving a 93% diversion rate in Sharjah - the highest in the Middle East.

Al Huraimel highlighted the upcoming Khalid Bin Sultan City - a sustainable, mixed-use city being developed in Sharjah.

According to Al Huraimel, the city will feature digital IDs for residents, seamless service integration, renewable energy, and future-ready mobility infrastructure.

“This signals a deeper integration of environmental thinking into city planning, where sustainability is embedded in both design and lifestyle,” he said.

Ahmed Baghoum, CEO of Masdar City, presented Masdar as a real-world example of sustainable urbanism in action. Established in 2006, Masdar City now houses more than 25,000 residents and workers, over 1,800 companies in its innovation-free zone, and pioneering institutions like the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

According to Baghoum, 10 buildings in the city are already certified as net-zero, with new developments under construction aimed at expanding office space and co-working ecosystems.

He emphasised that building a smart city is not only about innovation, but about strong public-private coordination.

The third edition of the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Summit opened on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, setting the stage for global dialogue on urgent climate solutions through innovation, policy, and public-private collaboration.