Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
The UAE’s cities should continue to grow and modernise without losing the heritage, identity and cultural character that make people feel connected to them, Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Culture, said during LIVEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi.
In his opening keynote, Al Qassimi said infrastructure can make cities function, but culture shapes how people experience them, how communities form and how places are remembered.
He said the UAE’s cities are among the most advanced in the world while continuing to reflect the country’s history, culture and national identity. “Cities of the future will be measured not only by their infrastructure, but by their cultural character,” he said.
A central part of that effort is preserving the UAE’s modern architectural heritage, which reflects cultural values across generations and contributes to collective memory, Al Qassimi added.
The Ministry of Culture has introduced the National Policy for the Preservation of Modern Architectural Heritage and the National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage, documenting and protecting buildings and sites associated with the country’s development from the 1960s onwards, according to the Minister.
He noted that more than 170 architectural heritage sites have also been listed on local registers, strengthening their protection.
“These places do more than just preserve their past, they contribute to our collective memory and shape a unique spirit of place,” Al Qassimi said.
He added that heritage should also support creativity and economic development, with the UAE positioning cultural and creative industries as drivers of sustainable urban growth.
He also emphasised that Investment in culture can support capital, innovation and the creative economy.
The Minister highlighted the UAE’s presence in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, including Abu Dhabi as a Creative City of Music, Dubai in Design and Sharjah in Crafts and Folk Art.
“Let us continue to build dynamic cities that reflect our communities and create new opportunities for generations to come,” he said, adding that the cities being built today will become the cultural legacy of tomorrow.
The keynote was followed by a panel titled “You cannot build culture. You have to mean it.”
The discussion brought together Shatha Al Mulla, Assistant Undersecretary for the National Identity and Arts Sector at the Ministry of Culture, Professor Adrian Lahoud, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and RCA x RUA Consultancy Project Director, Bjarke Ingels, architect and founder of BIG, and Bill Bragin, Executive Artistic Director of The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Al Mulla said culture is not defined only by museums, concert halls or cultural institutions, but also by the “soft infrastructure” of a city, how people use spaces, behave within them and develop shared habits and norms.
She said culture is both inherited and continually created, and is central to building belonging and attachment.
Al Mulla added that heritage and future development should not be treated as competing priorities.
The wider panel focused on how authenticity, density, cultural diversity and inclusive public spaces can help cities develop a distinctive identity.
Together, the speakers argued that culture cannot simply be added once a city has been built, but needs to remain embedded in how places develop, how communities use them and how people come to identify with them.
