Built to last: How to design cities that serve generations the Abu Dhabi way

In the current era of urbanisation and climate change and its impact, cities are supposed to be built to last long and be resilient and not just retrofit.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the second most populous with a population of 4.14 million people as of 2024, is among the cities that have been able to plan long-term.

Retrofitting cities means upgrading existing buildings, infrastructure and systems (like energy, water, transport) to be more sustainable, efficient, resilient and healthier.

It means avoiding demolition and new construction to cut emissions, save resources and improve urban life.

It involves strategies from simple Light-Emitting Diode (LED) upgrades to complex precinct-wide overhauls, integrating new technologies, improving insulation, adding green spaces and adapting to climate change, while preserving heritage.

According to the chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, Mohammed Shorafa, the principles guiding city design are based on the exchange of knowledge and experiences with leading cities around the world.

“It enables us to really shape the growth of Abu Dhabi City with a much more future-focused vision, while we still try to build enough flexibility to be able to adapt to challenges and opportunities moving forward,” said Shorofa, during a panel discussion at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week dubbed, Built To Last: Rethinking How We Design Cities.

“That approach is becoming a lot stronger through our global relations and partnerships. Abu Dhabi's cooperation agreements that were recently established with cities such as Seoul, Shenzhen, Brisbane, which have enabled us to share knowledge and expertise, experiences and practices across multiple aspects of urban priorities.”

He said it is becoming the main driver of how they can manage and maintain the growth of the city as they move forward.

The important role of technology from data platforms to smart mobility and how it's reshaping urban design has also been a big tool, not just as an add-on, but as a foundation for more efficient, livable and resilient cities.

“Today, Abu Dhabi heavily relies on important technologies that would enable us to really take things to the next level. We have just recently launched a platform that heavily relies on artificial intelligence (AI), we call it Binaa digital platform,” said Shorafa.

“The platform enables us to conduct initial review and screening of designs. Such implementation has enabled us to reduce a lot of non-added value activities, speed up the process of getting those designs reviewed and increase the accuracy of that review by almost 70 per cent."

This, he noted, has played a huge role in making sure that technology today is becoming the main driver of how they're going to be promoting operational efficiency, making sure that their design and development of the city is done based on the best standards and in alignment with the government directions.

On how they balance the need to deliver housing and infrastructure at speed amid the growing population, he said it is a big challenge that they have approached by first acknowledging that slowing down is not an option.

“The way we do this is we make sure we identify the right information to ensure that our planning and forecasting are done right. And then we also heavily rely on the community members, whether it be residents, individuals, businesses, to make sure that we future-proof the design and development of the city of Abu Dhabi,” said Shorofa.

“We try to strike the right balance between having a solid plan that will enable me to make sure that I have the right resources when needed, but also have enough built-in flexibility to manoeuvre around the changes, differences and challenges that happen.”

This has enabled them to have environmentally sustainable, solid projects based on the best standards. They also wanted to make sure they manage the expectations of people by involving them and making decisions that improve their quality of life.

This is unlike in Nairobi City, where a building will come out within an area without even the knowledge of the residents, thus affecting their daily lives.

It is for this reason that some estates in Nairobi have formed residents' associations to oppose such practices.

However, their efforts have sometimes been hindered by rogue developers, who bribe county officials and continue with construction to completion.

“We actually involve them in initiatives and campaigns, not only to plan the city but also to help us to maintain the different aspects of managing that city. And that enables them to feel empowered, to be the main driver of everything that we do at the Department of Municipality and Transport,” he said.

On how success would look like for Abu Dhabi's urban development and what decisions made today will matter the most in getting there, he said success is defined by building on the strength that they have already established.

“One of the most successful components that we initiated back in 2023 was coming up with a livability strategy, which makes sure that people have all of their basic needs within walking distance,” said Shorofa.

"All of the other needs are available within a very specific proximity, just to make sure as the city grows, it becomes scalable, it continues to meet the expectations of people. So that's something that we were proud to have implemented, and we continue to build on as we move forward and that to us is how we measure our success.”

This, he said, even as they also make sure that they continue to have enough flexibility to be able to manoeuvre around the future changes that may come based on trends, changing directions and visions.