Dubai, the sustainable, smart city

Abstract

Over the years, Dubai − UAE has achieved undoubtedly fascinating development in city styles and construction. The desert has been transferred to an advanced modern city with the tallest buildings in a considerable time. It has always encouraged achieving healthy and sustainable development in all sectors, explicitly building construction. It has and still working towards maintaining the balance between socio-economic development and environmental protection. It has been announced and put within the national vision that it is of priority for the Government to transform Dubai into a smart city with an eco-friendly economy. This is under the aim to make it the most sustainable city in the world by 2021. The other Emirates are also trying to build their own fully sustainable cities. A sustainable plan is “a building that reduces its environmental impact by decreasing energy and water use and reducing the waste production. Dubai's Green Building Regulations and Specifications encourage all contractors to build toward an eco-friendlier tomorrow, maintaining the future cohorts without negatively impacting the resident's health. It covers a wide range of topics related to green building design, including ecology planning, building vitality, resource efficiency in energy, water, materials, and waste management. Dubai has made the environment a part of its overall strategic plan, including many sub-plans, initiatives, and projects to improve the emirate's environmental conditions and reduce energy use. Dubai's strategic plan to become a green metropolis includes green buildings and green building materials. The difficulties that sustainable urban development presents are considerable. They are working on various techniques to lead today's urbanisation toward sustainability, including urban planning, transportation infrastructure, quality of life, and renewable energy use, to name a few. Green construction and green towns are part of a long-term national drive in the UAE to promote a green economy with the tagline “A green economy for sustainable development”. This paper is highlighting the advanced initiatives, technologies, materials, strategies, difficulties and challenges that Dubai has been through to achieve sustainable smart city goals.