The second edition of the Future Cities Show, takes place in Dubai, UAE, from April 9 – 11, 2018, sets the tone for smart cities through the three pillars – innovation, sustainability, happiness. Future Cities Show discusses and showcases the future of urban life. With a theme of achieving sustainability through innovations, the show presents the cities of the future by highlighting the latest and the most innovative technologies and solutions.
The activities at Future Cities Show are based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and adopted by 193 countries in September 2015. The show also incorporates the 10X Dubai directives which were set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The radical programme seeks to establish “X Labs” in every government entity and position Dubai 10 years ahead of the rest of the World.
Action-oriented engagement of the stakeholder in Dubai, UAE and worldwide is what Future Cities Show works for. In 2017 the FCS Network has been established to proactively seeks out societies thought leaders, provoking innovators and technological experts and puts them together to dig deeper into the nature of shaping a more smart and sustainable future and create happy societies.
“The Future Cities Show network and workshops are designed to build awareness on smart living within a sustainable futuristic urban environment,” Dawood Shezawi, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Future Cities Show, said. “A smart city means preparing the citizens of the future and the obstacles and opportunities that comes. That’s why FCS are relentlessly building bridges and closing knowledge gaps by bringing all the stakeholders together, and through the network find insights into cleaner and greener urban life.”
Sustainable living options on the discussion board
A recent workshop was done in collaboration with the Sustainable Energy Programs team at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) around their Autonomous Sustainable House, which is Dubai’s first passive house initiated on the 31st of August 2016.
The MBRSC’s passive house is certified by the Passive House Institute in Germany as the first-of-its-kind in a hot and humid climate. The smart technical and engineering solutions applied in the house, i.e. a cooling system based on chilled water, thermal and air insulation techniques in both directions, as well as a mechanical ventilation system, allow for energy savings of 75 per cent compared to typical houses that use conventional air conditioning. Also, the house includes a smart management and control system which interacts with external heat and humidity changes and monitors the house’s performance around the clock.
“The house adopts standards related to sustainability and environmental protection. It provides a new model in terms of insulation system, a smart management and control system, as well as mechanical techniques for air filtration,” Abdulla Ahli, Manager of Sustainable Energy Programme Section at MBRSC, said.
If developed on a mass scale, the United Arab Emirates can become a pioneer in passive housing as well as creating better living standards for the inhabitants. The number of passive houses has grown to more than 40,000 units worldwide, including 20,000 in Germany. The United Nations has expressly mentioned passive house buildings as a way to achieve significant energy savings in the building sector – that could help tackle climate change issues.
Co-creating functional smart cities
Earlier, Future Cities Show also held a workshop with the Leading Cities, a global think tank on smart cities and innovation. The workshop looked at how innovation in government and private sector plays an important role in co-creating functional smart cities. It also explored the various opportunities Dubai possesses in positioning itself as a center for smart city innovation.
Led by Michael Lake, President, the Leading Cities with its global network of world-class cities, has built bridges to share best practices, urban solutions and lessons learned among city leaders while breaking down barriers within cities by engaging each of the five sectors of the Quintuple-helix (Q-helix): Public, Private, Non-profit, Academia and Citizens.
Exhibiting excellence in sustainable waste management solutions in the region
Bee’ah, the Middle East’s fastest growing environmental management company, is supporting as a Silver Sponsor for Future Cities 2018. Bee’ah, founded in 2007, has the objective to create a sustainable future, through creative and resourceful solutions. Since its inception, Bee’ah is pushing the boundaries for environmental innovation and crossed remarkable milestones, to become a force for change, across the region.
Future Cities Show focuses on knowledge sharing, cross sectorial collaboration among government-private-universities-society, user-driven innovation, livability discussions, sustainable energy and waste solutions, sustainable economic development and sustainable societal development to drive the wellbeing of all nations.
