The UAE and Saudi Arabia will soon be home to green smart cities with the countries accelerating the adoption of digital transformation strategies, as per ENGIE Solutions, a subsidiary of the global energy company ENGIE.
The governments of the UAE and Saudi Arabia are focusing mainly on data-driven innovation for the economic growth of its cities, with Abu Dhabi climbing 14 places over the past year to rank 28th out of 118 cities in the 2021 IMD Smart City Index, and Riyadh rising 23 places to 30th.
Speaking at the Smart Cities and Communities of Tomorrow seminar hosted by the France Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Mr. Ian Harfield, Managing Director of ENGIE Solutions (GCC), stated that, “As populations around the world grow, cities and communities are increasingly looking to implement green digital initiatives that offer greater connectivity of infrastructure and services, as well as energy efficiency generating emissions and cost savings.”
The long-term partnership deals between the government and the private sector will help the countries to boost the transition into sustainable smart cities by improving the overall quality of life of the population, as the residents increasingly expect their cities to be environmentally friendly.
According to a recent report by Mastercard, Smart Dubai and Expo 2020, it was found that nearly 53 percent of UAE respondents consider living in a sustainable city as the most exciting innovation in future smart cities. The survey also found that four out of five residents in the UAE believe they’d be happy living in a smart city.
Louis Frederic Robin Head – Low Carbon Cities & Public Lighting ENGIE
“Using integrated and tailor-made solutions, we can recognize the needs of citizens to make urban spaces more sustainable. Our solutions not only optimize costs and the way public services such as lighting, waste, urban mobility, green spaces, buildings, parking and water are managed. At the same time, they improve the quality of life of residents, in addition to reducing an urban area’s environmental footprint, which is our focus.”
Further, Mr. Robin stressed ENGIE’s collaboration with the Ohio State University in the US to decarbonize and modernize the university’s 485-building campus as part of a 50-year contract. He emphasized how similar collaborations can be implemented in large urban communities in the region.
The Smart Cities seminar was also attended by Mr. Khalid Al Marzooqi, CEO of Tabreed, Dr. Mohammad Al Awadhi, Senior Director Business Development-Smart City of du, Mr. Bashar Kilani, Managing Director of Accenture Middle East, Mr. Christophe Papin, Smart Solutions Director of Siradel, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Sainani, Senior Vice-President and CTO of Huawei Digital Power, and Mr. Jim Campbell, Regional Director of Red Engineering.
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