Dubai Municipality has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS), a state-owned Chinese urban planning consultancy, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2026.
The agreement reinforces Dubai’s commitment to future-ready cities by enabling international knowledge exchange and advanced urban innovation. It sets a structured framework for cooperation in urban planning, smart and sustainable development, low-carbon urbanism, and advanced infrastructure.
The Dubai Municipality-UPDIS MoU builds on a high-level Dubai delegation visit to Shenzhen in February 2025, where both sides explored sponge city design and smart city applications, confirming strong alignment in long-term urban priorities. Through this collaboration, both entities will exchange expertise and align methodologies to deliver more resilient, efficient, and people-centered urban environments.
Under the agreement, Dubai Municipality and UPDIS will advance future planning and urban design by combining international best practices with local frameworks, including transit-oriented development, compact urbanism, sponge city concepts, low-carbon planning, and smart city models.
The collaboration will leverage emerging technologies across planning, construction, operations, and city management, enabling more intelligent and data-driven urban systems. It also covers the use of advanced spatial analysis, AI-driven planning tools, and data-led design to enhance sustainability and livability, while jointly exploring new global models for future city development.
In infrastructure, UPDIS and Dubai Municipality will cooperate on next-generation solutions such as 5G-enabled ICT systems, integrated underground services, and AI-powered smart water management to boost efficiency and resilience. The MoU establishes ongoing engagement mechanisms, including annual joint reviews, to track progress and ensure alignment with both cities’ strategic priorities.
HE Eng. Marwan bin Ghalita Director General -Dubai Municipality
“This partnership reflects Dubai Municipality’s strategic commitment to learning from other global urban leaders while contributing Dubai’s own planning and city-making experience on the international stage. Through this collaboration with Shenzhen’s Urban Planning and Design Institute, we are strengthening our capacity to deliver smart, sustainable, and people-centred urban environments that respond to future challenges and enhance quality of life. The World Governments Summit provides the ideal platform to formalise this cooperation, as it brings together governments and institutions committed to shaping future cities through innovation, resilience, and global collaboration.”
Yu Lu, President of UPDIS, said that, “Shenzhen and Dubai are cities of a similar age, with comparable spatial structures, and both have undergone rapid urban development over a short period of time. Both cities are standing on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable development. It is firmly believed that this shared background creates significant potential for meaningful and mutually beneficial cooperation. This MoU works not merely as a formal agreement, but a strategic framework for sustained cooperation between the two institutions and two cities.”
Yu Lu noted that UPDIS, which has 35 years of experience in urban planning and design in Shenzhen, also serves as a key platform for international exchange in urban development, governance innovation, and technology application.
Image credits: Dubai Municipality | Cropped by GBN
The UPDIS Chief added that the collaboration with Dubai Municipality will extend beyond technical cooperation in city planning, regeneration, sponge cities, smart mobility, and intelligent city development to include personnel training, technology and resource matching, as well as academic and research exchanges, fostering mutual learning through shared knowledge and best practices.
The partnership with UPDIS supports Dubai Municipality’s broader mandate to plan, design, and manage the city in line with the emirate’s long-term urban and economic strategies, along with the objectives of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, while reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global hub for forward-looking urban governance and the future of sustainable development.
