Conference Programmes

Can cities become truly self-sufficient, managing their needs for energy, food, farming, water, etc. In which case, what are the sweet spots to aspire to in a given region? If true self-sufficiency is not possible, what aspects of self-sufficiency can be achieved? And should the focus be on economic growth, societal growth or the environment?

Led by: Omnia Halawani, Co-CEO & Founder, GRFN 
 

Mohamed Al Breiki, Executive Director of Sustainable Development, Masdar City 
 

Abduallatif AlBitawi, CEO, Emirates Green Building Council 
 

Dr. Ioannis Spanos, Vice President of Sustainability, Expo City Dubai
 

Camilo Cerro, Professor of Architecture and Interior Design, American University of Sharjah
 

Alida Saleh, Head of Sustainability, JLL MEA and Senior Advisor, Built Environment Climate Champions team 
 

The floods in Dubai in 2024 highlighted the importance of resilience, as an extreme event/emergency brought communities and the city to a halt. With climate change, extreme events are likely to happen more often, giving sharp focus on what infrastructure and services are required when they do. What does resilience for a city look like? This session will discuss the adaptive strategies that are needed in urban planning, whether response systems are ready for unexpected natural or man-made events, and how community/city resiliency can mitigate against emergency events.

Led by: Mariam Alzaabi, Senior Associate Master Planner, Modon
 

Dima Al Srouri, Founder, Biospheric City Lab 
 

Farah Naz, Director of ESG and Innovation, Aecom
 

Mario Saab, Head of Sustainability MENA, Cundall
 

Dr. Jacinta Dsilva, Director of Research, Living Lab and International Partnerships, SEE Institute
 

Many people talk about wellness, but that is one small part of the larger concept of quality of life. It covers more than an individual's emotional state, to also include aspects of life improvement, health/care, air quality, infrastructure, services and transport access, safety, nature, education and more. If QoL is intricately linked with sustainable living, what focus should municipalities and governments place on it for buildings, and how can it be integrated better into a person's life as part of a true sustainable city or community policy.

Led by: Ghaith Tibi, Associate Urban Planner & Middle East Sustainability Leader, Arup 
 

Mohammad Khan, Smart City Advisor, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Abu Dhabi
 

Omnia Halawani, Co-CEO & Founder, GRFN
 

Sebastien Miller, Head of Public Realm, Master Planning, Masdar City
 

Dr. Rami Zaatari, Sustainability and Public Policy Advisor – Scottish Local Governments,
University of Glasgow
 

Huda Shaka, Director, Gehl 
 

Dr. Sultan Alshareef, Sustainability Associate Director, New Murabba 
 

To date AI use in cities has been more talk than true progressive use. But digitalisation and greater use of data is taking hold. As AI introduces new efficiencies and opportunities, what progress around smarter, more sustainable cities can we expect to see? What leaps will AI achieve, how will it dovetail with building management systems and can the dream of cognitive buildings become a reality any time soon - and if so what technology needs to be in place? This session will look at the near-term future of AI in sustainable cities, and at the longer-term outlook of our future communities. 

Led by: Dr. Jacinta Dsilva, Director of Research, Living Lab and International
Partnerships, SEE Institute 
 

Mohammed Shah, Smart City Director, Knowledge Economic City
 

Ismail Ozenc, Associate Vice President, Siemens Advanta Consulting
 

Andy Palanisamy, Board Advisor of Technology and Smart Cities, Obsession
 

Mohamed Moselhy, Global Smart Cities Director, Honeywell
 

Technology and automation are playing a greater role in running buildings, communities and cities. The use of digital twins, automation, sensing technologies, and even augmented and virtual reality and gamification are increasing and providing new insights into both functioning and functionality. In parallel, the evolving role of 5G brings more 'smart' to a city.  These presentations will highlight how different technologies are changing the way communities or cities are managed forever. 

14:45 Talk 1:
Fabian Wong, BTFV VC l Maerifa l Artworks - Partner, QEV Technologies
 

15:00 Talk 2:
Eyad Abdulla, Head, Information and Communication Technology, Masdar City
 

Data a big challenge for individual buildings, communities and cities as a whole, especially with increased expectations around Artificial Intelligence. How do organisations should integrate different data systems so that they talk to each other - such as digital twins, IoT monitoring, virtual or augmented reality, and more. And once integrated, how do management organisations or municipalities get the best from them? This session will look at if more open data is needed for sustainable cities to function, and the role of better data governance. 

Led by: Misha Mittal, Senior Manager - City Advisory, Expo City Dubai
 

Abduallatif AlBitawi, CEO, Emirates Green Building Council 
 

Alaa Dalghan, CEO, Cognit DX
 

Benoit Meulewaeter, Director, Accuracy 
 

Atif Rehman, Regional Manager – Middle East, Thinkproject