Expo City Dubai sets stage for fresh dialogue on smart cities

Cities are fighting some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change and digital transformation to economic change and quality of life.

Their leaders might not have all the answers, but they have the opportunity to work together on solutions to address concerns.

“Imagine cities around the world as centres of connection, innovation and resilience, where investments in infrastructure and services translate into jobs and better lives,” said Anna Bjerde, managing director of operations at the World Bank Group.

“Our goal is simple – to help build cities that truly work for people.”

Bjerke was speaking at the 15th Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum (2025APCS), which took place in October, convened by Expo City Dubai under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Dubai.

Expo City Dubai was the home of the Dubai 2020 world expo and the venue of the Cop 28 climate change summit in 2023, as well as other large-scale global events and thought leadership sessions.

2025APCS represented more than 350 cities across six continents and brought together more than 150 mayors, who signed an accord pledging to collaborate on ways to champion innovation, inclusivity and climate resilience in our cities.

The government entities and companies at the event presented a portfolio of urban projects and initiatives worth a combined $65 billion, according to Expo City Dubai.

These organisations told delegates that cities have a role to play beyond service provision. They can act as urban laboratories – creating platforms and testbeds for knowledge sharing and change. By seeking shared solutions to common problems, they can also rise above politics and other polarising forces.

Camille Joseph Varlack, former deputy mayor for administration, chief of staff and special counsel to the mayor of New York, told the summit: “The next era of global leadership will be written by cities that see one another as allies, by leaders who value foresight over fear and by communities that refuse to leave anyone behind…

“I call this concept ‘multi-city lateralism’ – cities learning from each other’s strengths to accelerate solutions to challenges.”

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Several knowledge-sharing partnerships were signed during the three-day event, including one between the Government of Dubai and Tokyo Metropolitan Government to promote collaboration in transport, infrastructure and digital development.

Dubai also signed a pact with the City of Brisbane to share information and best practice on urban governance and quality of life.

For Dubai and neighbouring emirates, developing a clear vision for a more sustainable urban future is increasingly important. Dubai’s residential population is forecast to increase by almost 75 percent to 5.8 million by 2040, according to Dubai Municipality’s Dubai Urban Masterplan 2040.

The need to smartly manage the city to maintain wellbeing, economic growth and environmental sustainability will be critical across the following four key areas, the forum heard.

Digital transformation

“Every single one of us is raising Superman. If we raise an AI with ethics, it will protect us; if not, it will turn into a supervillain,” said Egyptian software engineer Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer of Google, in his keynote speech to the forum.

Gawdat spoke of the opportunities and responsibilities that come with rapid acceleration of global AI adoption – especially when it is used to try to come up with intelligent solutions for urban planning.

City leaders must embed ethics, empathy and collaborative working into decisions on AI, Gawdat said. He commended the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031, which focuses on building a strong and well governed AI ecosystem.

City leadership and governance

As cities face increasingly complex challenges, mayors, municipal officers and community leaders must be equipped with the tools and insights to lead with confidence and drive change, forum delegates heard.

One way of ensuring this is to create decision-making vehicles and processes that genuinely involve stakeholders. In Bilbao, Spain, a shared public company – Bilbao Ria 2000 – was created to bring together all levels of government to deliver large-scale urban regeneration, with profits invested in new city projects.

Seoul’s mVoting project enables citizens to vote on local policy making via an app. This model has been replicated in Mexico City, where citizens can vote on bus routes and investments in local neighbourhoods, and in Helsinki, which uses digital engagement platforms to make decisions on city services.

As Francesco Senese, diplomatic advisor to the Mayor of Naples, said: “City diplomacy is not only about building bridges from point A to point B. It’s about opening the world to shared futures, shared visions and creating things with us, not without us.”

Quality of life

Population growth and global warming are putting pressure on resources, and cities are bearing the brunt, the forum heard. But city leaders can collaborate to improve quality of life. Climate adaptation, health systems and active living are all areas where they can learn from one another.

In a warming world, solutions such as district cooling, reflective materials and nature-based shading can be adapted in different parts of the world, and tailored to local conditions.

Dubai, and the wider region, has an opportunity to be a leader in knowledge sharing in this regard, said George Berbari, chief executive of DC Pro Engineering. “The Middle East can export its district cooling expertise to the world – the challenge is adapting it to legacy infrastructure in older Western cities.”

Cities are also sharing models for improving healthcare and tackling rising chronic illness. Healthy living is being viewed as a lynchpin for urban prosperity, prompting city leaders and property developers to embed wellness infrastructure, open green space, cycling lanes, public fitness zones and other amenities into plans.

For example, Barcelona’s “superblocks” scheme reclaims public street space from cars for people, greenery and social activities, taking lessons from Paris’s “15-minute city” model.

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Urban regeneration and sustainability

Across the world, cities are experimenting with “nature-positive” design – where urban development no longer sits in opposition to environmental protection efforts.

Instead, it seeks to restore and conserve it, and even add to it by creating climate-adaptive landscapes that regenerate ecosystems and deploy nature-based solutions for flood prevention and heating, the forum heard.

Expo City Dubai’s Green Innovation District is a “living example of how ecological responsibility and economic opportunity can flourish side by side”, said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE minister of state for international cooperation and chief executive of Expo City Dubai Authority.

Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan also seeks to embed environmental principles into its strategy to allocate 1.46 million square metres of public land to build 17,000 affordable homes for middle and lower-income households.

The masterplan aims to achieve environmental sustainability through use of green building regulations, “15-minute city” design principles and including natural habitats.

Expo City Dubai, as one of the emirate’s newest mixed-use neighbourhoods, aims to be a blueprint for sustainable development and policy making. And it is fast emerging as a global centre for urban diplomacy, convening cities with this common goal.