Dubai Announces US $8 Billion of Smart City Infrastructure Investments

The government of Dubai has announced a roadmap that includes 545 smart initiatives and services spread across eight government entities and two smart districts.

According to the BNC Smart City report commissioned by The Big 5, the largest construction event in the region, the first wave of initiatives will focus on connection and technological infrastructure, and support the Emirate's Smart Governance programme.

The second wave of initiatives and services will be geared towards Smart Living - providing monumental opportunities for investment in the construction sector.

There are approximately 185 proposed projects in the transport sector holding an estimated value of USD 32bn. These include rail ventures, marine plans, and aviation projects.

Josine Heijmans, Exhibition Portfolio Director for The Big 5, observes that awareness of a transforming city should be generated to those in the construction business should be made aware of their vital role towards building a smart city.

"The Dubai Smart City plans are aiming to improve the mobility and access points in Dubai" she notes, "and they will continue to rely on the construction sector as they progress, revealing the important role the industry will play in building the near future of the Emirate."

The BNC report further details that real estate projects address the environmental agenda of smart cities, for example the Desert Rose Housing Project which will see 20,000 plots using solar panels to produce 200 megawatts of electricity.

Launch of New Big 5 Solar Event

In order to supply the peaking demand for sustainable building solutions, organisers of The Big 5 dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, are launching the Big 5 Solar which will be co-located with the Middle East's largest construction event - last year's edition, the largest to date, attracting 78,579 participants from 142 countries and 2,586 exhibiting companies from 59 countries.