Falah Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Associate Director, Urban Planning, Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, today (Tuesday 8 May) delivered the opening keynote address at the Cityscape Abu Dhabi Conference, entitled, 'The strategic Direction of Government Policy on Urban Planning and Development.' Outlining the process of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, Al Ahbabi cited four of the over-arching principles that would guide the government's initiatives.
Commenting on the potential environmental impacts of development, Al Ahbabi said, "Abu Dhabi will respect, be scaled to and shaped by the natural environment of sensitive coastal and desert ecologies."
He further added that Abu Dhabi would reflect the contemporary expression of an Arab city, where residents would live, work and thrive in healthy and supportive proximity of each other. Al Ahbabi was also eager to highlight that measured growth reflecting the sustainable economy would be key to their strategy, rather than the cataclysmic growth of other emerging economies.
"Abu Dhabi needs to grow and it will grow, but our future will not be held hostage to uncontrolled expansion," he stressed.
He also pointed out that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) would be essential to the capital's urban development plans over the next 20 years.
Al Ahbabi concluded his presentation with a firm commitment, "We must plan for Abu Dhabi to evolve into a benchmark for 21st century capital cities. Abu Dhabi was built on the ambitions of the late Sheikh Zayed, this must be recognised and continued."
A team of local and international planners and community development experts are currently formulating the comprehensive plan. They have been tasked with creating recommendations for the most effective regulatory and institutional framework to manage urban development in the future. Full details of strategy will be unveiled within the coming months.
Mark Goodchild, Project Manager, Cityscape, commented, “Abu Dhabi not only has the long term financial stability to attract conventional and Shari’a compliant private and institutional investors, it also has immense potential for highly profitable and much sought after waterfront development. To date Abu Dhabi’s planning agencies have only approved projects that provide synergy with their own enviable environmental standards and this was further emphasised by Al Ahbabi today."
Under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Cityscape Abu Dhabi is making its debut in the UAE capital at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) until Thursday 10 May 2007.
Over 12,000 participants are expected to attend the three-day event that is showcasing over US$ 400 billion worth of projects, through 200 exhibitors from 50 different countries.
In terms of ‘home-grown’ projects the Abu Dhabi government and locally-based real estate heavyweights have shown full support for the debutant. Major developers such as Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Sorouh Real Estate, ALDAR Properties, Al Qudra Real Estate, Reem Investments and Tamouh Investments are prominent at the industry showcase, as development projects in the UAE capital alone top US$ 270 billion. Running alongside the exhibition are two parallel conferences, one focusing on ‘Waterfront Developments’ and the other on ‘Real Estate Finance and Investment’.
