Dubai, July 30, 2018 – Her Excellency Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO), addressed an audience of 1,500 people during a keynote speech at the Moscow Urban Forum (MUF) 2018. SDO was the only international government organisation invited to give a keynote address at the event, which took place July 17-22 in the Russian capital.
Bearing the theme ‘Megacity of the Future: New Space for Living,’ this year’s MUF was attended by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin and the mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin. Dubai’s expertise in the field of smart city development and the presence of SDO at the event proved a popular draw for the Russian media.
“Smart cities are the way of the future,” asserted H.E. Dr Aisha during her address; “this fact is becoming increasingly established with each passing year, with major cities around the world now implementing ambitious strategies to catalyse their smart transformation. Dubai was an early adopter in this sector, with our wise leadership’s forward-thinking vision resulting in the establishment of Smart Dubai. Our ensuing initiatives and projects are in the process of transforming the emirate into the happiest and smartest city in the world.”
“Progress is at its most effective and meaningful when shared,” she continued, “and with this in mind, we at Smart Dubai are always on the lookout for opportunities to share our successes with the world, as well as to learn from other like-minded organisations. These global partnerships are essential to upgrade the smart cities we are all working to build and events such as the Moscow Urban Forum present the perfect platform for smart city experts and government officials to come together, exchange knowledge and brainstorm solutions for the challenges that stand in the way of smart city development around the world.”
Included in the MUF 2018 agenda were discussions about the large-scale urban transformations that have taken place over the last few decades and the solutions and tools necessary for building future cities that can meet changing economic, environmental, technological, social and cultural demands. Activities included a Publishing Programme, which saw translated works from the most prominent international speakers published; an Urban Projects Competition for young tech entrepreneurs, architects and urbanists; and the second MUF Community Awards ceremony, which recognises the most notable projects in Moscow over the past year.
The MUF activities were split into three categories; an educational programme, including lectures, presentations, public discussions and guided tours around Moscow; Smart Games, an entertainment and cultural programme offering concerts, theatre, music and movie shows; and a photography competition titled ‘Moscow. Yours.’ Additionally, the event hosted a number of sports activities, including Moscow running tours and the annual MUF marathon.
Taking centre-stage at the forum was the Moscow Smart City Project, which has made significant progress over the past 12 months. The development has seen free wi-fi made available along 330km of metro lines, as well as 15.5km2 in the city centre. 90% of the city is now covered by broadband at 20+ mbs, 99% is covered by 4G at 7+ mbs, and smartphone penetration has reached 77%. The programme is centred around the three pillars: quality of life, efficient government and solid infrastructure.
The largest international congress on the development challenges of global megacities, the Moscow Urban Forum has been held annually since 2011. The event brings together representatives of city administrations from Russia and around the world, architects, urban planners, developers, heads of financial companies, investors, technological start-ups, media representatives and citizens. The 2017 edition welcomed 24 government delegations from around the world, 800 local and international journalists and 10,847 participants from 68 countries.
