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Smart Cities, Smart Future, A Must According To Experts | |
| Staff Writer |
With Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE all set to add new benchmarks for sustainable design and the development of new smart cities of the future, Schneider Electric, a global pioneer utilizing digital transformation for enhanced energy management, automation and sustainability organized a session titled ‘Future of Cities’ at its Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa where it has been stated that the future of cities is digital and will be built around big data, renewable energy, electricity and smart mobility.
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It is forecasted that 70% of the world's population, which is slated to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050 – can and will become integrated hubs for innovation, creativity, and better living standards guaranteeing sound strategic planning and coordination between the public and private sectors at all levels.
Digitization is all set to drive value in smart cities. Luc Remont, Executive Vice President for International Operations at Schneider Electric, said cities have learned to work remotely and today's leaders need to think differently, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Dubai and the UAE have been working for many years to shape the future in all sectors.
Remont talked about improving operational efficiency in cities of the future by continuously evaluating the efficiency of buildings, roads, data centers, and infrastructure. He stressed that real estate value can be achieved through sustainable and smart technologies for managing energy and resources. W
Dr. Patrick Noack, Executive Director of Future, Foresight, and Imagination at Dubai Future Foundation, highlighted the importance of futuristic sustainable design across all blueprints and operations at an early stage. This wil benefit from this advanced model in designing and building. Dr. Noack “Digital twinning in cities is crucial, alongside the digital image of their infrastructure,” he said. “This includes testing virtual metaverse cities' design and benefiting from them to experiment with engineer optimal smart solutions for designing sustainable future cities, especially since different cities need different solutions according to their needs.
“Smart global cities, including Dubai, are achieving major milestones in setting a benchmark for future cities. These milestones encompass modern roads equipped to stay ahead of future smart mobility solutions, such as smart, electric, and self-driving vehicles. Thus, Dubai remains prepared for various future solutions,” he added.
“Large data centers are the backbone of smart and sustainable cities of the future as they employ data analysis using artificial intelligence to improve the lives of individuals and communities, and build scalable cities based on latest tech applications,” Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, CEO and Managing Director of Tatweer Misr said.
Efficient energy utilization begins in the early stages of design and development, ensuring smart project infrastructure and is set in place as a core part of urban development plans, with a focus on natural lighting and air conditioning. Smart solutions can contribute to increasing energy efficiency by 50% in sustainability-centric projects. It will reflect positively on the reduction of operating costs for both the developer and the customer by almost 30%.
The Innovation Summit MEA is Schneider Electric’s flagship event now in its fifth year. Annually it brings together over 5,000 delegates to witness more than 50 sessions highlighting how businesses can leverage digitization and electrification for greater efficiency and a greener world for all.