Dubai is at the forefront of the smart city evolution that is transforming the way in which the residents live and work in cities across the globe, said an industry expert.

"By harnessing technology to implement smart systems across the city infrastructure, Dubai is well positioned to be one of the smartest cities on the planet," remarked Jesse Berst, the chairman of Smart Cities Council.

The council will be jointly hosting a two-day smart cities readiness workshop tomorrow (April 26) in co-ordination with Dubai Real Estate Institute and leading engineering, procurement and construction company Bechtel in Dubai, UAE.

Citing studies, Berst said smart cities used up to 40 per cent less water and 30 per cent less energy while delivering greater efficiencies at reduced costs. "Reports also show that we are becoming smart citizens," stated Berst.

Mobile phone users are demanding more services and information such as traffic volumes or energy use data and in this way are helping cities to grow smarter," he added.

According to experts, urbanisation is a key driver towards smarter cities. "By 2050, over 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Dubai has embraced plans to become one of the smartest cities on the planet. The Smart Dubai project is aimed at embracing innovation to make Dubai one of the best connected cities in the world," they stated.

The GCC is well positioned to maximize on its young, highly educated and well-connected population to drive the transformation to smart cities, said experts.

With over 70 per cent of the region’s population under the age of 34, studies show a sizeable increase in mobile government services in the Middle East region, which today represents 24 per cent of the global m-gov services, and the GCC countries taking centre stage representing over 85 per cent of the region’s m-gov services, they pointed out.

Governments are clearly integrating smart services across some of their infrastructures, including transport, building technology and government services.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, called on all government entities to deliver their services to the public through mobile phones and devices, setting the stage for the transformation to m-Government as part of a more comprehensive drive towards smarter cities.

Jim Denton-Brown, a key speaker at the workshop and also manager of planning and smart cities at Bechtel, said: "Amidst the growing challenges of urbanisation, shifting demographics and rapid technology changes, cities are recognising the need to adopt a more holistic, long-term approach to planning."

"Smart cities such as Dubai are moving from incremental updates to a system-wide approach to infrastructure investment, whilst embracing the power of new technologies to achieve their long-term ambitions," he added.-TradeArabia News Service