Grand Paris (Greater Paris), the urban renewal project aimed to improve the transport links of Paris and its suburbs, has joined an initiative launched by Abu Dhabi aiming to build sustainable cities.

The World Sustainable Capitals (WSC) initiative, which was developed in partnership with World Economic Forum (WEF), was introduced jointly by the UPC and Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED) in September.

The initiative aims to bring together a global alliance of sustainable cities and a network of leading experts, economists and industry representatives in the field of urban planning.

Grand Paris’ decision to join the WSC initiative was predominantly guided by UPC’s sustained discussions with key project authorities, a statement said.

“The Grand Paris project in its development objectives is relatively similar to the Vision 2030 urban development objectives that have been identified for UAE’s capital,” said Falah Al Ahbabi, general manager, Abu Dhabi UPC.

“Paris, which has been a global icon for its remarkable historical, political, architectural and artistic influence has provided a major impetus to the global relevance of adopting the World Sustainable Capitals initiative,” he added.

“Sustainable development is a primary challenge of the twenty-first century. Both Grand Paris and Abu Dhabi are seeking to make ongoing and future efforts more sustainable to ensure the long term well-being and the overall social welfare of their citizens,” said Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, deputy director general of the ADCED.

Christian Blanc, Minister in charge of the development of the French capital, said: "The Greater Paris project teams have begun to identify areas in the Paris metropolitan area where the urban planning dynamics would be most conducive. Eight project areas have already been selected to act as the framework for the project.”

“In that perspective, we are pleased to join the WSC initiative lead by Abu Dhabi as we are convinced that sharing experience and research will be for the benefit of both Capitals. The urban development challenges of the Grand Paris project present a lot of similarities while addressing distinctive regional requirements and constraints,” added Blanc. – TradeArabia News Service