Cavendish Maxwell, a leading property consultant, partnered with its key unit and real estate intelligence data platform Property Monitor to launch the first-ever government think tank from the Dubai Government for the advancement, improvement and future developments of the emirate.

The think tank, the Future Cities Forum 2017, was organised by the Dubai Land Department in partnership with the United Nations (UN)-Habitat at the Meydan hotel Dubai last week.

It took place on October 4 after the first two days of Urban Thinkers Campus, an initiative of the UN-Habitat, conceived as an open space for critical exchange between urban actors who believe that urbanisation is an opportunity and can lead to positive urban transformations, said a statement from Cavendish Maxwell.

The think tank was designed to bring together leaders in the industry to evaluate the past few days and focus on current trends and what the future looks like for the Dubai real estate market, it added.

Lynnette Abad, the head of Property Monitor at Cavendish Maxwell, was responsible for moderating two of the panels alongside Craig Ross, head of Project and Building Consultancy at Cavendish Maxwell.

The top three topics covered in the Think Tank were: Smart and sustainable living; real estate policies and regulations and affordable housing.

"We are called the founders because this is the first government think tank from the Dubai Government for the advancement, improvement and future developments of Dubai," remarked Abad.

"I had the privilege to be a moderator and speaker at the event and it was inspiring to see the leaders of Dubai actively involved with the utmost sincerity, she stated.-TradeArabia News Service