Dubai Design District launches 21 smart initiatives

Dubai Design District announced that it has introduced 21 smart initiatives as part of the emirate’s ambitions to become the world’s smartest city by 2017.

A member of the Tecom Group, d3 will launch the initiatives in collaboration with the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority, the Roads and Transport Authority and Empower, it said in a statement.

The district will introduce smart parking meters, smart energy meters, smart waste management and smart access control systems under the new measures.

The initiatives will encourage sustainability, resource management, energy efficiency and more innovative ways of utilising data through data virtualisation, d3 said.

The announcement came after d3 hosted the third annual Internet of Things World forum in December, showcasing the smart initiatives planned for the emirate.

Group chief executive officer of Tecom Dr. Amina Al Rustamani said: “We believe Dubai is ideally placed to provide the Smart City benchmark for the rest of the world’s emerging economies to follow. Through the 21 smart initiatives introduced at d3, we are seeking to change the way business is conducted across sectors, and to deliver a greater quality of life and experience for millions of people. Encouraging innovation and leveraging technology and data lie at the heart of this.”

The new initiatives are being designed around Dubai Smart City’s six dimensions covering the economy, living, environment, governance, people and mobility and are already being implemented across the site.

Director general at Smart Dubai Office Dr. Aisha Bin Bashr said: “Our vision for the smart city is about making Dubai the happiest city in the world. There isn’t any one city in the world that claims to have checked all the boxes of being smart, nor emphasised the importance for people’s happiness.

“Built in close collaboration with several government entities, d3 is a greenfield benchmark for districts around the world, showcasing smart initiatives designed to improve the experiences of its visitors, tenants and business partners.”

The d3 district currently has 11 buildings – either delivered or being handed over to tenants – with companies allowed to operate either as a free zone entity or an on-shore business.

By 2018, d3 will feature a one million square foot creative community, which will act as the site’s cultural epicenter aimed to target designers and artists and attract tourists.

The development will further expand to include a Waterfront – a 1.8km esplanade running alongside the Dubai Creek – with hotels, boutique retail concept stores, an outdoor events space, hospitality and leisure facilities by 2019.