Sheikh Hamdan forms Supreme Committee for Urban Planning in Dubai

A new Supreme Committee for Urban Planning has been formed in Dubai to regulate and govern of urban planning in the emirate, as well as implement the deliverables of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

The committee was formed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, via a Council’s Resolution No. (18) for 2021.

It will be chaired by Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, the General Commissioner of the Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Wellbeing Pillar.

One of the primary tasks of the new body is to ensure the plans of related government entities in the emirate are aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and the integration of major infrastructure and urban projects towards making Dubai one of the world’s best cities to live within.

Read: Sheikh Mohammed launches mega Dubai 2040 urban development plan

In March, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. The sustainable urban development plan envisions green and recreational spaces and areas dedicated to public parks to double in size. Nature reserves and rural natural areas will constitute 60 per cent of the emirate’s total area. Several green corridors will be established to link the service areas, residential areas and workplaces, facilitate the movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and sustainable mobility means across the city. The land area used for hotels and tourist activities will increase by 134 per cent, while that used for commercial activities will increase to 168 square kilometres. It also involves increasing the land area allocated to education and health facilities by 25 per cent, and increasing the length of public beaches by up to 400 per cent in 2040.

We have issued a resolution to establish the Higher Committee for Urban Planning in Dubai, under the chairmanship of Mattar Al Tayer. The Committee is tasked with overseeing the urban planning sector and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan’s aims to enhance quality of life. pic.twitter.com/DTqHGcPPcg

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) May 30, 2021

The newly formed committee that will oversee the implementation of this masterplan, will also resolve any differences between the various entities in case the parties fail to reach an agreement. It will report such issues to The Executive Council, when required. It will also propose policies, strategies and legislation to ensure the objectives of the Urban Master Plan are met, reported state-run news agency WAM.

The Supreme Committee will endorse the recommendations made in strategic studies, masterplans and major infrastructure and urban projects related to urban planning in conformity with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. It will issue directives for carrying out major changes to the approved Urban Master Plan, in line with the directives of the Dubai Government.

It is also responsible for reviewing the strategic performance indicators for the implementation of the Urban Master Plan and will direct measures and solutions to enhance the efficiency of its implementation. The Committee is permitted to to form sub-committees and teams to assist it in different roles, responsibilities, procedures and any other related issues.

The new resolution forming the committee has tasked the Dubai Municipality to deliver administrative and technical support to the Committee to enable it to carry out its duties. The resolution further mandates all government bodies in the emirate to fully cooperate with the committee, sub-committees and teams operating as part of it.

Apart from Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, the other members of the Committee include the managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; the director general of Dubai Municipality; the director general of Dubai Development Authority; the director general of Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation; the director general of Dubai Land Department; the CEO of RTA’s Strategy and Corporate Governance and the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Energy. Its members will also include an urban planning expert and economic expert to be named by the chairman of the Committee.

“The Committee will work to enhance the government’s multi-level framework, endorsed as part of the deliverables of the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, to ensure the implementation of infrastructure and urban development projects that support the economy and enhance Dubai’s status as the best city to live in. This framework has been developed as per an integrated and comprehensive technical study conducted according to global benchmarks,” said Al Tayer.

The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan is the seventh of its kind developed for the emirate since 1960. Between 1960 and 2020, the population of Dubai has multiplied 80 times from 40,000 in 1960 to 3.3 million by the end of 2020, and includes 200 nationalities. The urban and built area of the emirate increased 170-fold from 3.2 square km in the same period.