Welcome to the second installment of Geography & Tech. Today, we will discuss Dubai and its smart city ambitions: how they came to be, what major initiatives the city has undertaken, and what questionable choices it has made.
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Introduction
Smart cities have been one of the premier topics in urban studies for the last two decades. Scholars, city officials, and enthusiasts are all trying to find the perfect combination of elements that would constitute a smart city and improve everyone's economic, social, and personal lives.
And practically every city in the developed world, from Edmonton to Vienna, from Newcastle to Long Beach, has a smart city strategy.
But probably no other city represents the smart city aspirations better than Dubai.
Under the 2021 Dubai Smart City Strategy, the city is undertaking 100 separate initiatives in infrastructure, economy, urban planning, transport, communications, and electricity. The main idea behind all those initiatives is to make Dubai’s population happier. The city even implemented the Happiness Meter to gauge public satisfaction on a daily basis, collecting data on people’s experiences with government entities.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at those initiatives and try to gauge the city’s progress in its pursuit of universal happiness.
What is a smart city?
Smart city has been a popular buzzword for over a decade now. We all kinda understand when we hear it, but our idea of what constitutes a smart city might differ. Moreover, it’s hard to grasp where a non-smart city ends and a smart city begins. Like with many such terms the lines are blurry. In 2015 there were already at least 22 smart city definitions.
Those definitions range from focusing on people’s happiness:
A smart city, according to ICLEI, is a city that is prepared to provide conditions for a healthy and happy community under the challenging conditions that global, environmental, economic and social trends may bring.
To being more infrastructure focused:
A city that monitors and integrates conditions of all of its critical infrastructures, including roads, bridges, tunnels, rails, subways, airports, seaports, communications, water, power, even major buildings, can better optimize its resources, plan its preventive maintenance activities, and monitor security aspects while maximizing services to its citizens.
To being more focused on tech:
Smart city as a high-tech intensive and advanced city that connects people, information and city elements using new technologies in order to create a sustainable, greener city, competitive and innovative commerce, and an increased life quality.
Just to help me bring the broadness point home, I fed ChatGPT all those definitions and asked it to come up with its own. Here’s the output I got:
A smart city is an interconnected and sustainable urban center that leverages advanced technologies, data analytics, and participatory governance to enhance the quality of life, optimize urban services, and drive economic growth. It effectively balances investment in human and social capital with a focus on environmental sustainability, creating an attractive and resilient environment for living, working, and innovation. Through the intelligent application of these elements, a smart city responds dynamically to the needs of its inhabitants, ensuring sustainable development and a high standard of living for all.
Smart city has been a popular buzzword for over a decade now. We all kind of understand it when we hear it, but our ideas about what constitutes a smart city might differ. Moreover, it’s challenging to pinpoint where a non-smart city ends and a smart city begins. Like with many such terms, the lines are blurry. In 2015, there were already at least 22 smart city definitions.
As of this writing, I haven’t watched the movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but it does seem as if you were to make a movie about smart cities, that would be an appropriate title.
Which brings us to Dubai. Because Dubai embodies the smart city concept, as defined by ChatGPT:
It’s everything — The ‘Smart Dubai Strategy’ aims at building a globally competitive economy, improving the city’s connectedness, and enhancing its digital infrastructure and everything in-between.
It’s everywhere — Dubai’s strategy isn’t focused on a specific land area of the city, although no one would accuse Dubai of not having one or ten grandiose projects that epitomize Dubai’s smartness.
It’s all at once — the first smart city strategy was launched in 2014, and the emirate never looked back, adopting several domain-specific strategies with a single goal of realizing the smart city vision.
Dubai’s initial push into a smart world
For over a century, Dubai has been positioning itself as an international hub. It was a natural harbor and developed a robust pearl fishing industry. Under the Exclusive Agreement, the British protected the Trucial Coast from external threats and gave Britain control over foreign policy. Dubai's trade flourished during this period, especially with India and Persia. However, due to the development of artificial pearls, Dubai’s main industry experienced a decline, and we might've never heard of the city if not for the big 'O'. I’m talking about oil, obviously.
Oil discovery in 1966 transformed Dubai. But it didn’t just bring money. Although the oil discovery was an event that triggered Dubai’s rapid rise, the emirate never solely relied on just one industry. And for a good reason: Dubai’s oil reserves are less than 1/20 those of Abu Dhabi, so putting all its eggs in the oil basket would have been a losing proposition.
What oil did do, however, was facilitate the emirate’s industrial development, introducing facilities like an aluminum smelter and a natural gas fractionator, among other manufacturing entities, to the city. Dubai quickly began diversifying from oil by investing in infrastructure. First, it focused on general infrastructure with two major projects being realized during the late 20th century:
In the early 1980s, Dubai’s port, Jebel Ali, was declared a free-trade zone, attracting more investors eager for the newly discovered riches.
By the late 1990s, the emirate began expanding its airport with the launch of Terminal 1. Now, DBX is one of the busiest air hubs in the world.
But the first true manifestations of a smart city began to sprout during the early 2000s with three major initiatives by TECOM Group, a business district developer:
First, Dubai Internet City was launched in 2000 to establish Dubai as a worldwide hub for the internet and digital businesses. With its ownership, taxation, and customs-related benefits, Dubai Internet City was able to attract some major tech players, such as Microsoft and Oracle.
Next came Dubai Media City — a hub for media organizations, including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, and communication firms. Similar to Dubai Internet City, this project aimed at clustering a specific industry — in this case, the media — by offering industry-wide incentives like tax exemptions, full repatriation of capital, and round-the-clock visa services.
Finally, in 2003, it was time for Dubai Knowledge Village. Designed to cultivate the region's talent pool, its goal was to solidify the UAE's reputation as a knowledge-based economy.
Merely ~35 years after the discovery of oil and its metamorphosis from a lesser-known trading post to an industrial beacon powered by oil, Dubai embarked on yet another transformation. This time, it was setting its sights on becoming the technology nucleus of the Middle East and its premier smart city.
The journey begins
The initial plans for smart city development in Dubai were laid out in 2007 when the government launched a study on the transformation to a ‘‘Digital City’’. The first true smart city project was the e-Government Initiative, which was set up to unify and streamline government resources across 40 departments. Then in 2013, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, presented a vision of making Dubai the happiest city on Earth. That vision was underpinned by the Dubai Smart City Initiative, with the goal of transforming Dubai into one of the smartest cities in the world by 2017.
The initiative focused on six pillars: Smart governance, mobility, environment, people, living, and economy. The Smart Government pillar served as the foundational layer for all other pillars. Although vague in its description, with terms like ‘‘adaptive’’ and ‘‘innovative’’ characterizing it, this led to the development of several key projects that now bolster Dubai’s claim as a leader in smart city development. Some of those projects were DubaiNow and Dubai Data Establishment, which we'll discuss in more detail later.
What followed was a flurry of strategic planning. In quick succession, Dubai outlined various strategies:
2015 — Dubai 3D Printing. Dubai wanted to become a global hub for 3D printing technologies, targeting sectors such as construction, medical products, and consumer products.
2016 — Dubai Blockchain Strategy. Its aim was to make Dubai the first city to be fully powered by blockchain.
2016 — Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy. The goal of this strategy is for 25% of all transportation trips in Dubai to be autonomous by 2030.
2017 — Dubai Internet of Things (IoT) Strategy. This strategy aimed to build the world's most advanced IoT ecosystem in the city.
With all these strategies, there's a discernible theme: Indeed, a significant amount of effort has been invested in bettering the lives of Dubai's residents. Still, one might wonder whether this was the sole motivation. It often appears that these strategies and initiatives were, at least partially, launched for the sake of supremacy — for Dubai to stake its claim as the zenith of smart city development and to be recognized as a city on the technological frontier.
3D printers, for instance, don't directly correlate with universal happiness.
Now, while some initiatives may seem overly ambitious or even ostentatious, it's undeniable that many, if not most, of the proposals and projects have indeed enhanced the lives of the residents. And to better comprehend this impact, let's delve into how this smart city system operates.
Dubai’s smart city architecture
At the center of Dubai's smart city efforts is the aptly named Dubai Digital Authority (formerly known as Smart Dubai Department, formerly known as Smart Dubai Office). This entity has the responsibility of achieving a set of goals, nine to be exact, which range from promoting Dubai as a digital hub to creating a safe digital environment, to enhancing the government's efficiency and effectiveness.
Four more entities fall under the authority of the DDA:
the Smart Dubai Government Establishment;
the Dubai Data Establishment;
the Dubai Electronic Security Establishment;
the Dubai Statistics Center.
To achieve its objectives, the DDA launches initiatives and strategies in the six areas previously mentioned. Since its inception, the DDA has initiated 130 initiatives. These can be divided into two categories, albeit subjective ones: Key initiatives and non-key initiatives.
We'll mainly concentrate on the major initiatives, but it's worth mentioning the smaller ones, as they may have more direct impacts on people's lives.
Digital infrastructure for people: DubaiNow, UAE PASS, DubaiPay
On the consumer side, three major initiatives drive Dubai's general vision. They help people access city services (DubaiNow), apply for those services (UAE PASS), and pay for them (DubaiPay).
DubaiNow
Launch year: 2015
Number of users: 1 million.
How It Started: DubaiNow was initiated as part of Dubai's Smart City strategy to transform the city into a fully connected and integrated environment. The primary goal was to provide residents with a unified and centralized portal to access various essential services.
How It Works. In the simplest terms, DubaiNow is a super-app for government services, one app to rule them all. It provides access to 120 city services from 30 entities, both government and private ones. Through the app (or a website, if you're old school), you can calculate a loan, find an event nearby, or apply for a parking permit. Practically every service you might ever need from the government side, you can get it.
As with many smart solutions, the idea behind DubaiNow is to save time. You don't have to go anywhere to pay your fines, lodge a complaint, or renew a driver's license. Indeed, not having to stand in queues certainly enhances happiness or, at the very least, reduces your level of unhappiness.
To provide some context, since its launch, the app has processed over 20 million transactions worth over $2.7 billion, with 4 million transactions recorded just in the past year.
UAE PASS
Launch year: 2018
Number of users: 2 million
How It Started: UAE PASS was conceived as the National Digital Identity and Digital Signature solution for the UAE. Its genesis was in the intention to establish a singular, trusted digital identity system for all citizens, residents, and visitors.
How It Works. UAE PASS functions as the gateway to everything DubaiNow and similar platforms offer. At its core, it's a digital identity platform. But its scope extends far beyond mere identification. With UAE PASS, users can not only apply for government services but also authenticate documents and transactions digitally. Its vast network encompasses over 9,000 services from 185 different providers. This means that with just this one digital passport, users can access a plethora of services without the need for individual sign-ups.
In 2021, the platform saw a significant update with the integration of facial recognition. This development considerably streamlined the registration process. Gone are the days when one needed to sign up via a government kiosk; with facial recognition, the entire registration process has moved online, making it more accessible and user-friendly.
Another notable feature of UAE PASS is its blockchain integration. Users can now create digital replicas of their vital documents. This digital twin is securely stored on the blockchain, ensuring both authenticity and security.
DubaiPay
Number of users: Not disclosed.
How It Started: DubaiPay was initiated to create a consolidated platform for payments related to government services in Dubai, with the goal of simplifying and streamlining payment processes.
How It Works: DubaiPay serves as Dubai’s premier payment gateway, allowing users to settle payments for both government and private services. Users can make payments through various channels (kiosk, website, app) and utilize diverse payment methods (credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, wallets).
Not only individuals but businesses too can employ DubaiPay to remit payments for government services.
Source: Digital Dubai
According to the most recent data, from 2015 to 2020, DubaiPay has processed 61.47 million transactions amounting to $23.4 billion.
Dubai Blockchain Strategy
In 2016, Dubai launched its Blockchain Strategy, aiming to execute as many government transactions through blockchain as possible.
But it doesn't stop there. Dubai aspires to be, and largely already considers itself, the cryptocurrency capital of the world. The city has hosted several Global Blockchain Challenges, inviting startups worldwide to showcase their use cases. In 2019 alone, the city saw 700 applicants from 79 countries. Dubai also organizes the Future Blockchain Summit. In 2022, it hosted over 800 startups and welcomed over 100,000 guests.
Furthermore, there have been notable advancements in blockchain implementation within both the private and public sectors.
By 2021, 24 projects were in the implementation phase. One ambitious initiative was launched by DAMAC, the prominent luxury real estate developer. Last year, they began allowing property purchases, such as apartments and villas, using Bitcoin.
Currently, there are even specific websites that list properties with prices displayed in Bitcoin.
Source: Crypto-dubai.properties
But if buying property through crypto or putting it on the blockchain seems odd at best, using the technology for tracking purposes does appear to have some solid logic behind it.
To address the surge in e-commerce and the resulting challenges with customs — such as release and clearance speed, high service charges, and inefficient returns — Dubai’s Customs introduced a Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform, all based on, you guessed it, blockchain. The agency promises heightened efficiency, consolidated clearance, 100% transparency, fewer physical document submissions, and other advantages.
What’s weird about many of the blockchain initiatives is that there isn’t that much information on them. A case in point is the announcement by Dubai’s Land Department about their intent to establish a distributed database for all real estate matters in the city. Since the proclamation in 2018, there's been radio silence.
AI Strategy
While Dubai does not have its own dedicated AI strategy, it aligns with the UAE’s 2031 AI Strategy, which aims to position the country as a global leader in AI.
However, this doesn't mean Dubai is complacent. Quite the opposite. The city's AI initiatives are both extensive and diverse:
In 2017, Smart Dubai launched the AI Lab, focusing on identifying real-world applications of AI in government and municipal services.
That same year, Dubai introduced the UAE’s first Robocop, which reports minor offenses, facilitates fine payments, and — some might say — looks quite distinctive.
In 2018, the city rolled out Rashid, a smart city assistant designed to address inquiries about governmental procedures, documents, and more. While its current utility might seem limited, the recent advancements in large language models hint at the potential of Rashid evolving into a comprehensive personal city guide in the near future.
In 2022, Dubai showcased the world's inaugural AI-driven fire-readiness initiative, leveraging data from past fire incidents to preempt potential future ones.
This year, Dubai introduced AI-powered pedestrian crossings that notify oncoming vehicles when a pedestrian approaches the crosswalk.
Acknowledging the nuanced nature of AI, Dubai also devised an Ethical AI Toolkit, establishing guidelines for its principled use.
And broadly speaking, AI solutions are integral to virtually every city initiative across sectors like transportation, energy, healthcare, and other foundational urban services.
Data Initiatives
A pivotal element of Dubai’s smart city transformation revolves around data: its collection, usage, dissemination, and protection, all aimed at fostering holistic urban development. City officials assert that collecting and structuring data in a beneficial manner, and then sharing it responsibly, can catalyze significant change.
To realize this vision, Dubai crafted a city-wide data strategy that initially centered on the public sector's data collection and governance. Within this sector exists a cohort dubbed "Data Champions" – entities at the forefront of the city’s data-driven endeavors.
By 2019, efforts to integrate the private sector were underway. This public-private collaboration aims to cultivate a vibrant data ecosystem and fortify their partnership. Furthermore, specific sectoral collaborations were initiated, such as the Data Science Lab, which focuses on honing Dubai’s data science acumen, and the Retail Sector Data Project, designed to enhance the city’s retail experience via improved data collection and application.
To democratize data access, two initiatives were introduced. First, there's Dubai Pulse, offering over 600 open and shared datasets. The other is Dubai Registers, a venture to construct a nexus of precise, interconnected data records, with its primary goal being to augment transparency in the real estate domain.
Nevertheless, despite these strides, basic usability issues, like navigating the Dubai Pulse website, persist. Attempt to source data on a straightforward query, such as the number of educators in the city, and gauge the time it consumes.
Transport Initiatives
Dubai's transportation planning predominantly follows the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy. According to this strategy, 25% of Dubai’s transportation is set to become autonomous. This transformation is expected to lead to a 12% reduction in traffic accidents and losses, save a significant 396 million hours in annual commuting time, reduce transportation costs by 44%, and cut pollution by 12%.
However, this strategic shift in transportation isn't merely about boosting efficiency; it's about reimagining how we move.
Take, for instance, the Volocopter. Collaborating with a German company, Dubai aspires to pioneer the introduction of autonomous flying taxis. But it does not seem to be the most comfortable way to travel, and there are many questions with regards to practicality:
Where will they land? Taxis, by definition, transport passengers from point A to B. But it's not as if these vehicles can simply alight on a busy street.
Considering its 18 rotors, how much noise would it produce?
Watching the video, it does not inspire confidence in its rigidity, so how safe is it really? Especially factoring in the autonomous component.
See it in action: Autonomous Urban Air Taxi – Pioneer Volocopter Flies Air Taxi Over Dubai
Another intriguing initiative is Sky Pods. Resembling aerial cable cars, they're designed to complement the Dubai Metro, boasting a capacity of 16,800 passengers per hour. Still, this concept, while futuristic, poses questions:
Would the presence of these pods clutter the skyline?
If they merely replicate the metro's route, wouldn't augmenting the metro's capacity be more efficient?
See it in action: Dubai's CRAZY SkyPods OFFICIALLY Launched
Then there’s the Virgin Hyperloop, which admittedly sounds pretty cool. Envision a magnetic capsule, levitating and zipping along at speeds of up to 1,123 km/h. The objective? Reducing the Dubai to Abu Dhabi commute from a current hour-long drive to a swift 12 minutes.
Energy Initiatives
Dubai, historically fueled by oil, is now looking towards a renewable and sustainable future. As part of the Clean Energy Strategy adopted in 2015, the city has set forth a goal to derive 75% of its energy from clean sources by 2050. This strategy is anchored by five key pillars: infrastructure, legislation, funding, capacity-building and skills development, and a green energy mix.
Central to this approach is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Touted as the largest solar power plant globally, it boasts a capacity of 5,000 MW set to be achieved by 2030. To put that in perspective, this would cater to approximately 1% of the world's current electricity consumption.
The government has also established a substantial $27 billion Green Fund to support clean energy initiatives. This fund provides loans to clean energy investors, and it does so at reduced interest rates.
Furthermore, Dubai boasts the world's largest waste-to-energy plant. This facility has a capacity sufficient to supply electricity to approximately 120,000 households. Additionally, the city has made strides in environmental management. For instance, they've achieved a 100% collection rate for solid waste. When it comes to energy efficiency, Dubai outperforms many developed nations, losing only 3.3% of electricity during transmission. This is better than the 6-7% typically lost in Europe and the US.
However, it's worth noting that by 2030, natural gas will still account for 61% of Dubai's total energy production. The city's clean energy strategy also includes the use of clean coal. Yet, the very notion of 'clean coal' is contentious, with many experts arguing that it's not a thing that exists.
But generally speaking the city does seem to be moving in the right direction that aligns with global sustainability goals.
Other initiatives
There are many, and I mean many, more initiatives, projects and ideas in Dubai’s quest of becoming the smartest city in the world. Some are ambitious, some — interesting and useful, and some…well, it would seem there are better things to spend the city’s time and money on.
On the useful side, the Smart Employee App is straightforward and handy. Designed by the government, this HRM system aids governmental bodies in overseeing payroll, performance metrics, and organizational structuring. For the employees, it acts as a window to monitor their financial growth and even lodge absence requests.
Source: Smart Employee App
The Smart Supplier is another interesting project. This service platform facilitates suppliers to enlist themselves in the GPRS, an expansive system handling all governmental internal processes. With access to data from over 40 government agencies, both suppliers and the government find it easier to manage orders, oversee tenders, and track payments.
On the weirder side there is Dubai’s Metaverse Strategy. The goal here is to become a top 10 metaverse economy in the world (whatever that means) by attracting over a 1,000 companies in the blockchain space and supporting over 40,000 virtual jobs (again, ambiguous) by 2030. It’s strategy announcement the government does use all the buzzwords, associated with the metaverse, like mixed reality and digital twins, but the question remains: Why?
Another idea, and probably the one the government has already given up on, is the 3D Strategy with a goal to construct 25% of Dubai's buildings using 3D printers. And I must admit, in 2013 or so I did think that 3D printers were the future, but I was 21 and wasn’t wielding billions of dollars.
So, yeah, not all ideas are great ideas.
It’s all about the money
In the grand scheme of things, it's not just about the wild ideas or the ambitious experiments that might miss the mark. Dubai has the financial muscle. They can invest in the metaverse, experiment with flying taxis, build hyperloops, and still have enough money for more practical initiatives.
And it’s hard to argue with the results when you look at the outcomes. Over recent years, Dubai has been consistently making its mark on those "smartest cities" lists. Plus, there’s this undeniable growth in population — from 2 million in 2010 to 3 million now.
With Dubai continuing to be a beacon for the high-flyers and visionaries, it seems they're not hitting the brakes anytime soon.