The role of technology is increasingly becoming more critical in urban development as planners address challenges to promote competitive business environments and spur sustainable societies.
Future cities must deliver seamless customer experiences and governments should consider adopting technology to “listen to, understand and act” on behalf of their citizens, Kashif Siddiqui, a customer experience solutions expert at SAP, said during a panel discussion organised by the German software company at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The smart building market globally is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 11.33 per cent to $229.1 billion by 2026, according to Modor Intelligence. Growing energy conservation efforts and environmental concerns are driving the growth of the sector, it added.
“We believe that smart building insights play a crucial role in improving the overall building performance and enhancing the quality of life for occupants and visitors," said Selda Konucku, leader of connected building business for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa region at US conglomerate Honeywell.
The Covid-19 pandemic affected the core of urban living, and local governments needed to react quickly to protect people’s lives and simultaneously look for the best approaches to handle the long-term effects of the pandemic, said consultancy Deloitte, which was part of the discussion.
It said cities should care for people the most by making urban living areas more humane and nurturing a strong sense of connection.
Deloitte identified 12 trends in a recent report that would define the future of cities, including those that tackle smart health, digital innovation and sustainable buildings.
It also listed the circular economy – an economic system that focuses on reducing the extraction of natural resources, minimising waste and regenerate natural systems – and producing locally.
Multimodal mobility – the flexible and integrated use of different forms of transportation – will also play a key role in future urban development, especially with the integration of autonomous technologies.
Globally, the autonomous vehicles market has reached $1.65bn, figures compiled by Fortune Business Insights show. It said the UAE is a global leader, having announced several plans to test self-driving vehicles. Abu Dhabi recently completed the trial phase of a driverless taxi service on Yas Island and the service can now be booked by the public through the TXAI app.
Access and reliability, safety and the costs of inefficient operations are the three main challenge of mobility, said Shahzeb Memon, vice president and global head of transport-as-a-service at Swvl, the Dubai-based mass transit and shared mobility services provider set for a listing on the Nasdaq.
“These mobility challenges need to be tackled in a smart and efficient manner, focusing on the daily commute, order in travel and technology for end-to-end transportation services," he added.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has announced a goal that 25 per cent of all transportation trips in the emirate will be smart and driverless by 2030. The city saved Dh210bn ($57.18bn) in working hours, time and fuel between 2006 and 2020 thanks to "smart" investment in roads and transport infrastructure, officials said last month.
The data-driven digital lifecycle of projects is important in urban planning, with "organisations who get technology and digital transformation right becomes a true differentiator in the industry with a 5 per cent to 30 per cent productivity increase”, Mark Smith, managing director for capital projects at Deloitte Middle East, said.
We believe that smart building insights play a crucial role in improving the overall building performance and enhancing the quality of life for occupants and visitors
Selda Konucku,
leader of connected building business for Meta at Honeywell
"Customer centricity and human factors are key success factors for any business," said Jihad Tayara, chief executive of Evoteq, the digital venture arm of Sharjah waste management company Bee'ah.
Urban areas, traditionally characterised by a high population density and heavy construction to support modern amenities, such as transport and commercial buildings, now face increasing pressure from expanding populations, limited resources and the growing impact of climate change, the Deloitte report said.
Cities should be driving a decarbonisation agenda, because becoming low-carbon is the first step towards mitigating carbon emissions and achieving ecosystem resilience. At the same time, cities should ensure that urban planning is capable of dealing with the pressures of climate change in the adaptation agenda, it added.
The panel discussion was held alongside the Urban and Rural Development Expo Week and involved the participation of Google Cloud.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Company%20profile
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
