Dubai Municipality And Shenzhen UPDIS Sign MoU To Advance Smart, Sustainable Urban Planning

Dubai Municipality has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen during the World Governments Summit 2026. The agreement formalises long-term cooperation in urban planning, smart city development, and low-carbon urbanism. Both parties aim to create more resilient, efficient, and people-centred cities through structured knowledge exchange and shared planning practices.

The partnership places strong emphasis on smart and sustainable city models, supported by data-driven tools and advanced infrastructure systems. Dubai Municipality and UPDIS intend to align planning methodologies, share technical expertise, and test new approaches to future city-making. The collaboration supports Dubai’s ambition to develop future-ready urban environments that respond to environmental, social, and technological change.

The agreement builds directly on a high-level delegation visit by Dubai officials to Shenzhen in February 2025. During that visit, both sides studied Shenzhen’s sponge city systems and smart city applications. They identified close similarities in both cities’ urban growth paths and long-term priorities, laying the groundwork for a broader, more formalised cooperation framework.

Under the MoU, Dubai Municipality and UPDIS will cooperate on transit-oriented development, agile and compact urbanism, sponge city concepts, and low-carbon city planning. They will seek to integrate international best practices with Dubai’s local planning frameworks. Both institutions also plan to refine smart city models that can guide future development across neighbourhoods and strategic growth areas.

The collaboration extends to emerging technologies used in planning, construction, operations, and city management. Joint projects will look at how data platforms, digital tools, and smart systems can support more intelligent decision-making. The aim is to establish urban systems that increasingly rely on real-time information and analytics to raise overall efficiency and liveability.

In infrastructure, the MoU highlights design and planning for next-generation ICT networks supported by 5G, integrated underground utilities, and advanced water management. Smart water systems will draw on artificial intelligence and big data. These measures are intended to enhance resilience, performance, and sustainability of Dubai’s infrastructure, while remaining aligned with changing environmental and technological conditions.

Dubai Municipality urban planning strategy and global models

Both parties will work together on advanced spatial analysis tools, data-driven planning techniques, and AI-based urban design methods. These tools will be used to strengthen sustainability and liveability outcomes in future projects. Dubai Municipality and UPDIS also plan to study global urban development models, using the experiences of Dubai and Shenzhen as reference points for experimentation.

The MoU introduces mechanisms to keep the relationship active and responsive, including annual joint reviews. These reviews will monitor progress, identify new fields for cooperation, and ensure that activities stay in line with each city’s strategic priorities. The structure is intended to keep the partnership flexible as urban challenges and policy directions evolve over time.

Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: "This partnership reflects Dubai Municipality’s strategic commitment to learning from other global urban leaders while contributing Dubai’s own planning and city-making experience on the international stage. Through this collaboration with Shenzhen’s Urban Planning and Design Institute, we are strengthening our capacity to deliver smart, sustainable, and people-centred urban environments that respond to future challenges and enhance quality of life." He added: "The World Governments Summit provides the ideal platform to formalise this cooperation, as it brings together governments and institutions committed to shaping future cities through innovation, resilience, and global collaboration."

Yu Lu, President of Shenzhen Urban Planning and Design Institute, said: "Shenzhen and Dubai are cities of a similar age, with comparable spatial structures, and both have undergone rapid urban development over a short period of time. Both cities are standing on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable development. It is firmly believed that this shared background creates significant potential for meaningful and mutually beneficial cooperation. This MoU works not merely as a formal agreement, but a strategic framework for sustained cooperation between the two institutions and two cities." She added: "UPDIS is an urban planning and design institution based in Shenzhen for 35 years. It also plays as an important window of international exchange in urban development, governance innovation, and technological application. This collaboration between DM and UPDIS can extend beyond technical exchanges in terms of city planning and regeneration, sponge city, smart mobility and intelligent city development. It can also include personnel training, resource and technology matchmaking, as well as academic and research exchanges. Both sides hope to promote mutual learning through sharing of knowledge, experience and best practices."

The agreement supports Dubai Municipality’s wider responsibility to plan, design, and manage the city in line with Dubai’s long-term urban and economic strategies. It is closely linked to the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and to Dubai’s aim to strengthen its role as a global centre for forward-looking urban governance and sustainable development, while deepening ties with international partners such as Shenzhen.

With inputs from WAM