World’s First Incubator for Sustainable Cities Launched in Dubai

By 2050, it is expected that almost 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities.

Rapid increase in population, urbanisation which coupled with climate change will have severe impacts on our cities’ infrastructures and resources, as well as the health and wellbeing of their residents.

Mega-cities with populations of more than 10 million people are also on the rise; the United Nations projects that there will be 41 Mega-cities by 2030. This will require a significant shift in the way we design the next generation of cities to ensure they are sustainable.

To help accelerate much-needed solutions, URB have initiated the world’s first-of-its-kind incubator for sustainable cities. The R&D programme will focus entirely on developing new solutions for the next generation of sustainable cities across the world.

Baharash Bagherian, CEO of URB who has masterminded designs of various sustainable cities under construction, explains the launch of the incubator as an important step in the evolution of the company’s R&D programme.

Bagherian said: “The incubator will be more than a research platform. It will allow us to transfer our sustainability know-how whilst engaging with the best minds in the world, to create an innovation hub centred around sustainable cities.

“Research & Development are the foundations to creating the next generation of sustainable cities. The incubator will continue our pursuit of pushing the boundaries in the field of sustainable cities and will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world

“Our aim is to discover, support and mentor the next generation of designers. As such the incubator will empower the best young minds whilst promoting a culture of sustainability in urban planning.”