Smart cities and innovation hubs are trending around the world as they set up new technology districts to promote entrepreneurship and novel ideas towards a more sustainable and inclusive future.

A blueprint for sustainable urban planning, Expo City Dubai provides a state-of-the art business ecosystem to sustainability-minded companies from start-ups and small ventures all the way to Fortune 500 giants.

As part of Dubai’s dynamic Free Zone community, Expo City offers a wealth of opportunities for like-minded  businesses, focusing not only on the green future, innovation, and technology, but also on education and healthcare.

The progressive city, which supports industry growth and the UAE’s diversification plans, has already attracted interest from a large number of commercial tenants. It will soon become the new home of DP World, Siemens, and Terminus as well as a number of start-ups and small businesses.

With campus-style grounds and fully covered by a 5G-enabled network, companies can benefit from its advanced, tech-enabled space that also offers vast conference and entertainment venues, wellness, residential and hospitality amenities right at the doorstep.

Sustainability focus

Helping businesses meet their sustainable targets, Expo City Dubai features 123 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings, which embody the highest levels of sustainable design, construction and operations. It also retains many of Expo 2020’s pioneering initiatives, such as the world’s largest installation of Siemens’ cloud technology platform, which uses smart metering and sensors to monitor energy consumption and efficiency of power, light, water and climate conditioning systems.

During the Expo 2020 Dubai, the first event of its kind to be held in the Arab world, energy demand was reduced by 33% compared to international standards. Minimising its GHG emissions via sustainable mitigation strategies, Expo 2020 also saw a reduction in emissions of almost 10 per cent compared to a ‘business as usual’ scenario, while an additional five percent reduction was due to carbon offsets. Meanwhilewhile 98% of construction materials were procured in accordance with Expo’s robust Sustainable Materials Guidelines.

Designed to be net zero for both energy and water, Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion is LEED Platinum-certified, which is the highest available accreditation for sustainable architecture. It generates 4 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year of electricity through 4,912 PV panels arranged on its 130-metre-wide roof canopy and atop a series of 18 Energy Trees in its grounds that rotate to face the sun like sunflowers.

Terra’s grounds feature native and desert-adapted plants as well as innovative irrigation techniques, including a grey water recycling system, aimed at reducing water use by 75%, while its Water Tree is a showcase of cutting-edge tech that captures moisture from the air.

Wellbeing emphasis
With an inclusive, campus feel, Expo City Dubai’s districts are car free, improving safety and air quality. Presenting a healthier and more balanced way of life, the site also features 10 kilometres (km) of cycling tracks, a 5km running track, and 45,000 square metres (m2) of parks and gardens.

The green city is also the first community in the region to be registered under the WELL Community Standard pilot, which presents a framework for creating communities that prioritise the health and wellbeing of all inhabitants.

Smart mobility solutions such as autonomous vehicle (AV) routes as well as 68 electric vehicle charging stations further exemplify Expo City Dubai’s innovation-driven and human-centric vision to create conditions for a better quality of life.

With its innovation-driven business ecosystem and unique infrastructure, Expo City Dubai offers forward-looking companies an environment that aligns with their commitment to sustainability and inclusion.