At the 2026 World Government Summit in Dubai, the Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) and Dubai Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a long-term cooperation framework on future-oriented urban development.

The agreement focuses on aligning planning methodologies, digital tools, and implementation experience in response to shared challenges faced by high-density, fast-growing global cities. Core areas of cooperation include transit-oriented development (TOD), climate resilience, smart infrastructure, and data-driven urban governance.

Under the framework, both sides will collaborate on applying advanced spatial analytics and digital planning technologies, with priority areas including:

• AI-enabled and data-driven urban water management systems;

• Integrated underground space planning to improve land-use efficiency in dense urban environments;

• System-level integration of next-generation information and communication technologies (ICT) into urban sensing, decision-making, and public services;

• Climate-adaptive infrastructure design, including sponge city concepts to enhance resilience to extreme weather events.

Rather than a project-based arrangement, the cooperation is designed as an institutional platform for testing, validating, and scaling urban innovation across different regulatory, climatic, and developmental contexts.

Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, noted that Shenzhen's experience in managing rapid urbanization through technology-enabled planning offers valuable reference points for Dubai's continued focus on smart, sustainable, and human-centric urban development.

Yu Lu, Chairwoman of UPDIS, highlighted the structural similarities between Shenzhen and Dubai — both relatively young cities that have undergone accelerated growth within a short timeframe — as a strong foundation for pragmatic, long-term collaboration at both institutional and city levels.

The partnership will be supported by a regular exchange mechanism, including expert visits, joint research, technical training, and pilot projects, ensuring alignment with each city's evolving strategic priorities.

The agreement reflects a broader shift in international cooperation toward deeper collaboration on urban governance, infrastructure systems, and sustainability, extending beyond traditional economic and trade-focused engagement.