(MENAFN Press) HE Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Khalifa Al Thani to inaugurate the Arab Future Cities Summit in Doha
Arab Future Cities Summit, under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Minister for Municipality & Urban Planning, State of Qatar will be held at the Intercontinental Doha in Qatar on 23-24 April 2012.
Arab Future Cities Summit is supported by Ministry of Municipality & Urban Planning, State of Qatar and is being held in association with GORD (Gulf Organisation for Research & Development).
The Summit is bringing together industry leaders from various parts of the world to facilitate an international platform to discuss the ways for the transfer of knowledge, know how and to reflect on technological and social innovations and transformations that are arising in cities.
Ger Baron, Program Head of Amsterdam Smart City will present an interesting topic on "How a changing society leads to new business opportunities and a smarter city".
Many municipalities around the world are exploring the Smart City concept as a way to make themselves better places to live, work, and grow. There is a growing consensus that information and communications technology (ICT) will play a critical role in creating sustainable cities of the future. Mohammad Shah, Vice President - Technology Infrastructure & Services, Madinah Knowledge Economic City and Tareq Alemadi, Head of Information Technology, Office of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser will join on a panel, discussing "Smart cities enabled by smart IT". More and more cities are realizing that smarter management and modernization of their infrastructures can reap long-term savings. A new study on the growth of smart cities estimates that investments in smart cities will increase fivefold over the next five years. According ABI Research, smart city technologies will expand across the board, to more than 39 billion annually by 2016.
Many cities are working on installing municipal wireless networks, implementing e-government initiatives by providing access to city departments and initiatives through websites, integrating public transportation with intelligent transportation systems, or developing ways to cut their carbon footprints and reduce the amount of recyclables consigned to the trash heap.
Over 200 delegates have already confirmed attendance at the Summit. The event will witness an international gathering of city leaders, government officials, city developers, engineering & construction companies, urban service providers and smart city solution providers to share strategies, insights and best practices to implement a smart and sustainable future for the cities of tomorrow. It gives a direction in urban planning and development with an emphasis on effective utilization of resources.
For more information on the Arab Future Cities Summit, please visit: www.arabfuturecities.com
