Exclusive virtual boardroom series launched at ADSW
ABU DHABI: Masdar and HSBC have launched an exclusive four-part virtual boardroom series for executives leading urban developments in Latin America (LATAM), Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT), Asia-pacific ASP and North America.
The first session of the invite-only series took place during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2021, the global plaform for accelerating sustainable development, hosted by Masdar.
The inaugural meeting addressed the topic of New Cities and Advanced Districts and was atended by executives representing a range of global public sectors, industry entities and new ‘cities’ and districts. The session was hosted by industry leaders, Professor Greg Clark, global head of future cities and new industries, HSBC, and Stephen Severance, Head of programme Management and Marketing, Masdar, who led the discussion which addressed the questions, what are advanced districts and new cities, what challenges do they face and what is the fresh mandate for a post COVID-19 world.
The quarterly series by Masdar and HSBC will bring together the best in global industry knowledge with each session hosted by international industry experts to explore the factors that are driving the development of future cities, the challenges to achieving sustainable urban development, harnessing new trade and talent corridors, advancing mobility, improving livability and integrating new technologies.
Abdulla Balalaa, Acting Executive Director, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar City, said, “Globalisation and urbanisation mean the world’s urban population is quickly expanding. An estimated two billion more people will be added to the world’s cities between now and 2050 and this has enormous environmental implications and places huge demand on resources. Therefore, in order to cope, while conserving natural resources, cities must adapt to support a more sustainable way of living. In short, we need to redefine how we live together, and create new urban districts that provide a compelling lifestyle.”
“The UAE leadership has long recognised that we need to think holistically to make our cities more livable. With Masdar City, our flagship sustainable urban development project, we have shown what the future of cities can be. We have created a complete sustainability ecosystem and a hub for innovation and the development of technology that will allow new ideas to thrive as well as finding novel ways to implement existing technology. By implementing existing technologies alone, cities could cut their carbon emissions by 90 per cent by 2050.”