Green spaces and the quality of public transport promote the classification of Abu Dhabi in the smart cities index "IMD"For 2025

Abu Dhabi, April 23/ WAM/ The wide green spaces, free Wi -Fi, and advanced public transportation, along with the effective management of traffic in enhancing Abu Dhabi’s position within the Smart Cities Index for the year 2025, issued by the International Institute for Administrative Development (IMD) through which the capital Abu Dhabi advanced from the tenth to fifth place exceeding many major international capitals.
His Excellency Muhammad Ali Al -Shurafa, head of the Municipalities and Transport Department, said that over the past five years, Abu Dhabi continued to submit it steadily in the rankings of global smart cities after it rose from the fourteenth place in 2020 to the fifth place this year, noting that this prominent achievement of Abu Dhabi reflects the advanced position that the emirate continues to establish as one of the world’s favorite destinations to live, work and visit.

He stressed that this international estimate is additional evidence of the success of the comprehensive government approach to the emirate, which keeps pace with its continuous expansion development and said that our ambitions for the year 2025, “the year of society” aimed at continuing to harness technology and artificial intelligence, to enable members of society and the business sector more.

The “Smart Cities Index” is based on the evaluation of 146 cities based on the population’s perceptions of infrastructure and technologies available in their city.

The results of the index showed that more than half of the participants believe that the traffic congestion is uncommon in Abu Dhabi, while 82% expressed their satisfaction with the public transport network.

This positive evaluation reinforces the registration of more than 90 million flights through public buses last year, in addition to more than 168,000 passengers who benefited from the maritime transport network in Abu Dhabi.

In the framework of its ongoing efforts, the Department of Municipalities and Transport in its continuous efforts invested 3.4 billion dirhams during the year 2024 in vital projects related to the movement and the road network, including the Jisrin project, which contributed to reducing the average delay during the morning peak hours by a rate of 80% on Arab Gulf Street in Abu Dhabi.

Green spaces and public parks have emerged as major factors that contributed to raising the Abu Dhabi classification in the smart cities index, after about 84% of the participants expressed their satisfaction with their availability and the quality of their maintenance.

This came in conjunction with the department’s announcement of the opening of more than 200 parks and beach in 2024 alone, which strengthened the city’s attractiveness and the quality of life in it.

As part of its commitment to innovation and the welfare of society, the department developed seven gardens within the “Smart Gardens” initiative by installing 1.400 sensors to measure various indicators such as soil moisture, energy consumption, and air quality in order to improve visitors’ experience, enhance sustainability efficiency, and raise the level of garden management.

The Department of Municipalities and Transport in the Emirate to enhance the aesthetic of public places launched the “Abu Dhabi Panel” initiative during the year 2024, with the aim of improving the general appearance of open spaces and celebrating the state’s culture and rich heritage, by benefiting from Emirati creations and talents.

The ease of communication and the speed of access contributed to enhancing the position of Abu Dhabi within the first five cities in the world, and according to the global index, about 75% of the participants indicated that the free Wi -Fi service, which the department provides via buses, beaches and public parks within the “Hala Wi -Fi” initiative, was a major factor in improving access to public services.

The Department of Municipalities and Transport continues its commitment to strengthening the position of Abu Dhabi is a smart city, as the capital is now the headquarters of the regional office of the Sustainable World Sustainable Cities Organization “Wego” for the Middle East and North Africa region, which enhances its role as the emirate as a center of cooperation, exchanging knowledge and capacity building to enable cities throughout the region to benefit from the latest technologies to achieve sustainable urban development.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter