Abu Dhabi consolidates its global leadership in sustainable urban development with qualitative achievements
Abu Dhabi, May 10 / WAM / The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has established its global position as a leading model for sustainable urban development and quality of life, through an integrated package of qualitative projects and initiatives in the fields of urban planning, infrastructure, smart mobility, and enhancing the competitiveness of the real estate sector, in a way that embodies the UAE’s vision to build future cities based on innovation, sustainability, and smart government services.
The year 2025 represented a strategic turning point in the institutional development process led by the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi, with the completion of the comprehensive institutional transformation program, which contributed to raising the efficiency of services and operational processes across the municipalities of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, and establishing a more integrated and flexible work system in the management of municipal projects and services.
In the context of improving the quality of life, the “Way of Living” strategy succeeded in raising the average integration of residential neighborhoods to 81%, through the implementation of more than 60 development projects worth 12 billion dirhams, which included the establishment of more than 200 parks and sports fields, 24 schools, 21 mosques, and 28 community councils, in addition to developing 120 kilometers of walking paths, 283 kilometers of bicycle paths, and 220 kilometers of road lighting. In addition to implementing about 200 projects to beautify and plant neighborhoods and roads.
The department allocated an additional budget worth 42 billion dirhams to implement new projects aimed at strengthening infrastructure, raising the quality of assets, and expanding recreational, health, educational, community and service facilities in accordance with the highest international standards, in addition to opening new community facilities, including 16 parks in the Al Shamkha area in Abu Dhabi.
In the urban planning sector, the department approved about 75 million square meters of floor space for development, with an annual growth of 137%, which included approximately 190,000 housing units, including more than 158,000 units allocated to the real estate market, and about 30,000 housing units for citizens.
The department also enhanced the efficiency of regulatory procedures by launching the “Benaa” digital platform supported by artificial intelligence, which contributed to reducing the time for issuing residential villa licenses by 57%, by employing building information modeling and virtual and augmented reality technologies.
In the context of digital transformation, the department adopted live tracking systems, telematics technologies, and smart cameras supported by artificial intelligence in 100% of its vehicles, which contributed to raising the efficiency of operational operations, rationalizing fuel consumption, and reducing operational accidents.
In terms of sustainable transportation, the Department’s Integrated Transport Center “Abu Dhabi Transport” continued to develop environmentally friendly transportation solutions, by converting bus service No. 65, which transports about 6,000 passengers daily between Marina Mall and Al Reem Island, into a service that runs on hydrogen and electricity technologies, as part of a plan aimed at transforming Abu Dhabi Island into a green area for public transportation by 2030.
Abu Dhabi achieved a qualitative achievement by launching the commercial operation of fully autonomous vehicles at level four, in a step that is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Within the circular economy trends, the department succeeded in diverting 94% of non-liquid operational waste away from landfills and entering it into the recycling system, in addition to recycling 100% of maintenance oils, which enhanced the efficiency of resource management and reduced the risks of environmental pollution, while material recovery programs contributed to recovering 22% of their value as an operational return.
In an indicator that reflects the growing momentum of the real estate sector, the real estate market in Abu Dhabi recorded during 2025 transactions worth 142 billion dirhams, a growth of 44%, through the implementation of 42,814 real estate transactions, an increase of 52%, which included buying and selling transactions worth 99.4 billion dirhams, and real estate mortgages worth 42.7 billion dirhams.
Foreign direct investments in the real estate sector also amounted to 8.2 billion dirhams, a growth of 13%, with the diversity of investors from more than 100 nationalities, which reflects the attractiveness of the real estate market in Abu Dhabi, and confirms the confidence of global investors in the emirate’s investment environment.
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