Under the directives of Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai Municipality launches the world’s first challenge to design gardens based on artificial intelligence

DUBAI, 28 JUNE / WAM / Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, Dubai Municipality launched the first global challenge to design parks based on artificial intelligence, in a pioneering initiative calling on participants to reimagine Al Safa 2 Park using artificial intelligence techniques.

The challenge comes as part of Dubai Municipality’s efforts to harness advanced technologies, urban design, and community participation in shaping the future of parks and public spaces.

The challenge explores how an integrated system of artificial intelligence tools can support the various stages of the design journey, starting from analyzing the site and understanding user needs, through generating ideas, testing scenarios, improving designs, and preparing visual visualizations, while emphasizing that the final decisions related to the design remain human-led.

The challenge aims to develop innovative and implementable designs for Al Safa Park 2, in a way that enhances sustainability, accessibility, luxury, social interaction and quality of life.

It is expected that the contributions will include an integrated master plan supported by data analysis, visual visualizations, detailed diagrams and drawings, in addition to a clear explanation of how to employ artificial intelligence tools in the design process.

His Excellency Engineer Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: The launch of the first global garden design challenge based on artificial intelligence reflects Dubai’s ambition to lead the future of urban innovation by combining advanced technologies and human-centered design. Based on the vision of our wise leadership, Dubai Municipality continues to develop qualitative initiatives that contribute to enhancing the quality of life, consolidating community participation, and reimagining public spaces as integrated destinations designed to meet human needs and the requirements of their daily lives.

His Excellency added: Artificial intelligence in this challenge does not aim to replace human creativity, but rather is used as a tool to expand the horizons of capabilities, deepen understanding, and support better design decisions. Through this initiative, we seek to attract bold and creative ideas from designers, researchers, students, startups, and technology innovators, in a way that enhances Dubai’s position as a global model in designing smart, sustainable, and livable cities in the future.

The challenge opens the door to participation for designers and specialists in the built and urban environment, in addition to bachelor’s students, master’s and doctoral students, researchers, innovative start-up companies in the field of design, and innovators in the field of artificial intelligence and technology.

Participants must demonstrate how to integrate AI tools into the design process to support analysis, development, and decision-making, including exploring design concepts, spatial planning, environmental response, optimizing shade and microclimate, understanding user experience, improving performance, making data-driven design decisions, and producing AI-powered visualizations.

Badr Anwahi, Executive Director of the Public Utilities Corporation at Dubai Municipality, said: Parks play a direct role in enhancing community well-being, consolidating social ties, and improving the quality of daily life. Through this challenge, Dubai Municipality is exploring a new model for designing public spaces, where artificial intelligence contributes to generating deeper insights about humans, place, climate, and usage patterns, while ensuring that the final outputs are practical, comprehensive, and centered around the human experience.

He added: Al Safa Park 2 provides an opportunity to test how to employ artificial intelligence in designing public spaces that are more responsive, comfortable and sustainable. Our focus is on developing a park that is easily accessible and provides a valuable interactive experience for all age groups and people of determination, in a way that reflects the needs of society and Dubai’s identity as a city of innovation.

Entries will be evaluated according to a set of key criteria, including the strength of the design approach based on integrating artificial intelligence, spatial intelligence and implementability, human-centered user experience, inclusivity, sustainability, clarity of the design narrative, and the ability to transform data analyzes into practical spatial outcomes.

The total prizes for the challenge are 200,000 dirhams, with the first place winner receiving 100,000 dirhams, the second place winner receiving 65,000 dirhams, and the third place winner receiving 35,000 dirhams, in appreciation of exceptional ideas with realistic application potential.

The jury includes an elite group of Dubai government executives, as well as prominent local and international experts in the fields of design, architecture, artificial intelligence, and planning future cities.

The committee will evaluate the entries and select a group of nominated designs, after which the community will participate in selecting the winning designs.

This approach reflects Dubai Municipality’s keenness to directly involve the community in designing parks, ensuring the development of public spaces that meet residents’ needs, keep pace with their aspirations, and enhance the quality of life.

By launching the first global challenge to design parks based on artificial intelligence, Dubai Municipality continues to establish a new model for designing public spaces that combines artificial intelligence, creativity, sustainability, local identity, human experience, and participatory design, thus enhancing Dubai’s position as a global platform for urban innovation and designing future cities.

Dubai Municipality invited creatives and specialists to participate, as applications will continue to be received until August 15, via the following link:

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