The Smart City Expo Doha 2023 has underlined the need for a transformation in order to ensure the sustainable development of cities.
"Environmental consideration should be on the top of the priorities along with societal expectations, and technological advancements," said Safder Nazir, senior vice president of public sector for the Middle East and Central Asia at Huawei Technologies.
In his keynote session on ‘Metropolis to Ecopolis’, Nazir explained the idea of Ecopolis- the ecologically and economically restorative city. The session was instrumental in delving into the developmental trajectory of cities, examining the intricate connections between environmental considerations and other key priorities.
The Huawei official explained the need to adopt the principles of sustainability, circularity and resilience as a key priority for the city transformation.
“According to UN-Habitat, cities consume 78% of the world’s energy and produce more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, they account for less than 2% of the earth’s surface,” he said.
“Smart City requires massive, real-time data, so the sensing system is essential, then we can build city twins from the physical world to the digital world. This can be achieved through implementing technological innovations,” Nazir said adding that technology needs to be more sustainable and tech strategy needs to be resilient.
Safder Nazir
