In this episode of Forward Talks our guest Huda Shaka, a scientist and urban planner who has been working on the Sustainability aspect of projects such as the Sharjah Strategic Plan 2040, the Abu Dhabi Capital Plan 2030 and the Dubai Expo 2020 bid.
Huda is a Dubai-kid who returned to the city after studying abroad and achieving her Masters in Urban Planning. She is now an Associate Director with ARUP, a multinational professional services firm which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment.
In the interview Huda mentions a series of reports published by ARUP, specifically the ‘Cities Alive: Rethinking cities in arid environments‘ (you can download it here)
At the heart of the report sit three key recommendations to shape the next century of city building in arid regions:
– Learning from the past. Build upon locally adapted climate-specific design solutions.
– Investing in green and blue infrastructure that is designed to work with local environmental and ecological systems.
– Designing intelligent buildings and public spaces that can meet the needs of people in changing climates.