Sheikh Hamdan Approves New Urban Planning, Housing, and Digitalisation Strategies for Dubai
Dubai, 8th December, 2025 – H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has approved a comprehensive set of new policies and strategic models aimed at enhancing urban planning, housing, and digitalisation during The Executive Council’s latest meeting.
These initiatives align with the Year of the Family announced by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Dubai Social Agenda 33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. The new strategy carries the slogan: “Family: The Foundation of Our Nation” and introduces a planning model for residential areas that places citizen welfare and family empowerment at the core of Dubai’s urban future. Other highlights include the newly approved Digital Resilience Policy and the general plan for The Executive Council’s 2026 Agenda.
Attendees at the Emirates Towers meeting included H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance.
“Guided by the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, citizen welfare and family empowerment form the foundation of Dubai’s future plans, driving efforts to make it the best, most beautiful, and most advanced city in the world,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. “This model focuses on creating socially interconnected, service-integrated communities that enhance quality of life through homes, neighbourhoods, parks, schools, and their service centres.“
He further underscored the critical importance of robust digital and service infrastructure, stating, “We have one of the most advanced digital infrastructures in the world. To fulfil the objectives of the Dubai Digital Strategy launched in 2023 – digitalising life in Dubai, strengthening the digital economy, and empowering society – we continue to develop a robust digital government model and maintain the continuity and efficiency of digital services. The Digital Resilience Policy has been approved as a key tool to enhance digital leadership in a comprehensive and proactive way.“
Anchored in Sustainability and Community
Rooted in the principles of the Year of the Family and the Dubai Social Agenda 33, The Executive Council has sanctioned a cutting-edge planning model for citizens’ residential areas—a pioneering framework crafted to promote sustainable living, social stability, and quality of life. This forward-looking model revives the Fareej (traditional community cluster) concept, promoting social cohesion and community health.
Key features include:
- Active mobility, enabled by shaded walkways, dedicated paths for walking, running, and cycling.
- Transformation of parks and public squares into lively hubs for social and cultural activities, nurturing a spirit of community and interaction.
- Plans for 152 new parks across Madinat Latifa and Al Yalayis, ensuring every resident is within 150 metres of green spaces.
- Over 33 kilometres of cycling paths.
- Central parks outfitted with diverse amenities, and the establishment of community majlis and wedding halls.
This comprehensive design embraces the 20-Minute City concept, where interconnected networks of central green spaces ensure residents can access key amenities within a short walk or cycle.
For Madinat Latifa, plans allocate approximately 11% of the district to green and open spaces, with 12 kilometres of walking and cycling paths, schools, childhood centres, mosques, health clinics, and commercial hubs. The area is envisioned to cover 3,000 hectares for 141,000 people, hosting 18,500 residential units and 77 parks.
In Al Yalayis, a new green corridor will connect residential communities, offering recreational and commercial facilities across 1,108 hectares, housing up to 66,000 people in 8,000 residential unit plots and 75 parks.
Digital Resilience: Securing Dubai’s Digital Future
The Executive Council has also ratified a pioneering Digital Resilience Policy—a comprehensive, proactive framework designed to reinforce digital resilience for government, businesses, and society. The policy supports the broader Dubai Resilience Strategy and Digital Transformation Strategy, leveraging advanced technologies including artificial intelligence.
Compliance with this policy will:
- Ensure continuity of digital services,
- Enhance protection for critical digital infrastructure,
- Safeguard vital data assets,
- Provide structured communication mechanisms,
- Establish a robust governance framework with key performance indicators for resilience.
The policy highlights the necessity of cooperation between public and private sectors, ensuring the safeguarding of data centres, networks, cloud platforms, and end-user devices. It champions swift, coordinated incident response and emphasises public trust in Dubai’s digital operations.
Forward Planning: Executive Council’s 2026 Agenda
The Council also reviewed the 2025 achievements and set forth the 2026 plan, focusing on realising the goals of the Dubai Plan 2033. These targets span across social development, infrastructure, economic growth, entrepreneurship, security, safety, justice, and public services.
With these new policies and plans, Dubai reinforces its long-term vision of sustainable urban growth, digitally enabled lifestyles, and a society centred around empowered families and individuals.
Team V.4-EM-UAE
