A AED1.1bn ($299m) Smart City project was launched in Dubai on Sunday, which will be served by electricity-
charged vehicles.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), announced plans for Silicon Park.
The Silicon Park project comprises 97,000 sq m of office space, 25,000 sq m of commercial space, 20,000 sq m of residential area, and a 115-room business hotel in addition to restaurants, cafes, health and fitness centres, running tracks and cycling trails, prayer rooms, a shopping centre and underground parking for more than 2,500 cars.
In a statement, he said the project will be served by electricity-powered vehicles as the primary form of transportation. A number of charging stations will be set up across the area that can be accessed by all residents and visitors with electric vehicles. The project will also include other means of transportation such as smart rechargeable electric bikes.
Work has started on the project which is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “This project is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum… to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world over the course of the next three years.
“The project articulates Dubai’s Vision 2021 to transform the emirate into a smart city while ensuring that it remains on par with the latest global trends for smart cities.”
He added: “We are confident that this project will succeed in offering a modern lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors. The project’s standards are aligned to the Dubai Government’s strategic directions on smart cities that focus on six pillars: life, society, mobility, economy, governance
Silicon Park will also feature intelligent solutions from charging-docks for smart devices on the street to smart pop-up furniture and digital play tables, as well as optimally-designed bus shelters, piazzas shading, and other public amenities.
