Organized jointly by Fujairah Municipality, Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation- Fujairah Government, Environmental Center for Arab Towns and supported by the Dubai Municipality and the Arab Towns Organiza- tion, the 11th International Envirocities Conference 2022- Fujairah would is held under the theme “Sustainable, Smart and Resilient Cities Applications” from 22-24 November, 2022 in Fujairah City- UAE.

The sustainable planning of cities is a tool for efficiently utilizing resources while considering the environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Indeed, under the steady and continuous increase in population, cities are in deep need of a strategic planning mechanism that is centered around sustainability principles. Such a mecha- nism should take advantage of innovations, modern smart applications of information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and the “internet of things” (IoT) to make cities smart, safe, inclusive, resilient, healthy, and sustainable. All of this is adopted to realize the 11th goal of Sustainable Development Goals dedicated to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. It is mainly based on the theme of enabling the current generations to enjoy the available resources without impacting the rights of future generations in enjoying such resources. Furthermore, it is commonly known that a sustainable and healthy environment plays a highly significant role, and it is a vital channel to support the wheel of urban development and withstand climate changes and emergency and crisis times.

The concept of “Sustainable and Smart Cities” should be perceived as an expedition toward benefiting more from technologies and interconnected data. This is to augment city performance and sustainability, along with optimizing the limited resources with due consideration to the environment. This may include promoting energy efficiency, waste management, and improving housing systems, health care, green buildings, enhancing the Gow of transportation safety, controlling air quality, and improving water and sanitation systems. With the tremendous development of the technological revolution in the world today, including data science, AI, and IoT, it has become essential for any resilient city to incorporate all of these elements into the majority of their sectors and fields. If used with good governance, such technology is considered a necessary booster and assistant in terms of saving time and achieving more accurate results.

On the other hand, a “Resilient City" is designed to withstand pressure and disasters and overcome them while preserving its vital functions, infrastructure, primary identity, and ability to adapt and thrive in light of the constant changes. Building resilient cities requires identifying and assessing risks, reducing weaknesses and points most vulnerable to damage, intensifying resistance, adaptability, and emergency preparedness.

The concept of smart, sustainable, and resilient cities brings with it other aspects, including the creation of job opportunities, opening up prospects for safe investments, and building sustainable societies and economies. It also involves the development of public transportation systems, creating public green landscapes, and improv- ing urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways in the presence of advanced urban centers that could support decision-makers and manage sustainable projects. In due course, we build our cities and thenceforward celebrate the outcomes of our planning and strategic and executive visions.