Abu Dhabi students collaborate on urban plans

Abu Dhabi-based university students will collaborate to develop small-scale, implementable projects with a focus on the Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan.

The idea is to optimise the city’s development through a 25-year programme of urban evolution issued by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC). Sila Connection, the first student-led organisation that brings university students together across Abu Dhabi to tackle local issues, will host the second annual Sila Abu Dhabi conference this week, starting on Friday.

Of 122 aspiring students from eight local universities, only 60 delegates were chosen to participate. They attend Abu Dhabi University, Higher Colleges of Technology and Khalifa University, among other schools. The students will be placed in teams to create a multi-cultural working environment designed to expose students to different perspectives. As a group, they will take on the challenge to find meaningful, viable solutions to ways Arab culture can best be represented amid the booming development of Abu Dhabi, focusing specifically on urban design and culture and identity in Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

The teams will compete to win up to $5,000 (Dh18,366) from the NYUAD Institute to execute their projects.

“We believe the theme of this year’s conference will enable participants to investigate a variety of issues relevant to the local community, as a result enhancing our collaboration with local stakeholders and attracting a broader and more diverse student population than we did at our inaugural conference,” said Hussein Karzoumi, director of Sila Abu Dhabi and NYUAD student.