Dubai: Roland Berger, in collaboration with the World Governments Summit (WGS), announced the release of the report 'Future-Proofing Cities in the Age of Polycrisis: A Playbook for Future-Ready Cities.' This initiative outlines a comprehensive framework to aid Middle Eastern cities in anticipating, adapting to, and shaping the future amid converging and interdependent crises.
According to Emirates News Agency, the paper is particularly focused on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, positioning it as a global laboratory for future-ready urbanism. The report advocates for a transformative shift from traditional, reactive resilience toward institutionalized urban foresight and adaptive governance.
Mohamad Yamout, Partner at Roland Berger Middle East, emphasized the challenges of polycrisis, noting that traditional resilience models focused on recovery are no longer adequate. He stated that the Middle East is leading in urban innovation and that embedding foresight into governance can transform crises into opportunities, setting global benchmarks for adaptability.
The playbook calls for strategic adaptability and urban foresight, encouraging city leaders to integrate scenario planning and continuous adjustment into governance practices. At its core, the playbook presents a five-pillar framework for guiding strategy and investment:
1. Adaptive Infrastructure and Urban Systems: The focus is on designing modular, climate-resilient, and smart infrastructure supported by digital twins, real-time monitoring, and predictive analytics.
2. Strategic Foresight and Governance Agility: Establishing foresight units, applying scenario planning and regulatory sandboxes, and enhancing cross-sector coordination for coherent responses to emerging risks.
3. Environmental Regeneration and Resource Foresight: Promoting regeneration through climate-risk modeling, renewable energy, nature-based solutions, circular economy measures, and biodiversity-led planning.
4. Human and Social Well-Being: Prioritizing preventive health, lifelong learning, social inclusion, and civic engagement to build cohesive, skilled communities capable of adapting to disruption.
5. Digital Intelligence and Innovation Ecosystems: Utilizing open data, AI, innovation hubs, and strong cybersecurity to create cities that can sense and responsibly respond to change in real time.
