Dubai Municipality is opening a significant new chapter in urban development, announcing a landmark collaboration with world-renowned architects Santiago Calatrava and Kengo Kuma to champion human-centered urban design. Revealed on February 6, 2026, during the World Governments Summit and in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the partnership will integrate leading international design expertise directly into the municipality’s planning and strategy framework, focusing on sustainability, resilience, and quality of life for residents.
The monumental agreement brings Calatrava International and Kengo Kuma & Associates into the Dubai Municipality’s Urban Planning and Design Lab (D.M-ULab) as principal contributors. This move reinforces participatory design as a central pillar of Dubai’s future city-making, shifting focus toward developing practical, high-impact urban solutions grounded in enhancing the human experience and preserving local identity.
Elevating Design Through Global Expertise
The collaboration is a strategic initiative aimed at elevating the emirate’s capacity for urban experimentation. By integrating contemporary architectural thought with cultural context and environmental performance, Dubai seeks to establish itself as a model for global cities. Projects stemming from this partnership will prioritize transforming theoretical ideas into integrated, advanced urban solutions, fundamentally placing people at the core of all planning and design processes.
His Excellency Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, emphasized the significance of the partnership. “This collaboration elevates the D.M-ULab’s function as a crucial platform for dialogue, participatory design, and applied urban experimentation,” he stated. “Our objective is to strengthen innovation practices and thoroughly test new technologies and concepts in designing neighborhoods and public spaces that tangibly enhance quality of life.”
Architect Santiago Calatrava echoed this sentiment, referencing the power of collaboration in shaping urban landscapes. “This Memorandum of Understanding reflects a shared dedication to shaping the city’s future through connecting institutions, design expertise, and future generations, creating a knowledge exchange platform for world-class urban design in Dubai.”
Designing Public Spaces as Living Laboratories
A key component of the memorandum involves focused, real-world application. Dubai Municipality announced a dedicated collaboration with Kengo Kuma on the design of a new public park in the emirate. This project will serve as a pilot, showcasing how global design principles can be adapted to local conditions to create high-quality, people-centered urban infrastructure.
Kengo Kuma highlighted the philosophy behind this localized approach: “The work begins with listening closely to the place, the climate, and the rhythms of everyday life. This park will become a living laboratory for human-scale design, where young designers can join nature and architecture to shape public space with careful consideration and continuity.”
The agreement outlines extensive cooperation covering urban dialogue, advanced design-thinking methodologies, and the continuous exchange of global best practices. This includes focused discussions, critical reviews, and innovation sessions with D.M-ULab teams, as well as knowledge transfer with universities and government entities.
Ultimately, the partnership supports strategic design consultancy for urban regeneration and integrated planning, aligning global design philosophies with Dubai’s overarching vision for sustainability and the development of future-ready cities. It represents a powerful commitment to leveraging international expertise to ensure urban growth translates directly into a higher quality of life for all residents.