Abu Dhabi And Shenzhen Sign Twin City Agreement
UAE capital Abu Dhabi and China’s Shenzhen have signed a Twin City agreement, under which both parties will share knowledge and collaborate on smart city projects across multiple areas.
These include infrastructure, city planning, green mobility, transportation, advanced technology, autonomous solutions, sustainability, and urban development.
Situated in the southeastern part of China, Shenzhen is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. It had a population of 17.5 million in 2020 and is widely regarded as one of the most technologically advanced in the world in terms of infrastructure.
The agreement was signed during the inaugural Abu Dhabi x Shenzhen Innovation Forum (ADSZIF) held in Shenzhen. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and Qin Weizhong, Mayor of Shenzhen, were the signatories.
Abu Dhabi: Smart mobility and partnerships
At ADSZIF, DMT signed strategic agreements with Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Centre (SUTPC), Huawei, Templewater Hong Kong Limited, and Kowloon Motor Bus Company.
With SUTPC, DMT will establish an international joint laboratory to facilitate training programmes on smart city and mobility, focusing on developing smarter, safer, more efficient and greener transport systems in Abu Dhabi. It will lead to the development of an Intelligent Mobility Command and Control Centre (IMCCC) in Abu Dhabi that explores technologies to advance urban transportation decision-making process and governance.
IMCCC will develop advanced sensors, cameras and real-time data analysis that will be used for city-wide traffic monitoring, decision-making, and event management, as well as an all-in-one digital service system. It will incorporate purpose-built technology to efficiently manage Abu Dhabi’s land, sea, air and rail transportation network.
The agreement with Huawei will lead to enhanced data centres and strengthened IT infrastructures and explore innovative mobility solutions. The company will also support Abu Dhabi’s continued efforts to develop a world-leading smart transportation system, which will include vehicle charging infrastructures, autonomous driving and advanced traffic optimisation solutions and a holographic road network.
With Templewater, DMT and the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) will explore sustainable public transportation solutions, including the development of a green bus depot in Abu Dhabi, together with a hydrogen complex that will produce green hydrogen to power hydrogen buses and cars by 2025. Kowloon Motor Bus Company will help enhance the public transport sector in the emirate.
