Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, today hosted a virtual session for 30 participants selected to redesign 10 public parks in the emirate as part of a joint redevelopment project.

The session, led by leading industry experts in the fields of architecture, interior design and event management, explored key design requirements for urban parks and strategic urban design principles aimed at guiding participants as they develop their proposals in the next phase of the project.

Brand Dubai and Dubai Municipality recently selected the participants after an evaluation of over 100 submissions from the Emirati creative community for designs of public park elements and concepts for community events. The participants, who include Emirati creatives and design and event professionals, will work with multi-disciplinary teams to revitalise parks across the emirate.

Asem Abdulrazzaq Al Qassim, Acting Director of Executive Planning Department, Dubai Municipality said: “The virtual session sought to familiarise the participants selected for the redesign project with the finer aesthetic, social and technical aspects of the redevelopment process and help them align their concepts with the city’s broader vision for urban redevelopment as well as the needs of the community. The talks delivered by industry experts at the sessions were aimed at helping the participants fine tune their ideas to create engaging green spaces and contribute to enhancing the wellbeing and sustainability of the city. We believe this session will help the participants bring new dimensions of creativity and excellence to the project.”

Shaima Al Suwaidi, City Branding Manager, Brand Dubai, said: “Organising the virtual session is part of our efforts to support the participants in refining their ideas for redesigning elements of public parks as they begin to develop their proposals before the final showcase at an exhibition in September. During the session, renowned experts from the design community shared transformational concepts and design insights that provided new perspectives on making public parks that are more engaging and sustainable. We are excited to see young Emiratis being actively involved in enhancing Dubai’s urban environment in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan which aims to make Dubai the world’s best city to live in.”

Speaking during the virtual session, highly-accomplished Emirati product designer Khalid Alshafar said that when designing a public space, participants must take into consideration key factors to integrate in their thinking and design process. Such factors include purpose for design, demography, surrounding landscape, materials and more. Sharing his experience in product design, Alshafar, who runs his own gallery and studio space, said: “You can find your inspiration for the design of an outdoor furniture piece from its surroundings.”

Internationally awarded Emirati Architect and founder of MULA design studio Abdalla Almulla told participants that their “designs should be able to consider all the different components of the project and have the flexibility to evolve in line with Dubai’s dynamic development.” During his presentation, Almulla discussed the key elements of redesigning community spaces and ways in which places can be reinvented to advance the wellness and happiness of the community.

During the session, Salama Alfalasi, Founder of Quadro Group and the Hub Food Festival, shared her extensive experience in developing and creating unique events for clients, as well as the key aspects of event planning. “Brainstorming and research are both important when planning for an event and can offer you innovative solutions to any challenges you face in the process,” Alfalasi said. As an events director, Alfalasi has worked on managing several prominent events from design to execution.