Foreword: Urban Growth and the Need for People-Centric Cities
The report opens by framing urbanisation as one of the defining challenges of the coming decades. With a growing share of the global population expected to live in cities, planners are under increasing pressure to create urban environments that do more than accommodate growth. They must also improve quality of life, health, and well-being.
The foreword argues that past city-building models were often driven mainly by economic development, infrastructure, and defensive needs rather than by the happiness of residents or the quality of public life. In contrast, the report advocates a people-centric approach in which public spaces are treated as essential to healthy and productive urban communities.
Masdar City is presented from the outset as a practical example of this shift. Its design is described as combining traditional urban principles with modern technology to prioritise walkability, comfort, sustainability, and public interaction. The broader message is that cities can be planned in ways that support both environmental performance and human well-being, even in climates as demanding as the UAE’s.
Executive Summary: Why Public Space Matters
The executive summary establishes the central argument of the report: high-quality public spaces play a critical and often underappreciated role in shaping the mental and physical well-being of urban populations. Public spaces are presented not as ornamental additions, but as vital urban infrastructure that influences quality of life, economic attractiveness, innovation, and social cohesion.
The report links this argument to wider trends in global urbanisation. As city populations rise, the need to create environments that are inclusive, healthy, and sustainable becomes more urgent. According to the report, this includes attention to street design, connectivity, public transport, green areas, water, sanitation, air quality, and building design.
A major finding highlighted at the start is that UAE residents already recognise the connection between green public spaces and personal happiness. The report’s own survey results show strong public demand for more such spaces and for better access to them. This reinforces the claim that public realm design should be treated as a central planning issue rather than a secondary urban amenity.
The executive summary also introduces Masdar City as a flagship example of sustainable urban development whose influence extends beyond Abu Dhabi. It presents the city as a place where commercial, residential, educational, and recreational functions are deliberately linked through walkable design and public spaces that support innovation and well-being.
Introduction and Methodology
The report explains that it was produced to shed light on why urban public spaces must play a much larger role in the planning of Arab cities if those cities are to provide lasting benefits for people and the environment. It highlights both the relationship between public space and happiness and the wider contribution such spaces make to sustainable development.
To provide a UAE perspective, the report includes findings from an online survey run through The National’s website. The survey collected more than 500 qualitative and quantitative responses from UAE nationals and residents across different emirates and age groups. It asked respondents about how often they use public green spaces, why they visit them, what prevents regular use, which facilities they want, and how much these spaces contribute to their personal happiness.
The report also makes clear that the survey is only one part of a broader framework. The study combines public sentiment, expert interviews, global case studies, and analysis of Masdar City’s development to build a wider argument about the role of green space in future cities.
Developing Happy Cities: The Link Between Happiness and Green Public Spaces
The first chapter develops the conceptual basis for the report by exploring the relationship between urban happiness and public space. Finland is presented as a benchmark because of its repeated ranking as the happiest country in the world, and Helsinki is used as the clearest example of how urban design contributes to that outcome.
According to the report, Helsinki’s strength lies in combining sustainability with functional daily life and citizen well-being. The city is described as one where green and recreational areas occupy a substantial share of the urban landscape, where cycling and outdoor activity are supported, and where access to nature is integrated into everyday life.
This example is used to show that happiness in cities is shaped not only by income or social policy, but also by the design of public environments. Green public spaces, parks, trails, and accessible recreation are presented as direct contributors to mental well-being, social connection, physical health, and civic identity.
The chapter also draws on broader evidence from institutions such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which links the physical urban environment to both positive and negative health outcomes. Public spaces are shown to influence issues such as exercise, air quality, stress reduction, and community interaction.
Importantly, the report argues that these benefits are not limited to wealthy or temperate cities. Instead, it suggests that all fast-growing cities must learn how to integrate health-promoting environments into the urban fabric. This means recognising that happiness and well-being are not abstract goals but practical planning outcomes.
Leading the Way: The UAE’s Commitment to Happiness and Sustainable Cities
The second chapter examines how the UAE has sought to place happiness, well-being, and sustainability at the centre of national policy. It connects this effort to the broader framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 11, which focuses on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
The report presents the UAE as a country that has moved beyond rhetorical support for happiness by embedding it into policy structures and public initiatives. It outlines a sequence of national efforts, including Vision 2021, the National Agenda, and the creation of ministerial roles and government programmes dedicated to happiness and well-being.
These measures are described as practical attempts to translate happiness into measurable governance goals. The report notes initiatives such as chief happiness officers across government bodies, public-sector training in the science of happiness, and the use of indicators to assess performance and improve public service environments.
The UAE’s wider urban development strategy is also highlighted through examples from Abu Dhabi. Projects such as Reem Central Park, the redevelopment of Sheikha Fatima Park, and the A’l Bahar beachfront are presented as evidence of a public-realm philosophy that supports leisure, social connection, exercise, and family activity within urban settings.
The chapter’s broader conclusion is that happiness in the UAE is being approached not only as a cultural aspiration but as a policy framework that shapes planning, services, and city design. This reinforces the report’s view that urban green spaces are a necessary part of that agenda.
More Park Life Please: What UAE Residents Say
The third chapter presents the findings of the report’s survey of UAE residents. The results show strong support for public green space and a clear belief that such spaces contribute to personal happiness. Most respondents say that existing green public spaces in their cities already make a meaningful contribution to their well-being, but they also want more of them and better access to them.
The report finds that a large majority of respondents visit public green spaces regularly, with visits ranging from daily to monthly. This indicates that even in the UAE’s hot climate, there is substantial demand for parks and outdoor spaces when they are available and accessible.
One of the most significant findings is that more than a third of respondents identify mental health as the main role of green public space in a city. Environmental benefits and leisure are also valued, but the prominence of mental well-being is especially important because it shows that residents themselves understand the psychological value of these environments.
The survey also identifies barriers to use. Among those who visit public green spaces infrequently, the main reasons include a lack of nearby spaces, the distance to existing spaces, and the poor quality of facilities. Some respondents also indicate that they need more information on where such spaces are located.
When asked what facilities they would like to see added, many respondents favour ecological features, sports facilities, child-focused amenities, and food and beverage options. This suggests that people want public spaces to be multifunctional environments that support exercise, family life, relaxation, and interaction with nature.
The chapter includes qualitative comments that reinforce the emotional importance of green public spaces. Respondents describe parks and outdoor locations as essential for relaxation, safe family time, mental relief, exercise, and escape from heavily built environments. Overall, the survey makes clear that there is already a strong foundation of public demand for more integrated urban green space in the UAE.
Global Influencer: Masdar City as a Model of Sustainable Development
The fourth chapter turns to Masdar City as a case study of sustainable urban development. It describes the city as entering a new phase of growth while continuing to prioritise leisure, recreation, and public well-being alongside innovation and environmental performance.
The report highlights current and planned amenities such as Masdar Central Park, Masdar Park, the city’s running and cycling trail, and an expanding network of open and communal spaces. These are not presented as secondary features but as core components of a city designed around pedestrian movement, comfort, and community interaction.
Masdar City is also described as an ecosystem for research, development, and clean technology. It combines business, education, innovation, and residential life in a setting where sustainability principles guide both design and operation. This includes the use of green building materials, strong efficiency standards, renewable energy, and low-carbon mobility systems.
A major theme in this chapter is that Masdar City demonstrates how traditional architectural strategies and modern technology can work together. Narrow shaded walkways, wind-oriented design, reduced car dependence, and electric transport systems are all used to create a more liveable environment in a hot climate.
The report also highlights Masdar City’s role in food security innovation through vertical farming pilot projects using hydroponic systems inside shipping containers. This broadens the city’s significance beyond buildings and parks alone, positioning it as a place where urban sustainability is being explored across multiple systems including food, water, transport, and energy.
The chapter argues that because Masdar City has already addressed many of the practical challenges of sustainable urban development, it has become a reference point for planners, developers, and policymakers from around the world.
Space Exploration: How Masdar City Is Shaping Urban Development Ideas
The fifth chapter expands on Masdar City’s influence by asking what aspects of its design are most transferable to other contexts. It argues that Masdar City’s significance lies not just in its technologies, but in the way sustainability principles are embedded at every scale of planning.
Experts cited in the report stress that Masdar City differs from many conventional developments because sustainability is treated as a founding logic rather than an afterthought. Building orientation, walkability, density, public space, and environmental responsiveness are all integrated from the start.
The report emphasises density as a particularly important principle. Dense urban areas are described as more walkable, more self-shading, more vibrant, and more supportive of public transport and commercial success. This is linked to a broader argument that good public realm design creates stronger communities, healthier lifestyles, and more successful urban centres.
Public spaces are also described as opportunities to combine environmental and social goals. When designed thoughtfully, they can support health, biodiversity, renewable energy generation, and innovation all at once. The report highlights design competition entries at Masdar City as examples of how renewable infrastructure and public space can be integrated imaginatively.
Another major lesson is that future cities must move away from car-dominated planning and toward environments that make walking and outdoor life attractive. The report presents Masdar City’s public realm as a setting that encourages chance encounters, learning, productivity, and healthy routines.
In this chapter, the city is therefore framed less as a finished destination and more as a working template that shows how sustainable development can be made socially and spatially effective.
The Urban Sprawl: International City Examples
The sixth chapter broadens the analysis by examining how other cities are responding to the challenge of population growth, sustainability, and well-being. Los Angeles, Melbourne, and Vancouver are used as major case studies.
Los Angeles is presented as a city confronting the health and social consequences of sprawling urban development, including pollution, inequality, and poor access to parks. Its long-term planning response includes a renewed emphasis on parks, open spaces, public facilities, and health-oriented urban design. Creative approaches to expanding open space, such as repurposing underused roads and other land, are highlighted.
Melbourne is described as a city that has long valued open space but now faces the challenge of fast population growth outpacing the expansion of green areas. Its Open Space Strategy is designed to ensure that residents remain within walking distance of open space and that growth does not come at the expense of mental and physical well-being.
Vancouver is used as another example of a city linking sustainability, natural access, and public health. Its “Bright Green Future” plan sought to make the city greener, healthier, and more connected, with goals such as ensuring that every resident lives within a short walk of a park or natural space.
Across these examples, the report identifies several shared themes. Cities that take well-being seriously are investing in open space, integrating green infrastructure into daily urban life, and treating access to nature as part of public health strategy. The chapter reinforces the argument that civic space is central to urban resilience and liveability, not peripheral to it.
The Way Forward: Rethinking Sustainable Future Cities
The seventh chapter considers the broader principles that should shape future city development. Drawing on international expert perspectives, it argues that the challenge of urbanisation requires a major rethink of how cities are designed, governed, and valued.
A central recommendation is that cities must be designed for people rather than for cars. This includes mixed-use communities, dense and walkable neighbourhoods, attractive public spaces, efficient transit, and urban systems that support environmental and social sustainability at the same time.
The report highlights the work of urbanist Charles Montgomery, who argues that the emotional effects of space must be taken seriously. Streets, parks, and neighbourhoods influence how people behave, connect, trust, move, and feel. In this sense, urban design becomes a direct contributor to social sustainability.
The chapter also stresses that well-designed public spaces can support multiple goals at once. They can improve physical and mental health, encourage social interaction, reduce dependence on cars, and contribute to a lower-carbon city. These ideas are closely tied to a larger argument that happiness, health, and sustainability are not separate planning outcomes but overlapping ones.
There is also a strong sense of urgency in this chapter. Decisions made today about infrastructure, land use, and urban form are described as likely to lock cities into either sustainable or unsustainable pathways for decades. The report therefore calls for better collaboration among policymakers, academics, businesses, community leaders, and designers to ensure that urban growth is directed toward resilience and human well-being.
A Digital Revolution: Technology and the Future City
The final chapter looks ahead to the role of digital technology in shaping future cities. It argues that a digital revolution will influence how cities are planned, built, monitored, and adapted, but insists that technology should remain a tool rather than the defining objective.
Artificial intelligence, smart planning platforms, connected systems, and data analysis are presented as having the potential to make urban development more responsive to actual human needs. By improving information flows and helping planners understand how residents use space, these technologies can support better decision-making.
However, the report is careful not to treat smart technology as a solution in itself. Instead, it warns that outdated design thinking and business-as-usual planning remain major obstacles to progress. Technology will only improve cities if it is used to support more liveable, human-centred, and sustainable urban environments.
The chapter therefore closes the report on a balanced note. Future cities will be shaped by digital tools, but their success will still depend on listening to residents, understanding what people want from the places they live in, and making public well-being a central design principle.
Conclusion
The report’s overall message is that urban green spaces are fundamental to the future of Arab cities. They are linked not only to environmental performance, but also to happiness, health, social life, innovation, and economic attractiveness.
Through its combination of public survey data, UAE policy analysis, international case studies, and Masdar City examples, the report shows that the role of public space must be elevated within urban planning. Residents already understand its value. Governments are increasingly trying to measure and support happiness and well-being. Developers and planners have growing evidence that green civic spaces are essential to sustainable urban futures.
Masdar City stands at the center of this argument as both a functioning example and an evolving laboratory for future urbanism. Yet the lessons of the report extend well beyond one city. The broader conclusion is that successful future cities will be those that treat public spaces, human well-being, and environmental responsibility as interconnected foundations of urban life rather than as separate concerns.
