Students and Faculty From Master of Urban Planning Program at AUS Visit Sharjah Sustainable City

Sharjah Sustainable City, an eco-friendly community by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), recently hosted a delegation of students and faculty from the American University of Sharjah (AUS) to further academic research and knowledge on sustainable real estate development in the UAE and beyond.

Developed by Shurooq in partnership with Diamond Developers, Sharjah Sustainable City (SSC) is a world-class mixed-use development that meets the highest social, environmental, and economic sustainability standards.

Eight students from the Master of Urban Planning Programme at AUS attended the site visit to learn about the practical implementations of sustainable development theories on housing communities and their effectiveness in the new Sharjah development. They were accompanied by Professor Rafael Pizarro (PhD), Associate Professor at the College of Architecture, Art & Design, and Rose Armour, Head of Sustainability at AUS.

Commenting on the visit, Yousif Ahmed Al-Mutawa, Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Sustainable City, said: “In line with our commitment to engaging with our community in Sharjah, it is a great pleasure to host the delegation from the American University of Sharjah. This visit represents an excellent opportunity to share our expertise with the bright young minds of the future, and further research and learning around sustainable developments in partnership with AUS, one of the leading educational institutions in the region.”

The MUP course offers practical approaches to understanding and engaging with urban development trends and issues in the real world and how to address complex urban development issues effectively. The students will gather information to assess the project and write their final class report as part of their course.

The premise of the exercise is that sustainable development projects are only ever 'perfect' in theory. Once they are faced with the realities of real estate development, such as housing markets, economics, financing, some aspects must be negotiated and compromised in trade-offs between the ideal and the reality.