Under the patronage of Engineer Bassem bin Yaqoub Al-Hamr, Minister of Housing, the Global Center for Sustainable Development in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in cooperation with the National Center for Housing and Building Research in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, organized a virtual international conference entitled “The Future Vision for Sustainable Cities and Green and Smart City Standards”.
This conference aims to understand and realize the role of comprehensive and sustainable development in urban development, and to educate workers in the architecture and urbanization sector and city design by disseminating sustainable development goals and ways to achieve them, as well as spreading the culture of development and green and smart cities among all spectrums of society.
During his opening speech at the conference, Engineer Basem Al-Hamar, Minister of Housing, valued the efforts of the Global Center for Sustainable Development aimed at spreading the goals of sustainable development and introducing modern concepts for building green and smart cities, noting that holding the conference at the present time gives him additional importance to discuss the new challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, And discuss ways to overcome them to continue working towards achieving the goals of sustainable development.
Al-Hamr stated that the Ministry is working to implement a national housing program under the umbrella of the Supreme Order of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the beloved King of the country, may God protect him and protect him, and the directives of the esteemed government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, with the aim of Achieving the principle of the sustainability of housing services, adding that the new Bahrain cities projects that the ministry is currently constructing, which provide thousands of housing units for Bahraini families, come at the forefront of the axes of this housing program, indicating that the implementation of each city is in line with the UN goals related to sustainable development 2030, and not In particular, the eleventh goal, which states "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient."
The minister said that the Kingdom of Bahrain became aware early on the issue of the need to provide all standards of quality of life for citizens. Planning for new cities was not limited to providing housing units only, but that interest extended to include providing commercial and economic areas, modern service areas, parks, open green spaces, and areas for games, in addition to To sports stadiums, in addition to kilometers from waterfronts.
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The government has also paid great attention to the environmental aspects, through the use of environmentally friendly materials, and the afforestation of streets, main roads, and residential neighborhoods, as well as encouraging the culture of sports, by providing paths for walking, cycling and other sports, in addition to providing health, educational, religious and other services. Meet the needs and desires of the residents and visitors.
The minister said that the interest in facilities and infrastructure as well as housing units comes within the framework of implementing the concept of enhancing the quality of housing and the quality of life for the Bahraini family, indicating that the experience of the Kingdom of Bahrain in this field has been praised and valued by many countries, and relevant international and regional organizations.
The session witnessed the Minister of Housing touching on the issue of the multiplicity of sustainability concepts, the basic requirements, the best solutions and practices necessary to achieve the quality of housing, as well as a vision for the future shape of cities, and an emphasis on the principle of renewing the concept of cities in line with the requirements of the current era.
Engineer Al-Hamr praised the participation of a group of experts and academics specialized in the field of sustainable development and smart cities in the conference sessions, which witnessed the participation of more than 1000 participants and participation from different countries of the world, noting that the various scientific papers discussed during the sessions will contribute to the exchange of experiences between countries. Participation, and will contribute to raising awareness and enriching programs aimed at achieving development goals related to sustainability.
The minister's speech was followed by the presentation of a documentary film for the city of Salman, which reviewed the idea of implementing the city and its planning aspects in line with sustainability standards, as well as explaining the efforts of the esteemed government in providing quality housing through concern for the environment and providing all facilities and services in addition to housing units. The film praised the audience and commended the excellent planning of urban projects.
