Mahlon Apgar to moderate 'Saudi Arabia: Communities and cities for a sustainable future'

30 years ago Saudi Arabia launched a major urbanization initiative with two main goals: to develop master-planned new communities for its burgeoning growth, and to transform underdeveloped towns and villages into modern cities and rural centres.

Fast forward to the upcoming Urban Land Institute 'Building A Sustainable Future, Trends, Opportunities and Challenges' Abu Dhabi Conference on 13 February at the Emirates Palace for a special look at the challenges faced by Saudi Arabia. With today's fast paced growth across the region, this and other sessions taking place during the event will provide invaluable information and lessons learned for other cities, regions, countries and developers to consider.

Moderated by Mahlon (Sandy) Apgar IV, CRE, FRICS, FIOD, FRSA, and featuring Barry Didato, Director of Strategic Investments, Makan Capital Group, Laguna Beach, California and Dr. Ziyad A. Zaidan, IDEA Network, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, together they will discuss 'Saudi Arabia: Communities and Cities for a Sustainable Future'.

Mr. Mahlon Apgar commented, "Building a sustainable future means different things to different cultures. The principles of sustainability that work in the west, may not necessarily work in this part of the world. The challenge is to develop sustainability programmes and guidelines that address the potentially negative side effects of rapid development while at the same time address the needs of the local culture. During our session, we will take an in-depth look at Saudi Arabia experiences as a case study and how the lessons learned can be adapted and applied in other countries in the Gulf."

Conference attendees will learn what sustainable development really is, how it differs from conventional development, and what makes it work. Valuable insights into the costs and benefits of sustainable development will be shared, as well as how project, business and urban strategies are incorporating sustainability.

The ULI conference in Abu Dhabi will mark the formal launch of the ULI Middle East Centre and the ULI Centre For Real Estate Education. Both will be housed within the new headquarters of Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the tourism asset development arm of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which is being built adjacent to Maqta Bridge, the gateway to Abu Dhabi city. The centre will also house the ULI Middle East Council, which currently has more than 200 members.