wasl seeks expert advice from Dr. Edward Blakely on 'sustainable development'

In response to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai's directive mandating developers to comply with green building standards, Dr. Blakely has been approached by wasl for expert guidance on its approach to sustainable development to ensure that it plays a major role in supporting Dubai's vision of becoming a 'Global City'.

Hesham Al Qassim, CEO of Dubai Real Estate Corporation, said:

"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Blakely's involvement with wasl. I am confident that his extensive international experience and wealth of knowledge in economic development and urban planning will add considerable value to wasl. It is an honour for my entire team to have the privilege to work with someone holding such a high international standing in this particular field of expertise."

Al Qassim added, "wasl has a very specific role to play in Dubai and longer term in the wider region as a government aligned corporation. We are working towards a 'triple bottom line' approach to corporate sustainability, covering the economic, social and environmental dimensions and acknowledge the unique and challenging opportunities and associated responsibility that these represent."

"We aim to become one of the leaders in implementing best Corporate Sustainability business practice in Dubai and, in the future, internationally. Dr. Blakely's involvement in this initiative will be facilitated through a series of workshops being conducted internally with the participation of our strategic partners and external stakeholders," added Al Qassim.

With more than 30 years of professional experience, Dr. Blakely is an international scholar and practitioner in the fields of planning and economic development. His professional and academic experience includes teaching, research, academic administration, and economic development policy.

Currently, Edward Blakely is Professor of Urban Planning and Chair at the University of Sydney. He has eight books and more than 100 scholarly articles to his credit. He is an active contributor to academic and professional journals and has won numerous awards for scholarly work and intellectual contribution.

Dr. Blakely said:

"Dubai is embarking on one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the world, and the world is watching. Today, Dubai has captured the imagination of the world by embarking on one of the most creative and challenging urban development processes. Dubai with the aid of wasl is using urban development as the answer to its global positioning. To do this effectively Dubai must demonstrate globally that it is developing new urban systems that address not only its needs but the needs of a rapidly urbanizing world."

Representing wasl at the 14th Middle East Facilities and Asset Management (FAAM) Conference, Dr. Edward Blakely will deliver a keynote speech on 'Managing The Changing Paradigm of Buildings, Infrastructure and Sustainability' with a focus on the importance of integrating downstream management into the design and planning process. wasl is the gold sponsor for the FAAM Conference at Cityscape Dubai 2008.

Dr. Blakely has served as an advisor to several US National Commissions and Presidents on Urban Policy, Land Use, Housing and Transportation. He was appointed by former US President, Bill Clinton, as Vice Chair of the Presidio Trust. He served as a Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Oakland and as Advisor to the Los Angeles Public School District. He has been named by Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans as the Mayor's Executive Director for Recovery for his contribution to overcoming the impact of Hurricane Katrina. The internationally renowned urban development strategist also served on the Board of Directors of the American Planning Association, Nature Conservancy, and Fulbright Association.