Dubai Launches World’s First AI-Powered Park Design Challenge

Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Municipality has launched the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge. The initiative invites participants from around the world to redesign Al Safa 2 Park by using artificial intelligence alongside human creativity.

The competition is part of Dubai Municipality’s broader efforts to combine advanced technology, urban planning, and community participation to shape the future of parks and public spaces. It aims to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can support every stage of the design process, including site analysis, understanding user needs, concept development, testing different design options, improving layouts, and creating visual presentations. However, all final design decisions must remain under human control.

The challenge seeks innovative yet practical design proposals for Al Safa 2 Park that improve sustainability, accessibility, public wellbeing, social interaction, and overall quality of life. Participants must submit a complete master plan supported by data analysis, detailed drawings, visualisations, and a clear explanation of how AI tools were used throughout the design process.

Dubai Focuses on Smart and Human-Centred Urban Design

His Excellency Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said the challenge reflects Dubai’s ambition to lead global urban innovation by combining advanced technology with people-focused design.

He stated that, under the leadership’s vision, Dubai Municipality continues to launch transformative initiatives that improve quality of life, encourage community participation, and redesign public spaces to better meet the daily needs of residents.

Bin Ghalita also stressed that artificial intelligence is not intended to replace human creativity. Instead, he said AI is being used to expand design possibilities, provide deeper insights, and support better decision-making. He added that the initiative aims to attract designers, researchers, students, startups, AI specialists, and technology innovators while strengthening Dubai’s position as a global example of smart, sustainable, and liveable city design.

Who Can Participate?

The competition is open to a wide range of participants, including:

• Urban planners
• Architects
• Landscape architects
• Public space designers
• Undergraduate students
• Master’s and PhD students
• Researchers
• Startups
• Artificial intelligence specialists
• Technology innovators

Participants must clearly demonstrate how AI tools supported their design process. This may include concept development, spatial planning, environmental analysis, shade and microclimate optimisation, user experience evaluation, performance improvements, data-driven decision-making, and AI-assisted visualisations.

Al Safa 2 Park to Serve as Innovation Test Site

Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said parks play an important role in improving community wellbeing, encouraging social interaction, and enhancing everyday life.

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He explained that the challenge explores a new approach to designing public spaces, where artificial intelligence helps generate better insights into people, locations, climate conditions, and park usage while ensuring that the final design remains practical, inclusive, and centred on human experience.

According to Anwahi, Al Safa 2 Park provides an ideal opportunity to test how AI can contribute to creating more responsive, comfortable, and sustainable public spaces. He added that the goal is to develop a park that is accessible, engaging, and meaningful for people of all ages and abilities while reflecting community needs and Dubai’s identity as a city of innovation.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be evaluated based on several important factors, including:

• Quality of the AI-integrated design approach
• Spatial planning and practical feasibility
• Human-centred design
• Inclusivity and accessibility
• Sustainability
• Clarity of the design concept
• Effective use of data analysis to produce practical design solutions

AED200,000 Prize Pool

The competition offers a total prize fund of AED200,000.

• First Prize: AED100,000
• Second Prize: AED65,000
• Third Prize: AED35,000

The awards will recognise outstanding ideas that have the potential to contribute to real-world urban development.

Expert Jury and Community Voting

A judging panel made up of senior Government of Dubai officials, along with leading local and international experts in architecture, design, artificial intelligence, and future city planning, will assess all submissions.

After the expert evaluation, a shortlist of designs will be presented to the public, allowing the community to help select the winning entries. Dubai Municipality said this process reflects its commitment to involving residents in designing parks that meet community needs, match public expectations, and improve quality of life.

Applications Open Until 15 August 2026

By launching the world’s first global AI-powered park design competition, Dubai Municipality aims to establish a new model for creating public spaces that combines artificial intelligence, creativity, sustainability, local identity, human experience, and community participation.

Applications for the competition are now open, and interested participants can submit their entries until 15 August 2026 through the official competition website.