Culture as the Foundation of Future Cities: Dubai’s Vision Takes Centre Stage in Tokyo

At the World Cities Culture Summit in Japan, Dubai Culture's leadership articulates a vision of urbanism where human connection and creative opportunity matter as much as infrastructure, drawing on the emirate's evolving cultural ecosystem.

In Tokyo this week, Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, addressed one of the defining questions of contemporary urbanism: what makes a city not merely functional, but truly liveable. Speaking during the opening plenary of the 15th World Cities Culture Summit, she positioned culture not as an ornament to urban life, but as its foundation.

The discussion, titled ‘The Human City: Is Culture the Infrastructure of the Future?’, brought together cultural leaders from across the globe. Badri joined Diya Vij, Commissioner for Culture for New York City, and Kazuyo Sejima, architect and co-founder of SANAA, in an exchange moderated by Justine Simons, Founder and Chair of the World Cities Culture Forum.

Her remarks distilled a conviction increasingly shaping Dubai’s approach to cultural development: that sustainable cities are built not through investment in people alone, but through genuine empowerment of creative communities and authentic collaboration between institutions, practitioners and citizens. This perspective extends beyond the familiar metrics of cultural success. While the economic contribution of culture to employment, growth and creative industries remains vital, Badri emphasised that its deeper work lies in cultivating belonging and creating channels through which creative talent and enterprises can flourish and reach wider audiences.

Dubai’s own initiatives illustrated this philosophy. Mawaheb, an art studio dedicated to supporting adults of determination, exemplifies how cultural investment can nurture confidence, independence and meaningful human connection whilst developing individual capabilities. More broadly, as we reported in our coverage of Dubai Culture’s pioneering Global Fellowship programme, the emirate is cultivating next generation cultural leadership through structured international exchange.

The Creative Sector Resilience Portfolio, developed collaboratively between Dubai Culture and Dubai Future Foundation in consultation with representatives from the creative community, businesses and government, demonstrates this commitment to practical, sustained support. The portfolio addresses real needs: access to creative spaces, market opportunities, funding and business development guidance. These initiatives now inform the priorities of the Dubai Cultural Strategy 2033, shaping long-term policies designed to strengthen the sustainability of creative endeavours.

In her closing remarks, Badri offered a quiet but profound challenge to conventional thinking about urban development. The future of cities, she suggested, is determined not by infrastructure or technological sophistication alone, but by the human dimensions that matter most: the connections people forge, their sense of belonging, and the genuine opportunities communities have to participate in and shape their cities’ future whilst preserving their cultural identity.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

Dubai’s articulation of culture as fundamental to urban life carries implications across the emirates. As the broader region increasingly recognises that cultural vitality and economic prosperity are deeply intertwined, this perspective shapes how Gulf cities approach development and community wellbeing. The emphasis on empowering creative communities and fostering human connection reflects a maturation in how the UAE’s cultural institutions think about their role beyond programming and heritage conservation.

The initiatives Badri highlighted, particularly those supporting adults of determination and emerging cultural leaders, model approaches that resonate across the federation. By positioning culture as infrastructure for human flourishing rather than as a sector competing for resources, Dubai Culture signals a direction that other emirate institutions may draw from as they develop their own cultural strategies and community engagement programmes.

Source: WAM