Dubai launches the world's first AI-powered park design challenge: A global invitation to reimagine Al Safa 2 Park
Dubai has done something no other city has done before. Under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Municipality has launched the world's first AI-powered park design challenge, a pioneering initiative that invites participants to reimagine Al Safa 2 Park using artificial intelligence.
The challenge is part of Dubai Municipality's ongoing efforts to leverage advanced technologies, innovative urban design and community participation to shape the future of parks and public spaces. It positions Dubai as the first city in the world to open a public design competition in which AI is integrated into every stage of the process, and it invites creatives, students, researchers, start-ups and AI specialists from around the world to take part.
What the challenge is
The initiative explores how an integrated ecosystem of AI tools can support every stage of the design journey, from site analysis and user insights to concept generation, scenario testing, design optimisation and visualisation. Crucially, and this is a point Dubai Municipality has been explicit about, final design decisions remain firmly human-led.
Participants are asked to prepare practical and innovative master plans for Al Safa 2 Park that improve sustainability, accessibility, social interaction, well-being and overall quality of life. Entries must demonstrate how AI tools were used throughout the design process, including in spatial planning, climate-responsive design, user experience analysis and visualisation.
What Dubai Municipality is saying
Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said the initiative reflects Dubai's ambition to lead the future of urban innovation by combining advanced technology with human-centred design. He said the competition reinforces the municipality's commitment to developing transformative projects that enhance quality of life, encourage community participation and redefine public spaces as destinations designed around people's everyday needs.
He was direct on the AI question. Artificial intelligence, he said, is not replacing human creativity in this challenge. Instead, it serves as a powerful tool to expand possibilities, deepen understanding and support better design decisions. Through this initiative, he said, Dubai aims to attract bold ideas from designers, researchers, students, start-ups and technology innovators, while reinforcing the city's position as a global model for designing smart, sustainable and liveable cities of the future.
Who can enter
The challenge is deliberately open to a wide range of participants:
- Professionals in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture and public space design
- Undergraduate, master's and PhD students
- Researchers
- Start-ups
- AI specialists and technology innovators
For UAE students in particular, this is an unusually accessible international competition. Design competitions of this profile are rarely open to undergraduates, let alone first-year students. Even for participants who do not win, the experience of preparing a full master plan submission (with AI integration, data analysis, drawings, visualisations and a written rationale) is a substantial portfolio piece.
How the judging works
The evaluation process runs in two stages, designed to combine expert judgement with community participation:
Stage one is an expert review. A panel of senior Dubai Government officials and international experts in architecture, design, artificial intelligence and urban planning will evaluate entries and shortlist a selection of proposed designs.
Stage two is a community vote. The shortlisted proposals will be showcased to the public, and Dubai residents will be invited to help select the winning entries. This two-stage approach reflects Dubai Municipality's commitment to directly engaging the community in the design of parks, ensuring that public spaces meet residents' needs, align with their aspirations, and enhance quality of life.
The community vote is a notable point of difference from typical architecture competitions. The public gets a genuine say in what wins. It also means participants should think about how their design will read to Dubai residents, not just to design experts.
Why this matters
By launching the world's first global challenge for park design using artificial intelligence, Dubai Municipality is establishing a new model for designing public spaces that integrates AI, creativity, sustainability, local identity, human experience and participatory design. The initiative reinforces Dubai's position as a global platform for urban innovation and the design of future cities.
For UAE students, researchers and creative professionals, this is a rare opportunity to work on a real, community-facing project with real potential impact. For families with children in later school years or at university, the challenge is a useful example of the kind of applied, technology-led design experience the UAE is now building around the country's young people.
For Dubai as a city, the challenge is one more visible step in a wider pattern of using technology to reshape how public spaces are designed, delivered and experienced.
How to take part
Dubai Municipality has invited creatives and specialists from around the world to participate in the challenge through the official competition platform. Interested applicants should:
- Visit https://aipark.dm.gov.ae/ai-competition
- Register through the platform to access the full brief, terms and conditions
- Prepare a complete master plan for Al Safa 2 Park showing how AI was integrated across the design process
- Submit the entry through the official platform before applications close
Applications are open until August 15, 2026.
For anyone in the UAE with the skills, interest or curiosity to take part, this is one of the most visible design opportunities available this year. It is also a chance to leave a genuine mark on one of Dubai's public parks, at a moment when the city is deliberately building its identity around AI, sustainability and community-centred design.
Sources:
Dubai Media Office, "Dubai Municipality launches world's first AI-powered park design challenge" (June 28, 2026). https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2026/jun/28-06/dubai-municipality-launches-world-first-ai-powered-park-design-challenge
Dubai Municipality, AI Park Design Challenge, official competition page. https://aipark.dm.gov.ae/ai-competition
