Under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Municipality has unveiled the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge, a pioneering initiative inviting participants to reimagine Al Safa 2 Park through the use of artificial intelligence.
The design 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 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, while ensuring that final design decisions remain firmly human-led.
The challenge seeks visionary yet practical design concepts for Al Safa 2 Park that enhance sustainability, accessibility, wellbeing, social interaction, and overall quality of life. Participants are expected to submit a fully integrated master plan supported by data analysis, visualisations, detailed plans and drawings, along with a clear explanation of how AI tools informed and enhanced the design process.
Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The launch of the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge reflects Dubai’s ambition to lead the future of urban innovation by combining advanced technologies with human-centred design. Guided by our leadership’s vision, Dubai Municipality continues to develop transformative initiatives that enhance quality of life, strengthen community participation, and reimagine public spaces as integrated destinations designed around people and their everyday needs.”
He added: “Artificial intelligence 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, we aim to attract bold ideas from designers, researchers, students, startups, and technology innovators, while reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global model for designing smart, sustainable, and liveable cities of the future.”
The competition is open to professionals in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and public space design, as well as undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students, researchers, startups, AI specialists, and technology innovators.
Participants are required to demonstrate how AI tools have been integrated into their design process to support analysis, iteration, and decision-making. This may include concept exploration, spatial planning, environmental response, shade and microclimate optimisation, user experience insights, performance enhancement, data-informed design decisions, and AI-assisted visualisation.
Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said: “Parks play a vital role in shaping community wellbeing, fostering social connections, and enhancing everyday quality of life. Through this challenge, Dubai Municipality is exploring a new approach to public space design, where artificial intelligence generates deeper insights into people, place, climate, and usage, while ensuring that the final outcome remains practical, inclusive, and centred on human experience.”
He continued: “Al Safa 2 Park provides an opportunity to demonstrate how AI can support the design of more responsive, comfortable, and sustainable public spaces. Our focus is on creating 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.”
Submissions will be evaluated against several key criteria, including the strength of the AI-integrated design approach, spatial intelligence, feasibility, human-centred experience, inclusivity, sustainability, clarity of the design narrative, and the ability to translate data analysis into practical spatial outcomes.
The challenge offers a total prize pool of AED200,000. The first-place winner will receive AED100,000, the second-place winner AED65,000, and the third-place winner AED35,000, recognising exceptional ideas with the potential to contribute to real-world outcomes.
The judging panel comprises a distinguished group of executive leaders from the Government of Dubai, alongside prominent local and international experts in design, architecture, artificial intelligence, and future city planning. Following the evaluation process, a shortlist of proposed designs will be presented, after which the community will be invited to participate in selecting the winning entries.
This approach reflects Dubai Municipality’s commitment to actively engaging the community in the design of parks, ensuring that public spaces meet residents’ needs, align with their aspirations, and contribute to an enhanced quality of life.
By launching the world’s first global AI-powered park design challenge, Dubai Municipality continues to establish a new model for designing public spaces that integrates artificial intelligence, creativity, sustainability, local identity, human experience, and participatory design. This initiative further strengthens Dubai’s position as a global hub for urban innovation and the design of future cities.
Dubai Municipality has invited creatives and specialists from around the world to participate in the challenge through https://aipark.dm.gov.ae/ai-competition. Applications are open until 15 August 2026.
