Kuwait Heads Towards Rapid Sustainable Urban Development through Ambitious Plans

The State of Kuwait, in accordance with Vision 2035, is focusing efforts to pursue sustainable urban development that would usher in an age of vast economic wealth, social integration, and financial ambition.

Kuwait's urban development began back in the 1950s through the establishment of the construction committee, which focused on mapping architectural and housing policies as well as taking on infrastructural development.

Seven decades on, Kuwait vastly improved its infrastructural and architectural sectors with a focus on sustainability and establishing "smart cities" friendly towards the environment and super developed.

Nowadays, the government instructed several state entities including the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) to speed up the construction of new housing projects in addition to their infrastructures and services to accommodate the needs of the masses.

A 2023-24 report by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (SCPD) showed that six policies were undertaken to construct sustainable infrastructure, which were currently executed.

The policies are connected with 36 projects some of which were completed, a number were in the process of being handed over to the government, while the rest were still in preparation phase.

In regards to environment friendly housing areas, the SCPD report revealed that four policies were implemented out of five in 14 development projects.

Meanwhile, the 2040 Fourth Kuwait Master Plan reflected the country's desire to shape development through plans sectioning Kuwait into four zones contributing to urban, economic, social, and environmental areas to serve population growth.

In a step to deepen the concept of smart cities, Kuwait would hosting on November 19th until the 21st the conference for smart administration and creativity for sustainable cities, which would be under the auspices of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The conference will witness the participation of experts and specialists in the domain of smart cities.

Back to the Public Authority of Housing Welfare, the state entity included smart and sustainable systems in the designs of its recent projects to catch up with the latest developments in addition to meeting the housing demands for citizens.

PAHW is currently working on six projects in Al-Mutla city, the south Abdullah Al-Mubarak, south Saad Al-Abdullah, South Sabah Al-Ahmad, and east Sabah Al-Ahmad cities to complete infrastructure and services. Such projects were meticulously planned through numerous participations in conferences and working committees to view the most feasible approach to housing and urban development.

In the last decade, Kuwait had delivered thousands of housing units for citizens in addition embarking on new housing projects in service of the country.

Currently, Kuwait is in negotiation with South Korea to work on the south Saad Al-Abdullah housing project with a MoU signed to design a smart city.

The urban development scheme is sure to bring on foreign investments whether in constructing houses or infrastructure and services. This claim is evident in the signing of a MoU between Kuwait's PAHW and China to develop housing projects in Kuwait.

The MoU, signed back in September 2024, is one of seven agreements to create a longstanding strategic communication to develop housing projects in Kuwait with the involvement of China.