KUWAIT: Saad Al-Abdullah city will be the first smart and environment-friendly city in Kuwait in line with international standards, and spread over 59 square kilometers to accommodate 400,000 people. Minister of State for Housing Affairs Yasser Abul and Koran Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kang Ho-in, signed a memorandum of understanding to develop South Saad Al-Abdullah new city, which will be the first Middle East city to be both eco-friendly and smart, and includes more than 30,000 housing units.
Under the agreement, Korea Land and Housing Corporation will work on the plan and conduct feasibility analysis, the corporation will work with Kuwait's Public Authority for Housing Welfare to establish a joint company in charge of designing, constructing and operating the project.
The idea of the environment-friendly smart city is based on the city's dependence on modern technology through connecting its services and roads by an internet network, considering that all its inhabitants will be citizens who are smart phones and smart devices users, which will make it easy for them to use all services of the city more efficiently and with less effort.
Solar cells
Experts explained that the possibility of connecting the city to electrical energy through solar cells will be studied. It will also be designed in a way to avoid visual pollution through binding city inhabitants to use specific colors for buildings. It might also witness binding them to use specific designs and specific constriction materials to be within the financial ability of the citizens to afford.
All these visions are not a Kuwaiti invention or created from imagination but it is reality already applied in South Korea, that's why an agreement was inked with the Korean side to establish the first smart city and environment friendly in Kuwait and might be circulated in case of success.
Chairman of Kuwait Real Estate Union Tawfeeq Al-Jarrah said that Kuwait government supports the housing projects, and working hard to provide houses for citizens, pointing out that Saad Al-Abdullah project will contribute to ease the burden on citizens.
He also called for offering more housing and investment land in various areas in Kuwait for property projects, with the private sector to be allowed to play its due role in carrying out high-quality property achievements. Saad Al-Abdullah project's implementation is expected to begin February, and a Joint Committee has been formed with the Kuwait Municipality to remove obstacles. - KUNA