His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, affirmed that, guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai is advancing plans that balance economic growth with population expansion, enhance infrastructure readiness and service efficiency, and ensure that development translates into the wellbeing of citizens and residents alike.
Chairing a meeting of The Executive Council of Dubai, held today at Emirates Towers, His Highness said: "Under the vision of Mohammed bin Rashid, Dubai has become an exceptional, inspiring, people-centric model. To sustain this model, we are investing in urban centres to develop integrated communities that meet people's aspirations and support sustainable growth. The Urban Centres Development Plan, with a budget exceeding AED2 billion by 2040, will contribute to an increase in the real estate value of the targeted centres by AED20 billion, making them more vibrant places to live, work and invest."
Leadership across domains
Sheikh Hamdan added: "This plan is an investment in Dubai's future and the sustainability of its growth, strengthening its leadership across different domains and its position as a city that places people's wellbeing at the heart of development."
His Highness said: "Dubai is a preferred city to live, work and invest, welcoming investors, entrepreneurs and talent, and home to a community of more than 200 nationalities. Today, we approved the Sustainable Population Planning Policy, which links population growth forecasts with our economic and urban plans and guides the development of services and infrastructure in line with residents' needs. Our goal is for Dubai's economic growth to keep pace with the aspirations of its citizens and residents, expand opportunities for individuals and families, and reinforce the emirate's leadership in attracting and investing in talent and skills."
Global benchmark
Sheikh Hamdan noted: "Ranking second globally in the 2026 Smart City Index, Dubai is among the world's leading cities for digital services, and our ambition is to set a global benchmark for digital government services in ease of access, efficiency and integration. Today, we approved the Digital Authorisation System for individuals and companies to deliver a unified and trusted government experience that serves society and business, and reinforces Dubai's position at the forefront of digital government."
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE; and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, attended the meeting.
Connected urban centres
The Executive Council approved the Urban Centres Development Plan, which is being overseen by the Supreme Committee for Urban Planning and Dubai Municipality in collaboration with relevant entities. The plan covers six main urban centres and 42 supporting sub-centres across the emirate, accounting for 12% of Dubai's urban area.
With a budget exceeding AED2 billion, the plan willcontribute to an increase in the real estate value of the targeted centres by AED20 billion by 2040. It focuses on three pillars; namely: quality of life, economic returns, and infrastructure efficiency and cost, by concentrating population and jobs around mass transit stations, diversifying land use, and bringing homes closer to workplaces.
The plan aims to increase the percentage of residents living around metro stations from 52% to 74%, and raise public services coverage from 74% to 85%, improving access to services and public transport and strengthening integration between urban centres.
Targeting sustainable growth
The Council also approved the Sustainable Population Planning Policy, an integrated framework that responds to demographic shifts and links them to economic and urban development. The policy balances the requirements of growth with the efficiency and sustainability of infrastructure, while safeguarding quality of life in line with global best practices.
The policy harnesses data and population growth forecasts to determine future needs for services and facilities, and to guide infrastructure development plans across Dubai. It also supports maximising the use of existing infrastructure and services, enhancing their efficiency and ensuring their sustainability.
The policy further supports job growth in high-productivity sectors in line with the targets of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. It will help attract talent and skills, raise average income for individuals and families, strengthen their purchasing power, and reinforce Dubai's economic competitiveness.
Secure, unified digital authorisation
To advance government digital services, the Council approved the Digital Authorisation System for individuals and companies. Delivered through a digital platform developed and operated by Digital Dubai, the system enables customers to authorise others to complete transactions on their behalf, within the scope of low-risk services that do not require notary public or legal attestation procedures.
The system aims to deliver a 100% digital experience through a unified platform, achieve 100% effectiveness in combating fraud, disputes and operational risks, and achieve a 90% score on the Customer Effort Index, enabling proactive services while reducing effort and simplifying procedures for customers.
The system provides a secure, trusted, real-time and paperless mechanism to create, manage and activate authorisations. It uses the UAE PASS digital identity for verification and integrates with digital applications and services to provide a unified experience across all service channels.
