Urban Planning That Works: Building Resilient Cities From the Ground Up

Look beyond buildings: Start with the bones

I often say the structure of a city comes before the finishes. That structure includes transit corridors, land use integration and the rules that shape how places evolve. If these foundational systems aren't aligned, we end up chasing fixes rather than planning solutions.

From a planning and delivery perspective, what makes a city work isn't just quality buildings or public spaces. It's the underlying logic that supports walkable precincts, prioritizes public transport and helps people access jobs, services and amenities equitably.

That's why retrofitting efforts should begin with integrated mobility and development controls − not just physical upgrades. That's where real transformation starts.

Making climate resilience actionable

Resilience is a word we hear often in city planning, but what does it mean in practice? To me, it's about how well a city responds to stress-climatic, economic or social-without losing function or vision. But resilience doesn't happen by default. It has to be planned.

That means aligning public sector roles, enabling clear development permissions and embedding climate and risk considerations into investment decisions. If city authorities lack the tools, knowledge or governance models to deliver on these goals, resilience stays a concept − not a capability.

In my experience, building institutional readiness is just as important as building infrastructure. When both align, we see real progress.

Smart with purpose

There's a lot of excitement around smart cities and rightly so. Technology has enormous potential to improve how we manage urban environments. But it needs to be grounded in purpose.

Too often, I see tech deployed as a showcase rather than a solution. The most effective smart tools are those directly integrated into service deliver − monitoring utilities, managing urban assets or helping city leaders make data-informed decisions.

Smart is not a substitute for strategy. It's an enabler. And if we're serious about building more resilient, responsive cities, our technology must serve people − not the other way around.

Learn from elsewhere, adapt locally

Before joining Jacobs in the Middle East, I spent much of my career working in Asia, and I continue to draw on those experiences. Cities like Hong Kong show what's possible when land use and transport planning are truly integrated − supported by value-capture models and long-term policy vision.

I've also seen the challenges in places where planning authority is fragmented or developer-led with little public oversight. The result is often reactive, inefficient and inequitable growth.

Here in the Middle East, we have a remarkable opportunity to avoid those pitfalls − to design from first principles with real-world pragmatism. Even in greenfield developments, context matters. There's no such thing as a blank slate. Topography, heritage and existing movement patterns all influence how a place should grow.

By acknowledging and working with these layers of context, we can create cities that are not only innovative but intuitive − places that feel coherent and considered, not imposed.

Aligning vision with delivery

The Middle East is at the forefront of urban innovation. But innovation alone isn't enough. To deliver lasting impact, we must align vision with delivery, strategy with governance and ambition with resilience.

At Jacobs, we believe in planning that connects all those dots so the cities we help shape aren't just bold on paper but brilliant in practice.