Sharjah Unveils Uruk: A New Generation Of Sustainable Cities Built For The Post-AI Era
Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), American University of Sharjah (AUS) and SEE Holding today unveiled Uruk, a pioneering model for a new generation of sustainable cities. Designed for the post-AI era, Uruk brings together intelligent technologies and the ambition of self-sufficiency within an urban vision that places people at its heart.
Uruk introduces a new vision for the future of urban living, harnessing technology and innovation to create abundance in resources and time, unlock new possibilities for healthier and more fulfilling lives, and redefine what a city can offer its people. Beyond its urban functions, Uruk aspires to become a hub for scientific research and innovation, providing a real-world environment where future solutions can be developed, tested and brought into everyday life.
Announced during the opening of the second edition of Sharjah Next, hosted by SPARK under this year’s theme of sustainability, the project marks a new chapter in Sharjah’s ambitions to advance research, technology and sustainable development. . The collaboration brings together SPARK’s advanced technology and innovation ecosystem, AUS’s academic and research capabilities, and SEE Holding’s proven experience in developing sustainable communities. Together, the partners aim to establish Uruk as an integrated environment where knowledge, research and practical application converge, reinforcing Sharjah’s position as a center for innovation and strengthening the UAE’s role in shaping the future of cities worldwide.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, said: “This should not be viewed as simply another real estate development, but as the evolution of a model we have spent the past decade building. The first layer is the physical environment. The second is the technological infrastructure, laboratories and advanced facilities. But the most important layer is what happens within that environment: artificial intelligence, scientific research, experimentation, innovation and commercialization.
“Our ambition is to create an AI-powered innovation city, where technology is not an addition to the urban environment but is embedded into its very foundations from the outset. A city where researchers work alongside entrepreneurs, global companies collaborate with universities, ideas are tested in real-world settings, and innovations move faster from the laboratory into society.”
Uruk represents the next evolution of The Sustainable City, building on a model that has demonstrated its success over the past decade. It takes sustainability into a new era, integrating resource independence, artificial intelligence and quality of life within a single urban ecosystem. The city envisions a future where intelligent systems can proactively anticipate and respond to residents’ needs, optimize resource use and create a more resilient and adaptable environment that evolves with the changing demands of everyday life.
At the heart of Uruk is a vision for greater self-sufficiency and resource independence, supported by an integrated approach to energy, water, food production and waste management. The city is designed to achieve energy self-sufficiency through renewable sources, including solar, wind and biogas, while groundwater desalination and the reuse of treated water will contribute to meeting its water and irrigation needs.
Uruk also aims to produce a significant share of its food requirements locally through indoor and outdoor farming, alongside the production of fish, eggs and honey, complemented by produce sourced from across the Emirate of Sharjah. Each household will have its own private farming plot, making agriculture part of everyday life and creating opportunities for shared experiences, social interaction and stronger community bonds. Waste-to-energy and resource recovery systems will further support a circular economy, turning waste into valuable resources and maximizing their use throughout their lifecycle.
Faris Saeed, Founder and Chairman of SEE Holding, said: “Our ambition is no longer simply to build cities that are more efficient and sustainable. It is to move towards an entirely new model of urban living, where abundance in resources and time becomes the foundation for a better quality of life.
“The true measure of progress is not what technology can achieve, but what it makes possible for people. When a city can produce its own essential resources, manage them intelligently and ease the demands of everyday life, it gives its residents something truly invaluable: more time for family, for learning and creativity, for health and wellbeing, for building meaningful relationships and participating in community life.”
Robotics and intelligent services will support daily operations across the city, from deliveries and cleaning to security, reducing routine demands on residents while improving operational efficiency. These technologies will be integrated into an urban environment that prioritizes walking and cycling, supported by electric and shared mobility options. Together, they will improve accessibility and connectivity between neighborhoods, while creating public spaces that serve as natural extensions of community life.
Uruk will also function as a city-scale living laboratory, bringing research beyond university campuses and laboratories into homes, streets and public spaces. Research collaboration will span sustainability, mobility and quality of life, enabling researchers, students and entrepreneurs to develop emerging technologies, test their performance under real-world conditions, and use data and practical insights to continuously improve their effectiveness. Residents will play an active role in this ecosystem, participating in the testing, evaluation and development of solutions to ensure that research and innovation remain closely connected to the needs of the community.
A spokesperson for American University of Sharjah said: “This partnership presents an exceptional opportunity to connect education, research and innovation with the real challenges facing cities, while empowering our students and researchers to develop solutions that transcend conventional academic disciplines.
“We envision Uruk as a platform for generating, exchanging and applying knowledge, and as a model for collaboration between academia, industry and the wider community. It will help prepare future generations to lead change and create meaningful, lasting impact on society.”
The project takes its name from the historic city of Uruk in Mesopotamia, one of humanity’s earliest great urban centers, where some of the first forms of writing emerged and new systems of resource management and urban organization helped lay the foundations of civilization.
Drawing inspiration from this extraordinary legacy, the next generation of Uruk opens a new chapter in the evolution of cities, bringing together knowledge, innovation and human progress in a vision for life in the post-AI era.
