The AI-designed park challenge is the latest initiative from Dubai Municipality, inviting designers, students, researchers, startups, and AI innovators to rethink the future of public spaces. Launched on June 28, the competition aims to redesign Al Safa 2 Park using artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, with a total prize pool of Dh200,000.
The initiative supports Dubai’s wider vision of integrating AI into urban planning and public infrastructure. Rather than relying on traditional design methods alone, participants are encouraged to use AI throughout the entire design process. This includes analysing the site, understanding how people use the park, developing design concepts, testing different scenarios, and refining their final proposals.
Dubai Municipality says the challenge combines human creativity with AI to create smarter, more sustainable, and people-focused public spaces. Alongside a panel of expert judges, members of the community will also play a role in selecting the winning designs.
Who can participate, and what are the prizes?
The competition is open to a wide range of participants working at the intersection of design and technology. Eligible applicants include professionals in architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and public space design, as well as undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students, researchers, startups, and AI innovators.
The total prize fund is Dh200,000. The first-place winner will receive Dh100,000, while second and third place will receive Dh65,000 and Dh35,000, respectively.
Submissions are open until August 15 through the Dubai Municipality website. Entries must include a comprehensive master plan supported by data analysis, drawings, visualisations, and a human-centred design approach. Participants are also expected to demonstrate how AI was used throughout the design process to support analysis, decision-making, and design development.
How the winning designs will be selected
All submissions will first be reviewed by a specialist jury made up of internationally recognised designers and senior Dubai Government officials. Shortlisted entries will then move to a public review stage, allowing residents to help choose the final winners.
Designs will be assessed on how effectively AI has been integrated into different stages of the project. This includes site and user analysis, environmental studies such as shade and heat mapping, concept generation, design optimisation, user experience planning, and AI-assisted visualisations. Participants may also include parametric or generative design methods where relevant.
The challenge forms part of Dubai’s continued investment in AI-driven innovation and offers participants the opportunity to help shape the future of one of the city’s public parks while competing for significant cash prizes.
