{
  "id": 19848679,
  "title": "Why the energy transition needs a new approach to urban planning",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/why-the-energy-transition-needs-a-new-approach-to-urban-planning",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T17:56:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2026/11/13/cop31-architecture-climate/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The energy transition requires a new approach to urban planning, as the decisions made about cities today will determine our energy future for generations. This connection was evident during the Leaders' Summit in Antalya, where climate ambition must translate into concrete action, with energy security, economic prosperity, and resilience emerging as key priorities.\n\nTürkiye's presidency of Cop31 has identified electrification, sustainable buildings, and climate-resilient cities as crucial areas to focus on. Energy policy and urban development have traditionally been viewed as separate disciplines, but cities are where these systems intersect, and their outcomes are most visible.\n\nMasdar City in Abu Dhabi serves as an example of how an entire urban community can be designed around sustainability. The city integrates clean energy, efficient buildings, innovative technologies, and thoughtful urban planning. Sustainability is not only about installing solar panels but also rethinking the relationship between buildings, people, energy, and the environment.\n\nResilience is becoming increasingly important in city planning, as climate change tests urban infrastructure with extreme heat, flooding, water scarcity, and pressure on electricity systems. Cities must design electricity networks capable of integrating distributed renewable energy and storage, protect essential services from disruptions, manage water and energy together, and ensure buildings remain functional during extreme weather.\n\nElectrification is a critical aspect of the energy transition, with the UAE's ambition to increase electricity's share of global energy consumption to 35% by 2035. However, clean electricity must be combined with modernized grids, resilient infrastructure, and accessibility to ensure the transition's success.\n\nEquity is another crucial consideration, as many of the world's fastest-growing cities are in developing economies that must expand access to housing, energy, transportation, and essential services while adapting to climate risks. International climate finance, technology cooperation, and capacity-building are essential to help these cities invest in low-carbon and resilient infrastructure.",
  "summary": "When I began my career as an architect, I learnt that the most consequential decisions about a building are often made long before construction begins. Its orientation, relationship with the surrounding environment, choice of materials and use of natural resources determine how efficiently it will perform for decades. Years later, as sustainability director at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, I saw this…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}