How Dubai Holding Community Management is shaping connected, conscious neighbourhoods driven by data, innovation and resident-led sustainability

Published: Wed 26 Nov 2025, 5:33 PM

• By:
• Francis Giani | Partner Content

• Share:
• • Follow on Google
  • Follow on WhatsApp
  • Follow on Telegram

Sustainability begins with awareness, and awareness begins at home. At Dubai Holding Community Management, this belief sits at the heart of everything we do, and that real change starts not in boardrooms or policy papers, but in neighbourhoods, with people who choose to live consciously every day.

Our vision has always been clear: to build connected, conscious communities where residents actively shape a greener future for Dubai. As one of the UAE's largest residential community managers and part of the wider Dubai Holding ecosystem, Dubai Holding Community Management's sustainability journey has grown over the years into a structured, data-driven strategy that reflects the Group's sustainability vision.

According to Dubai Holding's Sustainability Report 2024, our collective strategy is anchored around four core pillars: Planet, people and culture, responsible supply chain and philanthropy, all supported by strong Governance.

At Dubai Holding Community Management, we have adapted this Group-wide framework to fit the everyday reality of residential communities, where sustainability must be practical, visible and lived. Each of our 58 master communities, home to more than 1.2 million residents, is a testing ground for innovation and collective responsibility.

Under the Planet pillar, we focus on protecting natural resources and reducing environmental impact. This includes smart lighting upgrades, advanced water management, waste-segregation systems and community composting programmes. These initiatives may appear technical, but their real purpose is simple: to make sustainable living effortless for every resident.

The People & Culture pillar reminds us that infrastructure alone cannot deliver progress. Behavioural change matters just as much. Through community events, sustainability workshops and the Sustainability Champions programme, we invite residents to take ownership of their shared spaces. When sustainability becomes a habit, it turns into culture.

The Responsible Supply Chain pillar extends this responsibility beyond our communities. Across Dubai Holding, 224 suppliers were assessed in 2023–24 under the Supplier Code of Conduct. At Dubai Holding Community Management, we apply similar standards to our procurement and contractor management, striving to ensure that services and materials used align with our sustainability guidelines.

Philanthropy connects environmental stewardship with social impact. One of the Group's flagship initiatives, Gift It Forward, diverted more than 85 tonnes of materials from landfill in 2025 while engaging over 1,500 volunteers. It demonstrates that sustainability is as much about compassion as conservation.

At the foundation of all these efforts is Governance, which ensures transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. With the Group's new Responsible Investment Policy aligned with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), and digital sustainability tracking tools, we are creating a foundation that supports long-term progress.

Even with strong infrastructure and data, one truth remains constant: sustainability ultimately depends on people. Infrastructure and technology can take us only so far. True impact happens when residents understand that their daily habits, such as how they dispose of waste, how they use energy and how they care for their surroundings, make a measurable difference.

To encourage this shift, Dubai Holding Community Management is developing campaigns that speak to residents directly, from gamified engagement tools and youth ambassador programmes to neighbourhood initiatives that make sustainable choices rewarding and social.

As part of Dubai Holding, Dubai Holding Community Management contributes directly to the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative and national circular economy goals. Our role is to translate high-level commitments into simple, everyday actions that residents can take within their homes and communities.

This approach aligns well with new national frameworks such as the Federal Decree-Law No. (11) of 2024, which mandates emissions reporting and climate-risk disclosure. These measures create an enabling environment for community managers like us to adopt long-term, data-driven sustainability strategies.

Sustainability is a shared, ongoing journey that requires awareness, participation and trust. By combining technology, governance and community engagement, Dubai Holding Community Management is committed to setting new standards for sustainable urban living in Dubai.

When a resident turns off a light, sorts their waste, uses water efficiently or supports community composting, they are not just contributing to their neighbourhood, they are advancing Dubai's vision for a sustainable future. And that, to me, is where real progress begins.

- Francis Giani is the Chief Community Management Officer at Dubai Holding Community Management.

MENAFN26112025000049011007ID1110402261