October 5th, 2015: His Excellency Mr. Brad Woodside, Mayor of the New Brunswick capital Fredericton, has visited Canadian University Dubai (CUD) during a recent trip to the UAE to share his experience on smart city governance.
Mr. Woodside was in Dubai to give the keynote address at the 5th annual GCC Municipalities and Smart Cities Conference, where CUD professor of architecture, Dr. Hoshiar Nooraddin, was also among the lineup of international speakers.
Taking the opportunity to visit CUD during his stay in Dubai, Mr. Woodside viewed an exhibition of work by students from the School of Architecture & Interior Design and shared his views on the importance of urban planning with an undergraduate class, before meeting with University President, Dr. Karim Chelli.
As Mayor of Fredericton, Mr. Woodside oversees a city that has attracted international recognition for its sustainability credentials and received a number of accolades associated with livability indicators. The provincial capital has been named among Canada's top 50 entrepreneurial cities, eighth in the World Health Organization’s global clean air index, among the World's top seven intelligent communities, and in the top 10 best places to live in Canada.
Addressing CUD architecture students, he stressed the importance of placing sustainability at the heart of planning and design, saying, “There are sustainability decisions in everything we do these days; we must always have the future in mind, and consider the needs of the next generation in our plans.”
Mr. Woodside also paid tribute to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for the vision he has developed for a sustainable and prosperous Dubai.
Speaking about the collaborations that exist between the University of New Brunswick and CUD, Mr. Woodside said, “Education is something that should be shared, which is why it is important to have these agreements that facilitate the transfer and exchange of students between countries; it enriches the learning experience and is an education in itself.”
View the video highlights of Mr. Woodside's visit here