17 February 2025
Vertical Communities – Boosting Social Innovation via Urban Densification
On February 17, 2025, leading architects, urban planners, and design professionals gathered at City Walk, Dubai for a high-impact symposium titled “Vertical Communities: Boosting Social Innovation via Urban Densification”, co-hosted by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – Middle East and the School of Architecture & Interior Design at Canadian University Dubai.
As cities around the world continue to densify, the event explored how tall buildings can move beyond their functional roles to become catalysts for community building, social innovation, and environmental resilience.
Highlights from the Symposium:
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Stephanie Alrahbanie, Architect at LWK + PARTNERS, chaired the event and set the tone for a series of rich, cross-disciplinary dialogues.
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Kourosh Salehi, Global Design Principal at LWK + PARTNERS, delivered a presentation on the evolving role of vertical cities in shaping future urban environments, advocating for design strategies that promote liveability, integration, and identity within high-density contexts.
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Marija Krsmanovic, Senior Architect, and Mithun Varghese, Director, contributed to panel discussions on building sustainable vertical futures and rethinking density as an opportunity for inclusive design.
The event featured a dynamic agenda with presentations from industry experts including Ahmed Samy, Ben Piper, Christine Yogiaman, Dania Al-Adhami, Hani Akkari, Louise Collins, Marc Torres, Sophie Johnson, touching on topics from universal design principles and amenity-driven living to the value of tall buildings in desert contexts.
A Platform for Meaningful Exchange
With sessions designed to encourage both deep thinking and practical insight, the symposium fostered robust debate on how architecture can respond to pressing urban challenges particularly in the Middle East, where mega-projects and vertical urbanism are reshaping the regional landscape.
From live-work synergies to sustainability at scale, the day’s presentations and discussions underscored the importance of holistic, human-centric design in shaping the cities of tomorrow.
Thank you to CTBUH, Canadian University Dubai, and all the speakers and attendees for bringing forward a powerful conversation on the role of tall buildings in building better, more connected urban futures.
