Polystorm - Geocellular Water Management System
Polystorm is an efficient and versatile geocellular water management system for Sustainable urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) compliant attenuation, det
Cities Of Tomorrow: How Urban Growth Demands A New Approach To Resilient Infrastructure
Friday 14th November 2025
Across the GCC, cities are expanding at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable a generation ago. Towering skylines now define the desert horizon, as urbanisation accelerates under the twin forces of economic diversification and population growth. Yet with this transformation comes a set of urgent questions: how do we design cities that can withstand new pressures, from flooding to heat extremes, while maintaining livable, sustainable environments?
The New Urban Frontier
Urbanisation is reshaping the way we live, work and build. According to longstanding estimates[1], more than two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, and the GCC is at the forefront of that shift. In the GCC in particular, rapid densification and vertical expansion have become defining features of modern development. Dubai alone now counts more than 150 buildings over 200 meters tall[2], a symbol of ambition, but also a challenge for infrastructure systems originally designed for a different scale of city.
In short, vertical growth and urban sprawl have altered the delicate balance between built and natural environments. Concrete, asphalt and glass have replaced open ground, disrupting natural water flows and amplifying the stresses of a warming climate.
The Hidden Costs of Impervious Surfaces
As city footprints expand, so too does the area covered by impervious surfaces, pavements, car parks, rooftops and more, that prevent water from soaking into the soil. The result is a distorted water cycle. Rainfall that once filtered gradually into the ground now runs off quickly, overwhelming drainage networks and increasing flood risk. Studies[3] show that doubling impervious surface area can more than double stormwater runoff, while reducing groundwater recharge and degrading water quality through polluted surface flow.
In arid climates such as the UAE’s, this imbalance is even more pronounced. When rare but intense rainfall events occur, the lack of infiltration means that large volumes of water are rapidly channeled into drainage systems that may not be equipped for such loads. The consequences are familiar: flash floods, damaged infrastructure and costly downtime for businesses and transport.
Heat Islands in the Desert
Urbanisation also brings another invisible but serious consequence: the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. City centers can be as much as 12 °C warmer than their surrounding areas[4] due to heat trapped by buildings, roads and other hard surfaces. UHIs can also alter local rainfall patterns, reduce air quality and disrupt wind flows[5]. In the GCC, where summer temperatures can readily exceed 45 °C, this effect magnifies the burden on cooling systems, increases energy demand and can strain public health services.
Materials like concrete and asphalt absorb solar radiation by day and release it slowly at night, preventing urban areas from cooling. Meanwhile, air-conditioning units and vehicles release additional waste heat, creating a feedback loop that drives higher consumption and emissions. In a region where cooling can account for up to 70% of peak electricity demand[6], this feedback is both an environmental and an economic concern.
Urban Pressures and Infrastructure Strain
The combined effects of rapid urbanisation and climate stress are testing existing infrastructure to its limits. Drainage systems face higher peak flows, roads and utilities are exposed to flooding, and water supplies are under pressure from both scarcity and demand. As extreme weather events become more frequent, even well-engineered systems are struggling to cope with volumes and velocities for which they were never designed. Last year’s floods in Dubai and Riyadh have underscored the urgency of integrated drainage planning, highlighting how the region’s rapid urban expansion demands equally agile infrastructure solutions.
Overheating, too, has direct implications for human comfort and wellbeing. Prolonged exposure to heat can affect productivity, exacerbate health risks and raise the cost of living. For city planners, architects and engineers, these challenges underscore an urgent need for resilience, not as a buzzword, but as a guiding principle.
Resilience by Design: Living with Water
Building urban resilience means learning to work with natural systems, not against them. Around the world, forward-thinking cities are adopting hybrid approaches that blend grey infrastructure (engineered systems such as pipes, tanks and modular drainage) with green infrastructure[7], including permeable pavements, bioswales, rain gardens and vegetated roofs that capture, slow and filter water close to where it falls.
The concept of the “sponge city”[8] embodies this philosophy: rather than pushing water away, it absorbs, stores and reuses it. Decentralised, sustainable drainage systems can help cities manage water more effectively, reducing flood risk, replenishing groundwater, and contributing to urban cooling through evaporation. In the GCC, where climate adaptation and water scarcity are constant challenges, such approaches offer clear advantages.
By integrating stormwater management into landscape and architectural design, urban spaces can become multifunctional, turning potential hazards into assets. Shaded “cool corridors,” tree-lined streets, and water plazas that double as social spaces can all help mitigate flooding and heat, improve livability, and reduce energy demand.
Delivering this vision will depend on collaboration: between engineers and ecologists, policymakers and private industry, planners and designers. Together, stakeholders can transform how cities think about water, not as a threat to be channeled away, but as a vital resource to be harnessed.
Engineered Drainage as Enabler
Advanced engineered drainage solutions play a vital role in making these ideas practical. Modular systems designed for infiltration, attenuation, integrated flow, stormwater management and controlled discharge allow engineers to tailor designs to specific site conditions. For instance, below-ground attenuation tanks can temporarily store water during heavy rainfall, releasing it gradually to prevent overloading municipal networks.
Polypipe Middle East has been at the forefront of this shift. Its sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)[9] enable cities to manage water holistically, balancing capture, storage, treatment and reuse. These systems are not one-size-fits-all; they are adaptable, modular and scalable and are designed to integrate with both grey and green infrastructure.
By combining expertise in water management, stormwater control, and sustainable urban drainage, Polypipe supports developers and authorities across the region in creating urban environments that are not only functional but future-ready. Across the region, adaptable and resilient drainage design is fast becoming a cornerstone of climate adaptation strategies, whether in commercial developments or residential communities; as cities grow denser and climates become more unpredictable, infrastructure demands are evolving faster than ever, and this is where Polypipe’s expertise comes to the fore.
Delivering these systems at scale requires close coordination between municipalities, developers, and infrastructure partners, from planning policy to implementation, but it is entirely achievable.
Shaping the Future City
The GCC’s urban future will be shaped not only by striking skylines, but by the integrated systems that keep those cities safe, cool and livable. As urban planning increasingly embraces concepts such as cool corridors, water plazas and multi-functional green infrastructure, the line between engineering and ecology continues to blur.
Collaboration between policymakers, planners, developers and technology partners will be essential to delivering this new urban model, one that balances ambition with adaptability and growth with sustainability. Within this ecosystem, Polypipe Middle East continues to work alongside consultants, municipalities and master developers to design the next generation of resilient drainage and water management systems, ensuring that the cities of tomorrow are not just built taller, but built smarter, cooler and ready for the future.
Contact us today to discover how Polypipe Middle East is helping to deliver industry leading drainage solutions.
Tel: +971 (0) 4 518 3000
Email: middleeast@polypipe.com
Sources:
[4] https://onebillionresilient.org/2023/08/22/urban-heat-island-effect/
[5] https://www.geojournal.net/uploads/archives/6-2-4-570.pdf
[6] https://www.emerald.com/agjsr/article/42/4/1882/1222601/A-review-of-electricity-consumption-and-CO2
[7] https://www.epa.gov/water-research/green-and-gray-infrastructure-research
[8] https://www.ube.ac.uk/whats-happening/articles/sponge-cities/
[9] https://middleeast.polypipe.com/sustainable-urban-drainage-systems
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