Qatar Foundation and Qatari Diar Forge Alliance for Arid City Innovation

Editorial Team

Last updated 6-10-2025

3 min

Earthna and Qatari Diar partner to address urban challenges in hot, arid regions.

Their collaboration through the Arid Cities Network focuses on practical idea-sharing for sustainability.

Lusail City serves as a prime testbed for innovative, eco-friendly urban development.

Workshops and hands-on learning expeditions are planned for the Arid Cities Network gathering.

This partnership aims to create replicable frameworks for sustainable living in harsh environments.

Qatar Foundation’s sustainability think tank, Earthna, has teamed up with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company in a new partnership aimed at shaping the future of cities in hot, arid regions. The two sides recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation under the Arid Cities Network — a relatively young initiative that first took shape during the Earthna Summit in early 2025.

At its heart, the network is meant to bring together cities that face similar environmental hurdles — things like water scarcity, blistering heat, and fragile ecosystems — and encourage practical idea-sharing. As Dr Gonzalo Castro de la Mata of Earthna explained, the partnership with Qatari Diar is about “connecting research and policy with real-world urban development,” an approach he believes could lead to solutions that cities across the world’s dry regions can actually replicate.

It’s a smart move, I reckon. Having spent time covering MENA startups that push for sustainability, I’ve often seen brilliant ideas stay stuck in research. This MoU could give some of those concepts a genuine pathway to be tested on the ground. And believe it or not, few places offer a more fitting testbed than Qatar’s Lusail City — one of Qatari Diar’s flagship projects, which already blends modern design with eco-friendly principles.

On his part, Eng. Fahad Abdullatif Al Jahrami, representing Qatari Diar, said the agreement reflects “a strategic step” toward tackling sustainability challenges in hot and arid environments. That said, it’s not all smooth sailing; making future-proof urban areas in such climactic conditions can be a bit of a faff, given the competing demands of comfort, culture, and conservation.

Still, workshops are already lined up, with the first major Arid Cities Network gathering planned for April 2026. The event, according to early details, will feature learning expeditions around Doha — a refreshing hands‑on style that’s rather spot on for encouraging collaboration rather than endless PowerPoint marathons.

From what we’ve seen at Arageek, partnerships like this often serve as catalysts rather than end goals. When local insight meets global research, new frameworks emerge – ones that can shape how communities live in harmony with their harsh surroundings. And if this collaboration delivers even half of what it promises, cities from Riyadh to Rabat might soon have a few extra tools in their sustainability toolbox.

For now, the MoU signals intent more than outcome, but it’s a promising sign that the Gulf’s big players are serious about re‑engineering how arid cities work. It’s definately a story worth keeping an eye on as 2026 approaches.

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