Abu Dhabi Is Putting AED100 Billion Behind Better Everyday Living
Abu Dhabi is advancing more than AED100 billion in projects and initiatives around liveability, mobility and services. Here’s what the shift could mean for residents and local service providers.
What makes a city genuinely easy to live in?
It is not only skyscrapers, roads or impressive new developments. It is being able to reach the places you need quickly. Finding services close to home. Having parks, healthcare, schools and shops nearby. Getting around without unnecessary friction. And having practical help available when everyday life gets busy.
That idea is becoming increasingly central to Abu Dhabi’s next phase of development.
At LIVEX 2026, the emirate is showcasing projects and initiatives valued at more than AED100 billion across areas including residential communities, mobility, public spaces, services and infrastructure. The three-day event opened on September 29 at ADNEC and is bringing together more than 20,000 participants from 50 countries. The underlying message is important: quality of life is becoming infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi Wants Everyday Life to Work Better
The Department of Municipalities and Transport has been developing what it calls a more integrated approach to liveability.
Instead of measuring development only by whether a park, road or community facility exists, the next phase focuses more closely on whether those facilities actually work well for the people using them. Phase 2 of Abu Dhabi’s Liveability Strategy shifts attention towards the quality, efficiency and social impact of public amenities and services. Media Office Abu Dhabi
That sounds technical, but the idea is simple. A neighbourhood should not merely have services. Those services should make daily life easier.
AED42 Billion Is Going Into the Next Phase
A significant part of the wider programme is the second phase of Abu Dhabi’s Liveability Strategy, which has been allocated AED42 billion for new projects. The first phase included more than 60 projects worth AED12 billion and helped raise average neighbourhood integration scores from 67% in 2023 to 81% in 2025. Previous projects included parks, schools, mosques, walking paths, cycling infrastructure and retail facilities. Gulf News
The next phase goes further. Abu Dhabi is looking at public spaces, mobility, neighbourhood facilities, technology and services as parts of one connected system rather than separate projects. Artificial intelligence and data are also being used to better understand what individual areas need and where future investment could have the greatest impact. Gulf News
The Future City Is About More Than Infrastructure
There is an interesting shift happening here. For decades, cities competed by building bigger airports, taller buildings and wider roads. Those things still matter.
But modern cities are increasingly competing on something more personal:
- How easy is everyday life?
- Can someone reach work efficiently?
- Can families access schools and healthcare nearby?
- Are neighbourhoods walkable?
- Are public spaces actually enjoyable?
- Can residents quickly find the everyday services they need?
Abu Dhabi’s Livability by Design Framework now requires major new and updated developments serving more than 2,000 people to incorporate factors such as walkability, connected mobility, accessible public spaces and inclusive community design from the planning stage. Dubai Maritime City The city is effectively treating convenience and wellbeing as something that should be designed intentionally.
Better Neighbourhoods Also Create More Service Demand
There is another side to this story. When neighbourhoods grow and become more active, people need more than infrastructure.
New homes need furniture assembled. Families need cleaning and maintenance. Businesses need deliveries. Residents need tutors, photographers, pet care and specialist help. People moving into a new community may need assistance setting up their homes. A growing city therefore does not only create construction and investment opportunities. It creates thousands of smaller everyday service needs. And those needs can create opportunities for local skilled workers.
This Is Where Taysir Fits Into the Liveability Conversation
Taysir is built around a very simple part of quality of life: making it easier to get everyday things done. Instead of spending hours searching for different providers, residents can post what they need and receive offers from taskers who can help. That could mean finding someone for furniture assembly after moving into a new apartment.
Getting help with a delivery. Booking cleaning before guests arrive. Finding a handyman. Or posting another everyday task that is consuming time. For taskers, the same marketplace creates a way to discover local demand and potentially earn from useful skills, subject to the relevant UAE work and licensing requirements.
You can post a task, explore earning opportunities, or download the Taysir app.
The Best Cities Give People Their Time Back
- Abu Dhabi’s current investment programme shows how the definition of urban development is changing.
- A successful city is no longer judged only by what it builds.
- It is also judged by how easily people can live within it.
- Better mobility saves time.
- Closer services save time.
- Smarter neighbourhoods save time.
- And easier access to local help can do the same.
- That is ultimately what better liveability means: less friction in everyday life and more time for the things people actually want to do.