New partnership debuting at MIPIM 2026 brings cultural strategy to the forefront of major urban development

AtkinsRéalis, the global design and engineering consultancy, and Futurecity, the leading cultural placemaking agency, have extended their work together on major projects in the Middle East into a strategic partnership to embed culture and placemaking as a core driver of urban development.

This groundbreaking partnership will be formally launched at MIPIM Cannes 2026 and will prioritise major projects across the Middle East. The collaboration responds to a fast-growing regional shift as governments and now developers place cultural identity, liveability and creativity at the heart of their long-term urban agendas.

Together, both companies will support governments, master developers, and city leaders in the built environment by embedding cultural value, social impact, and place identity from the earliest stages of planning and design.

A key pillar of the partnership is the Futurecity Lab, an innovative platform dedicated to exploring ideas in cultural foresight, creative economic insight, and people-centered design. The first pilot projects have already begun, and the partnership will present the Lab’s initial outputs and outline the next phase of the partnership.

Mark Davy, CEO and Founder of Futurecity, said: “I have seen at first-hand how arts and culture have become essential placemaking tools for the development and regeneration of cities across the world. This unique partnership with AtkinsRéalis offers an unprecedented opportunity to ensure cultural thinking is integrated from the very beginning of the masterplanning process as a critical element of urban infrastructure”

He added: “We will bring our experience of working on 400 placemaking and cultural projects, across a wide range of property typologies to provide expertise and insight in cultural masterplanning, place-narrative development, public-art strategies, cultural-brokering, cultural-trends research, and destination-strategies for emerging destinations.”

Matthew Tribe, Senior Vice President, Buildings and Places, AtkinsRéalis, said: “Across the Middle East, cities are undergoing profound transformation, with culture emerging as a defining catalyst of change. This partnership embodies our shared conviction that cultural intelligence is essential to shaping the next generation of urban environments.”

He added: “By uniting AtkinsRéalis’ design and engineering excellence with Futurecity’s cultural strategy, we give governments and developers the strategic foundation to create places with clear identity, enduring value, and purpose.”

AtkinsRéalis and Futurecity will jointly engage with leading global real estate and built environment platforms including Cityscape, MIPIM, MIPIM Middle East, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), and other global forums. The partnership positions both organisations as key voices in culturally led, human-centric urban development.

For media inquiries on the partnership, please contact:

Razan Katbe External Comms Manager, AtkinsRéalis Middle East Razan.katbe@atkinsrealis.com

Images: Slipstream by Richard Wilson for the Queen's Terminal, Photo David Levene KAFD – King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Photo Courtesy KAFD Riyadh Art and Noor Riyadh, Photo Rubén P. Bescós Wembley Park for, Photo courtesy Futurecity, Quintain, Lone Star