UCC/SPECTRUM Group Wins 2025 AIM Future Cities Award in the UAE for Smart Infrastructure with Proposed Groundbreaking Project Initiative
Photo: Dr. Winston I. Adams, OD, JP, Founder & Group Executive Chairman of the UCC/SPECTRUM Groups (second from left), proudly poses with the prestigious AIM Future Cities Award for the proposed EcoVista (Smart City) Jamaica. Dr. Adams is joined by members of the UCC/SPECTRUM delegation and potential international investors, including Mrs. Geraldine Adams, Deputy Group Executive Chair; their daughters, Dr. Trishany Adams and Ms. Shannon Adams; Mrs. Mlela Matandara-Clarke, Chief Architect; and Ms. Felicia Persaud, CEO & Consultant, Invest CARIBBEAN, USA.
April 11, 2025, Kingston, Jamaica – The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC)/SPECTRUM Group is proud to announce that it has won the 2025 Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Future Cities Award in the Smart Infrastructure category for its transformative development project, EcoVista (Smart City) Jamaica.
The prestigious award was presented on April 7, 2025, at the AIM Congress – the world’s largest investment conference, held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The AIM Future Cities Awards celebrate global innovation, sustainability, and urban design excellence.
The UCC/SPECTRUM Group was notably nominated in two categories: Innovation and Smart Infrastructure, ultimately emerging as the winner in the latter among hundreds of top real estate development projects from across the globe—becoming the first and only recipient from the Caribbean region.
Located on 283 acres of seafront property in Burwood Beach, Trelawny, EcoVista (Smart City) Jamaica is a master-planned, self-sustaining smart city. It will feature renewable energy solutions, off-grid water systems, eco-tourism hubs, luxury and middle-income housing, commercial zones, a university campus, and high-tech research facilities. The project integrates green technologies, smart infrastructure, and sustainable architecture to create a thriving eco-community rooted in Jamaican heritage.
Key features include:
- Solar farm and energy-efficient buildings
- Eco-luxury villas and overwater residences
- Middle- and high-income housing developments
- A university campus with capacity for 5,000 students
- Eco-business park and commercial zones
- Hotels and resorts with over 700 rooms
- Preserved green zones and protected natural habitat
“Winning this award is a landmark achievement for the UCC/SPECTRUM Group, and for Jamaica,” said Dr. Winston I. Adams, OD, JP, Founder & Group Executive Chairman of UCC/SPECTRUM Groups. “EcoVista Jamaica is more than a development—it’s a movement toward reshaping how we live, learn, and grow sustainably. We’re excited to lead the region into a smart, green future.”
Professor Colin Gyles, CD, President of the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, added: “This recognition places Jamaica at the forefront of innovative urban design. EcoVista Jamaica represents a living, breathing model of what’s possible when sustainability, technology, and community are brought together.”
The project’s blend of education, sustainability, and innovation positions EcoVista Jamaica as a regional blueprint for future cities. The UCC/SPECTRUM Group’s win places it among the world’s most forward-thinking institutions driving transformative urban development.
Watch the feature on this major achievement via CVM Television Facebook Page (18:39 - 24:24)
