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MASDAR CITY - WORLD'S FIRST
CAR-FREE CITY IN DUBAI |
Zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free
city planned in Abu Dhabi
15 February, 2008
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), has begun
building what it claims is the world's
first zero-carbon, zero-waste,
car-free city.
The ambitious is project coming up at
Masdar City, around 30 kilometres east
of the capital of Abu Dhabi, near Abu
Dhabi International Airport.
The city is intended to be spread over
six square kilometers, with no point
further than 200 metres from a public
transport link, housing energy,
science and technology communities.
The construction work will start in
March 2008 and the city will be opened
in 2009.
The initiative, headed by the Abu
Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC),
is estimated to cost $22 billion
(£11.3 billion). Expected to take
eight years to build, the "green" city
would house 50,000 people and 1,500
businesses.
In Arabic, ‘masdar’ means 'the
source.’
It may be noted that Abu Dhabi has one
of the world's biggest per-capita
carbon footprints.
The Masdar City project, designed by
the British architectural firm Foster
and Partners, is supported by the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global
conservation charity.
Prominent partners in the projects
include Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, General Electric, BP,
Royal Dutch Shell, Mitsubishi, Rolls
Royce, Total S.A., Mitsui, Fiat, and
the German solar energy Conergy.
The money needed for constructing the
unique city is being channeled through
the Masdar Initiative, a company which
has been set up to develop and
commercialize "clean energy”
technologies. Sultan al-Jaber, CEO of
the Masdar Initiative, said, "Masdar
City will question conventional
patterns of urban development, and set
new benchmarks for sustainability and
environmentally friendly design – the
students, faculty and businesses
located in Masdar City will not only
be able to witness innovation
first-hand, but they will also
participate in its development. "We
are pleased to be able to work with
One Planet Living to make our vision a
reality,” he added.
Abu Dhabi would invest $4 billion of
equity in the project and would borrow
a part of the rest.
The government of Abu Dhabi believes
that the Masdar City would serve as a
model for sustainable architecture.
The city will use traditional Gulf
architecture to create low-energy
buildings. Air-conditioning will be
done naturally with the help of wind
towers that would take advantage of
the cool sea breeze. A solar-powered
desalination plant will provide water
to the city.
A solar-photovoltaic power plant will
give energy to buildings. The city's
builders are also planning to use
solar canopies that would provide
shade as well as power.
A perimeter wall around the entire
city will protect buildings from the
hot desert air as well as noise from
the nearby Abu Dhabi airport.
The desalination facility to be set up
at the city is expected to be 80% more
efficient than existing plants.
Besides, all waste water would be
purified and recycled to grow plants
that, in turn, could be used for
biofuels. This would ensure that at
least 50% saving in the per capita
water consumption.
To meet the zero-waste plan, 99% of
the waste will be diverted and reused.
The Masdar Initiative will also focus
on providing organic food through
retail outlets.
Cars would be off-limits to the Masdar
City. People would travel in
electricity-powered, light-rail
system, which would be linked to the
center of Abu Dhabi.
The Masdar City would house the Masdar
Institute of Science and Technology.
Those behind the venture expect that
the institute would attract the cream
of academics from the around the
world.
Multinational companies are likely to
set up research and development
facilities in the "clean technology"
area.
However, there are skeptics who
believe that the “green” city will
have only a “symbolic” value for Abu
Dhabi and that the new city might turn
out to be just another luxury habitat
for the affluent.
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