Building a new eco-friendly city in the middle of a country so reliant on fossil fuels is no easy task, but development is well underway for Masdr City to rise in the UAE
Located near Abu Dhabi's airport, along it's southern edge, and just a 45-minute drive from Dubai, Masdr City is set to rise over the next five years into what could become a model for future development in the Middle East and elsewhere. Alan Mammoser reports in CNU's Public Square Journal that the Masdr company, a government development corporation of the UAE, has partnered with MIT on the planning for the new city, which will combine modern and traditional planning practices to create a sustainable city that utilizes street patterns to funnel cooler air, in the model of old-Cairo and Muscat.
As a city built on a grid that gathers natural breeze, linked internally and externally by transit, and with an educational institute at its center, Masdar will strive to be what planners call a complete community. “It will be a place where lifelong learning is possible,” says Chris Wan, “and where ongoing innovation will occur.” Wan, a Hong Kong native who studied architecture in Britain, is contributing to that now, with his participation in the development of an “Eco-Villa”. The prototype house, requiring 42% less energy than a typical new house in Abu Dhabi, will be a model for residential builders in the city. When equipped with solar panels it can achieve “net zero” energy consumption.
FULL STORY: New eco-city combines ancient practice and modern technology
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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