[tt] [silk] The Walled City of Sustainability

Sat May 19 11:23:10 UTC 2007

----- Forwarded message from Udhay Shankar N <udhay at pobox.com> -----

From: Udhay Shankar N <udhay at pobox.com>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 09:41:33 +0530
To: silklist at lists.hserus.net
Subject: [silk] The Walled City of Sustainability
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Reply-To: silklist at lists.hserus.net

This pushes several of my buttons:

* It makes sense to situate something like this in the UAE - they 
have the money and the desert (=lots of sun and open space) to make a 
great solar-powered infrastructure work.

* Making sustainability *cool* is the only way it will get wide adoption.

* Kickstarting a few high-visibility projects like these might be the 
best way to get it off the ground.

Thoughts?

Udhay

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006717.html

The Walled City of Sustainability

Sarah Rich
May 18, 2007 6:01 PM

A couple of months ago, we wrote about Abu Dhabi's Future Energy 
Company and their plans to build a huge solar power plant as part of 
the Masdar Initiative, a multi-part agenda for promoting and 
developing renewable energy and sustainability in the UAE. A few days 
ago they announced the next big thing to roll out of their master 
plan: a walled city in the Emirates desert which will purportedly be 
"the first zero carbon, zero-waste city in the world." Perhaps the 
only other sustainable urban projects of comparable scale and 
ambition are Dongtan and Huangbaiyu in China (by ARUP and William 
McDonough + Partners, respectively) which in some ways share a 
similar context to this project, in that they are each situated at 
the edge of a burgeoning 21st century metropolis, and at the crest of 
dramatic cultural transformation.

The Abu Dhabi development -- called "Masdar" -- will be designed by 
the celebrated architecture firm, Foster + Partners, and will house 
the Future Energy Company's headquarters, as well as a new 
university. As Foster + Partners describes the project:

<q>
    The principle of the Masdar development is a dense walled city 
to be constructed in an energy efficient two-stage phasing that 
relies on the creation of a large photovoltaic power plant, which 
later becomes the site for the city's second phase, allowing for 
urban growth yet avoiding low density sprawl. Strategically located 
for Abu Dhabi's principal transport infrastructure, Masdar will be 
linked to surrounding communities, as well as the centre of Abu Dhabi 
and the international airport, by a network of existing road and new 
rail and public transport routes.

    Rooted in a zero carbon ambition, the city itself is car free. 
With a maximum distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and 
amenities, the compact network of streets encourages walking and is 
complemented by a personalised rapid transport system. The shaded 
walkways and narrow streets will create a pedestrian-friendly 
environment in the context of Abu Dhabi's extreme climate. It also 
articulates the tightly planned, compact nature of traditional walled 
cities. With expansion carefully planned, the surrounding land will 
contain wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so 
that the city will be entirely self-sustaining.
</q>

Foster + Partners isn't the only celebrity firm planning large-scale 
architectural installations in the desert. Rem Koolhaas' OMA has 
plans for a whole new city on the edge of the northern emirate, Ras 
Al Khaimah. It's not a stretch to suggest there's something to the 
opportunity uniquely offered by the UAE's combination of sprawling 
undeveloped space and overflowing wealth. For a starchitect, it's the 
next level of seduction -- why have a single building as your chef 
d'oeuvre when you can make a whole city?

Ideally, the Foster + Partners city will be a model for sustainable 
development and thereby a valid, and maybe even bar-raising, use of 
space. But having recently been to the UAE (more on this still to 
come), I'd say it's absolutely clear that whether or not architects 
choose to build green there, they will build, and build fast. 
Skyscrapers sprout like mushrooms well before there are occupants 
sufficient to fill them, based on a Field of Dreams-style faith that 
once it's all built, the rest will follow. Looking at Dubai's booming 
tourism, it seems reasonable to expect an influx of residents and 
visitors for as long as there is new infrastructure to entice them. 
And while there's a very low murmur of concern about the 
environmental impact and lack of foresight involved in the building 
frenzy, the dominant tenor is one of excitement and anticipation 
about what feels like a theme park-in-progress. One hopes that 
projects like Masdar will be successful and attractive enough to spur 
greater support for a development ethic that considers the UAE's 
natural capital and prioritizes sustainability.

-- 
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

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