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Dubai: The multi-billion dollar sustainable energy project known as Masdar planned in Abu Dhabi could become the world's first carbon-neutral city, officials said.
Fresh details were revealed yesterday about the state-backed sustainable city to be built in the harsh Abu Dhabi desert, 20 kilometres from downtown - including the fact that most of the city will be raised off the ground for exclusive pedestrian access.
Some climate changes studies suggest Abu Dhabi will warm by one to two degrees Celsius by 2030 due to global warming. This has placed even greater urgency to the Masdar initiative developing solutions to urban planning and energy conservation, said Khalid Awad, director of property development at Masdar.
Speaking during a seminar on eco-friendly building, Awad described a layered city with residential and office buildings where the pedestrian areas will be raised seven metres above ground to promote active and interactive lifestyle.
"We're planning independent lanes for access and transport," he said, with private and public sector vehicles using the ground floor while pedestrian and bike access will be raised above it.
Wind towers and shaded areas will promote natural ventilation and cooling, while Masdar also hopes to reduce its need for desalinised water by roughly 75 per cent. There will also be an area devoted to agriculture to promote locally grown produce.
Earlier this week Masdar CEO Sultan Al Jaber raised alarm bells on the unprecedented development in the UAE.
"These planned developments will require an additional two million cubic metres of water per day, 75 million additional mega-watt hours of energy per year, all while producing an additional 3.5 million tons of solid waste and 300 million tons of carbon emissions per year," he said. "This level of growth is not sustainable."
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