DUBAI, U.A. E. -- The city of Dubai is planning an eco-friendly development shaped like a flower called Desert Rose City. According to recent news, the municipality of Dubai has just approved the plans.
The mostly residential, but completely sustainable green city shaped like a desert rose is expected to become home to 160,000 residents by 2020.
Rooftop photovoltaic panels will produce 200 megawatts of electricty, and Desert Rose City will feature recycled drinking water.
Completion of the equatorial urban utopia in just four years may be a tall order, however.
Consider that Masdar City, a nearby Abu Dhabi-based smart city project that started in 2008 was supposed to be completed this year. It’s grand plan was to be the world’s most sustainable city.
Home to a projected 40,000, Masdar City has taken a ton of sustainability awards since 2007, but it is yet to be completed. The full project may not be fully completed until 2030.
Despite delays, Masdar City has some impressive smart city features that put the United Arab Emirates on the map for sustainable urban design.
For example, Masdar City has no cars, and therefore, no roads for them.
According to the 2016 Masdar Digest, a publication by Masdar City’s developers, its pedestrian-oriented streets are 10 degrees cooler than those in Abu Dhabi. Built on a southeast-northwest axis, its buildings shade streets. Other factors, like the building materials and architectural designs harness wind, which also contribute to cooler temperatures.
Without cars, Masdar City’s public transit system was used by 33,000 people between October 2014 and September 2015.
Also, the city’s 10 MW solar photovoltaic power plant produces 17,500 MWh of electricity annually, which diverts 7,200 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Read the original story about Desert Rose City on the Time Out Dubai website.
Read more about the Masdar City no-car experiment.
