A place for firsts: Masdar City is the green print for a sustainable community

When you think of the city of the future, what comes to mind?

A clean, modern skyline? Buildings, public transport and more powered by renewable energy? Shops, parks and anything else people could need, all within walking distance?

Well, Masdar City just outside Abu Dhabi meets all those criteria. And is the ‘green print’ (pardon the pun!) for sustainable living. One that I believe cities around the world should follow.

17 kilometers southeast of the UAE’s capital, you’ll find Masdar. An oasis in the search for more sustainable city planning. And is where the future starts.  

Headed by Abdulla Balalaa, Chairman of Masdar City, it’s the world’s first walkable, vibrant mixed-use community in the Middle East – built through a creation of interconnected neighborhoods and public places. Everything is focused on the human experience. For example, narrow walkways and a unique street layout catch the winds blowing in from the gulf, making it 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the region. A relief for anyone living or visiting, believe me.

This is a project designed to create the world’s most advanced and sustainable community – a city built on the three pillars of economic, social and environmental sustainability. One that reflects the UAE’s ambition to overcome sustainability challenges through innovative, practical and accessible solutions. And continues the UAE’s commitment to place climate change at the heart of its development strategy.

The home of green travel

But this is just the beginning. Masdar City will grow one neighborhood at a time until over 90,000 people eventually live and work there. Abdulla believes that while residents will be encouraged to walk, run or bike, Masdar will be home to many innovative smart mobility solutions, including the world’s first personal rapid transport (PRT) system – the Navya.

“It’s a 100% electric driverless shuttle bus with a top speed of 25km/h,” says Abdulla. “It’s the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa. And will make travelling to see family and friends, not only easier but also a whole lot greener.”

With Teslas for hire on demand, Masdar is also where you’ll find the region’s first rapid charging station for electric vehicles. But this place is full of firsts.

The home of sustainable R&D

While this all sounds like  Masdar will be the ideal place to live, city planners are also working to make the city the best place to work. But to do that, it needs to be the destination of choice for businesses of all sizes.

To make Masdar, and by default Abu Dhabi, the best place in the world to set up shop, the city will operate as a free zone, with no taxes or import tariffs, putting it at the top of the search list for many global entities. Eco-friendly offices made from recycled shipping containers meet strict sustainability standards. The technology park is already home to Catalyst – a joint venture with BP – and the region’s first start-up accelerator dedicated to sustainability. While across town, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology provides a constant stream of highly skilled graduates and opportunities for research partnerships.

The home of zero-waste

The very concept of this city is built on clean energy, clean tech and clean living. As well as reducing the use of energy and water, Masdar City is dedicated to recycling and reusing waste materials, particularly in construction – starting from the foundations.

While neighboring Abu Dhabi and Dubai may be known for their glossy, villa-like residential developments, Masdar is the home of the eco villa. Dubbed a ‘Tesla house’, the eco villa prototype uses around 72% less energy and 35% less water than its Abu Dhabi counterpart. You can even take a tour.

Masdar’s pioneering waste-to-feed project aims to find natural solutions to address overconsumption in society while strengthening the resilience of the food supply chain. Part of the UAE’s ongoing drive to enhance food security and sustainability through green innovation, the plan is to upcycle food waste into protein-rich animal feed, producing 22,000 tons of animal feed per year. And at full capacity, it’s estimated that this project can upcycle 200 tons of food waste every day.

Meanwhile in nearby Sharjah, a waste-to-energy plant will redirect waste from landfill, using it to create valuable low-carbon energy and introduce a new sustainable industry to the region. It’s said this will divert 300,000 tons of waste, resulting in 30 megawatts of low-carbon electricity every year. That’s enough to power 28,000 homes. The Sharjah development will also boost waste diversions from 76% to 100%, making it the first zero-waste city in the Middle East. And in the fight against climate change, all of this will save 450,000 tons of CO2 per annum.

Masdar is different. Sure, other towns and cities have been built to a plan, and many feature innovative solutions in the fight against climate change. But how many communities can you name that have been purpose built to such a pioneering standard as this? I’m not sure if the perfect place to live and work exists, but if it does, Masdar isn’t far off.