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Street ShotThis computerized image distributed by architectural firm Foster + Partners, depicts the living environment in Masdar

MASDARDecember 2008

Authors:Brian StilwellShawn Lindabury

Final Project for City & Regional Planning 3840, Green Cities

EVALUATING THE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE CITYMasdar will be the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste, zero car city. At the cutting edge of technology and design, Masdar incorporates advanced energy and water saving techniques modeling the sustainability practices of the future.

Introduction:Construction on the world’s first zero-

carbon, zero-waste, car-free city began in April

2007 in Abu Dhabi. Named “Masdar”, which

means “source” in Arabic, the Masdar Initiative

will create a sustainable city designed as a

model for eco-design worldwide. The project

has four goals: to diversify the economy of

Abu Dhabi, to expand Abu Dhabi’s position in

global energy markets, to position the UAE as

a developer of sustainable technologies, and

to make a meaningful contribution toward

solving some of the world’s most pressing

problems (Masdar Institute, 2008). The city

will use the most advanced renewable energy

technologies and will establish the Masdar

Institute of Technology to foster local

innovation and expertise. Supporters of the

project tout it as “an example of the paradigm

shift that is needed” (ClimateChangeCorp,

2008) and say it will “challenge conventional

theories on urban development” (ENN, 2008),

but critics question the extent to which

Masdar is sustainable and how useful it will be

as a model for other cities. We will evaluate

the sustainability of the Masdar Initiative in the

context of the three Es of sustainability:

environment, economy, and equity. While

Masdar has the potential to serve as a model

for the future of eco-city development, critical

analysis reveals that building a new city in a

desert may not be the most effective way to

achieve the goals of the Masdar Initiative in

Abu Dhabi.

A schematic of Masdar, a new

sustainable city in Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Emirates

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Background & OverviewMasdar City is located in Abu Dhabi,

the largest of seven emirates that make up

the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is

located on the Arabian Peninsula between

Oman and Saudi Arabia. The city is sited

11 miles southeast of Abu Dhabi City next

to the Abu Dhabi International Airport and

will cover an area of 2.3 square miles.

Masdar will be home to 50,000 permanent

residents and 40,000 daily commuters.

London based architects Foster + Partners

are designing the city, while the

government controlled Abu Dhabi Future

Energy Company is funding the $22 billion

project through oil revenues. The Masdar

Institute is scheduled to open in 2009 and

the rest of the city will be completed by

2015. To verify the environmental

accomplishments of the city, the

developers are partnering with the World

Wildlife Fund and BioRegional to make

Masdar an official One Planet Living

Community, which is based on ten unique

principles of sustainability (Masdar

Initiative, 2008).

The 3 E’s of Sustainability: Economy, Environment & Equity

Sustainable developers recognize that

a holistic approach is necessary in

designing a city to meet the needs of its

people and the environment in which it

exists. We will use Wheeler’s three criteria

of economy, environment and equity to

evaluate the overall sustainability of the

Masdar initiative (Wheeler, 2004).

Economy

Abu Dhabi’s economy is heavily

dependent on its vast reserves of oil and

gas. The UAE is the 11th largest oil

producing country in the world and nearly

40% of the country’s GDP is directly based

on oil and gas output (CIA, 2008). The

UAE and Abu Dhabi realize that economic

growth based on fossil fuel production is

unsustainable in the long term due to

limited fossil fuel reserves and growing

international concern about climate

ABU DHABI

Zooming into Masdar The images above take you closer and closer to Masdar City. The top image is a map of the Middle East. The middle image is a map of the United Arab Emirates. The bottom image is an up close schematic of Masdar City’s two main regions.

Masdar in relation to its surroundings

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change. If countries around the world make a

significant shift away from fossil fuels to

renewable sources of energy to combat global

climate change, the economy in Abu Dhabi as it

is currently structured will suffer significantly.

The Masdar Initiative is the showcase project in

Abu Dhabi’s effort to diversify its economy by

building a robust clean energy industry.

Through the establishment of over 1,500 green

businesses, Masdar City expects to create

10,000 new high quality jobs in clean and

sustainable technologies and foster a multi-

billion dollar expansion of the non-oil economy

upon its completion in 2015 (Raouf, 2008). The

government estimates that the initiative will add

more than 2% to Abu Dhabi’s GDP (Kumar,

2008) and will establish the UAE as the largest

developer of renewable energy in the Middle

East and North Africa (Sustainable Business,

2007).

The Masdar Institute of Science and

Technology (MIST) is one of the focal points of

the Masdar Initiative. It will offer masters and

PhD programs in science and engineering with a

focus on advanced energy and sustainable

technologies. The goal of the institute is to

“become a regional engine for technology-

driven growth” by establishing local expertise in

clean energy technology (Masdar Initiative,

2008). MIST is partnering with MIT to establish

its curriculum and hire faculty members in

preparation for its opening in 2009. Ultimately,

there will be 800 full time masters and PhD

students who will participate in the construction

of Masdar City and partner with local green

businesses as part of their graduate work,

enabling the institute to establish linkages with

the government and industry in order to “put

new knowledge to use in the form of innovative

technologies” (Masdar Institute, 2008). The

Masdar Initiative will also establish a clean tech

fund to invest in promising technologies to

enable them to develop economies of scale so

they become profitable enough to be widely

commercialized. The fund will utilize a $250

million venture capital investment to create a

portfolio of clean technologies that will be

commercialized in the UAE (Zuberi, 2008).

Environment

One of Masdar’s greatest strengths is its

environmental sustainability components. The

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC) has

spared no expense in hiring two of the world’s

most prominent green architecture (Foster +

Partners) and engineering (CH2M) firms to

design and construct Masdar, and unarguably,

these firms have delivered (Sustainable

Business, 2008; ENS, 2008). Masdar employs

the most cutting edge renewable technologies

and sustainable design elements which vastly

reduce Masdar’s ecological footprint (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). In fact, compared to the

average urban city, Masdar’s net energy demand

is reduced 70% (McGrath, 2008), net water

demand reduced 300% and net waste

production reduced 400% (Sustainable

Business, 2007). Below, we provide a brief

description of how Masdar meets or exceeds

each of the One Planet Living initiative’s goals

for environmentally sustainable communities.

Zero Carbon Emissions

Masdar is relying solely on renewable

energy to supply 100% of its electricity (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). Providing over half of the city’s

total electricity, solar energy will be the primary

renewable technology employed by Masdar. In

addition to several photovoltaic power plants

located in and around the city, solar panels will

also be integrated into the majority of the city’s

architecture and outdoor spaces (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). Besides conventional

photovoltaics, Masdar is also planning to

generate cheap concentrated solar thermal

power which uses mirrors to focus sunlight and

create steam (Masdar Initiative, 2008). Wind

turbines are also anticipated to be a central part

of Masdar’s energy mix. The city’s southwest

and northeast walls will be lined with large wind

turbines and smaller urban wind turbines will be

affixed to various buildings throughout the city

(Masdar Initiative, 2008). In addition,

geothermal ground-sourced heat pumps are

planned to play a major role in cooling Masdar’s

buildings from the harsh desert climate (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). Waste-to-energy technologies

will, additionally, provide a small portion of

Masdar’s electricity (Masdar Initiative, 2008).

Finally, Masdar is constructing the world’s

largest hydrogen plant and is intending to

integrate hydrogen technologies into its

renewable fuels mix in the future (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). By utilizing all these renewable

technologies, Masdar anticipates to save $2

billion in fossil fuel costs in a mere 25 years

(McGrath, 2008).

In addition to utilizing renewable

technologies, Masdar capitalizes on a number of

clever urban design elements to reduce net

energy demand. To begin with, Masdar has

been oriented north-east to south-west to

provide an optimum balance of sun and shade

(Vidal, 2008). City streets are narrow to create

small micro-climates that increase shading and

keep desert breezes moving (Vidal, 2008). In

fact, wind towers have been strategically

oriented to pull cool ocean breezes into the city

while pulling warm desert air out (Masdar

Initiative, 2008). Additionally, buildings have

been designed to be porous in the summer time

to let air in while keeping sun out. Finally, public

spaces and walkways are going to be shaded

by photovoltaic canopies that feature green

roofs (Sustainable Business, 2008).

Zero Waste

Although Masdar will not be able to

achieve 100% waste reduction, the city intends

to divert 99% of its wastes from landfills (ENN,

2008). In order to accomplish this monumental

feat, Masdar will first apply a wide array of

compulsory and voluntary waste reduction

measures (ENN, 2008). Secondly, Masdar will

rely on extensive waste reuse and composting

programs to cut down on landfilled items

(Sullivan, 2008). To supplement these

measures, Masdar is also constructing several

cutting edge recycling facilities that will be

capable of processing an impressive number of

common and industrial materials (Sullivan,

2008). Finally, Masdar will divert all feasible

remaining waste to a combustion waste-to-

energy power plant which will supply a small

portion of the city’s electricity (Masdar Initiative,

2008).

Sustainable Transport

Masdar will be one of the world’s first zero

car cities (Biello, 2008). Due to Masdar’s

pedestrian-friendly design, walking and

bicycling are expected to be the city’s most

popular forms of transit (Masdar Initiative, 2008).

As previously discussed, streets in Masdar are

narrow and shaded to provide a comfortable

walking environment that encourages human-

interaction (Masdar Initiative, 2008). Pedestrian

networks in the city are also supplemented by

two electric transportation systems designed

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to efficiently convey people further distances

(McGrath, 2008). The first system is a light rail

which will connect Masdar to Abu Dhabi City,

the adjacent international airport as well as other

surrounding communities (Masdar Initiative,

2008). The second transport system developed

for use in Masdar is an underground personal

rapid transit system (PRT) which relies on

compact podcars to shuttle people around the

city (Biello, 2008). These podcars will run on a

series of magnetic tracks using electricity and

will be fully automated, directly shuttling riders

to a multitude of stations throughout the city

(Biello, 2008). Convenience was made a priority

for each of these electric transport systems,

with stations available within a 200 meter radius

from any location in the city (Masdar Initiative,

2008).

Sustainable Water

As a city located in a harsh desert climate,

a highly efficient water system is a key element

of Masdar’s sustainability plan. Masdar will

derive all of its water from a desalinization plant

located just outside the city which will run solely

on solar power (ENN, 2008). Masdar’s planners

took great strides to lower the city’s net water

demand, achieving a 60% reduction in overall

water consumption (McGrath, 2008). In

addition, 80% of all water in Masdar will be re-

purified and recycled back for household and

irrigation purposes (McGrath, 2008). Masdar will

also apply some of the world’s most advanced

water recapture technologies to catch and reuse

water diverted for landscaping. (Sullivan, 2008).

Sustainable Food Systems

Masdar is going to be surrounded by a

greenbelt featuring agricultural facilities,

research fields, greenhouses and a variety of

accessible green-spaces (Sustainable Business,

2008). Soil for agricultural operations will be

derived from Masdar’s extensive composting

operation (Sullivan, 2008). In addition, irrigation

for agricultural operations will come exclusively

from the city’s recycled grey-water system (ENS,

2008). Local agriculture is projected to supply a

sizable quantity of Masdar’s produce, and local

markets in Masdar will be required to sell

minimal quotas of organic and fair-trade

merchandise (ENN, 2008).

Sustainable Materials

Buildings within Masdar will be very energy

efficient. Throughout the construction process,

great measures will be taken to maximize the

amount of recycled and certified sustainable

Renewable Technologies Masdar will employ an array of sustainable technologies to reduce the city’s ecological footprint. These technologies include: Wind, Photovoltaics, Concentrated Solar Thermal, Geothermal, Hydrogen, Waste-to-Energy and Personal Rapid Transit (also known as Podcars).

SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

Personal Rapid Transit

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Protecting and conserving the environment is one of Masdar’s primary objectivesbuilding materials (ENN, 2008). The majority of building materials used in

Masdar have a high thermal mass, resulting in high levels of insulation for

the city’s buildings (Masdar Initiative, 2008).

Habitats & Wildlife

Although Masdar is being built in a desert environment

where few plant or animal species live, the region’s biotic

communities have not been forgotten. Masdar has pledged

to mitigate for any impacted plant and animal populations

(ENN, 2008). Mitigation will occur on comparable habitat

sites, as effective conservation is a key element of Masdar’s

sustainability goals (ENN, 2008).

EquityDevelopers have minimal plans to promote equity in the design of

Masdar City. Other than pledging to pay all employees fair

wages in accordance with international labor standards, the

city does little else to account for differences in equality.

One reason for this omission may be that Abu Dhabi is one

of the wealthiest areas in the world. The emirate had a per

capita GDP of $63,000 in 2006, which is the third highest in

the world behind Luxembourg and Norway (AME, 2007). Abu

Dhabi nationals, who control one-tenth of the world’s oil, are

worth an average of $17 million each (Gimbel, 2007). Given this amount

Energy Efficiency

Masdar is using recycled materials with high thermal mass to construct the city. Energy efficient buildings cut down on the amount of resources needed to heat and cool facilities.

ZERO EMISSIONS ZERO WASTE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

SUSTAINABLE WATER

Strategies:Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost, Waste-to-Energy

Strategies:Zero Cars, Walking, Biking, Light Rail, Personal Rapid Transit

Strategies:Compost for soil, Grey-water irrigation, Greenbelt of agriculture

Strategies:80% of water is reused, All water derived from a solar powered desalinization plant

The 3 E’s of Sustainability

PASSIVE SOLAR LIGHTING

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of wealth one might conclude that equity isn’t

an issue in the Masdar project. However,

nationals make up only 20% of Abu Dhabi’s

population with the rest being expatriate

laborers who come from all over the world to

work in the emirate. The monthly income for

these workers is less than a third of national

families, indicating there is inequality present

despite the vast wealth of the country. Because

of its massive cost and limited space, only

wealthy people will be able to reside

permanently in Masdar, with the rest coming in

as commuters to work. The lack of planning for

affordable housing and other initiatives to

promote equity suggest that Masdar is not as

sustainable as its developers suggest.

Critical AnalysisBeyond the lack of considerations for

equity in the design for Masdar City, critics

question whether other elements of the project

are truly sustainable and how useful the

development will be as a model city. One

criticism of the Masdar City project is that it is

inherently unsustainable because it involves

constructing a brand new city in an

unquestionably resource intensive place, the

desert. The Masdar project, even though it will

be carbon neutral, requires massive amounts of

energy, land, and water to construct and

sustain. Described as “one of the harshest

environments imaginable” (Kielburger, 2008),

Masdar’s location is hot and dry, with

temperatures reaching up to 118 degrees F in

the summer (ENN, 2008). There is very limited

freshwater, so Masdar must rely on energy

intensive desalinization for its water supply.

Another concern is that the funding for the

project comes from very unsustainable means.

The $22 billion cost of building Masdar is funded

almost entirely through revenues from oil and

gas exports, which fuel greenhouse gas

emissions throughout the world. Can a city that

is built with money made through selling oil to

power polluting industries be considered

sustainable? This question will hang over the

project throughout its development.

Another concern with the Masdar Initiative

is how effective it will be in reducing the UAE’s

greenhouse gas emissions as a whole. The UAE

is one of the worst countries in the world in

terms of greenhouse gas emissions because of

the country’s access to cheap and abundant oil

and gas reserves. According to a World Wildlife

MASDAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

A Regional Engine for Technology-Driven Growth The Masdar Institute of Technology (MIST) will begin accepting students in 2009. Students will focus their studies on the most advanced energy and sustainable technologies. 800 Masters and PhD students will participate in the construction of the city to drive innovation and local expertise in sustainable technologies.

Masdar will blend the modern with the classic

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Fund report, the UAE has the largest per capita

ecological footprint (Zuberi, 2008) and the

second highest per capita greenhouse gas

emissions in the world (CAIT, 2008). The

population of Abu Dhabi City was 650,000 in

2005 and has grown at rates of 20% over the

past 20 years (Environment Agency, 2007).

Since it is a new city and will house only 50,000

permanent residents compared to much larger

populations of nearby cities, Masdar will have a

very marginal effect in reducing the country’s

greenhouse gas emissions. The population of

the UAE is expected to continue to grow rapidly

with new developments and tourist attractions,

including two new industrial centers

(Environment Agency, 2007). For example, in

Abu Dhabi work was recently completed on a

large artificial island with beaches, artificial

lakes, restaurants, luxury hotels and other

developments (Habib, 2007). In nearby Dubai,

another of the seven emirates that make up the

UAE, the economy has tripled in size in the last

decade and is home to the world’s largest

indoor ski slope, huge hotels, and other lavish

tourist attractions (Fonda, 2006). Even if Masdar

achieves all of its objectives, any decreases in

greenhouse gas emissions will be offset by

continued unsustainable growth and

development in the rest of the country. Only if

the rest of the UAE follows Masdar’s example

will the project be successful in reducing

emissions, however, this seems unlikely given

the country’s history of unsustainable

development.

Finally, Masdar’s potential to significantly

influence global sustainability trends as a sort of

“model” utopian eco-city, has been duly

questioned. Model cities do not have a good

track record of affecting large-scale change in

terms of sustainability or urban planning

practices (Fox, 2008). Take Ebenezer Howard’s

garden cities movement for example. In the

early 20th century, Howard championed the

notion of a new kind of city/suburb that would

be economically self-sustaining, enhance

sociality, incorporate ideas of social justice and

integrate the notion of a greenbelt, with the

primary idea of fusing the benefits of town and

country life (Parsons, 2002). Although his idea

was well conceived and implemented in a few

cities around the world, the legacy of this

utopian city type of movement has been

largely unsuccessful and relatively

unadopted (Parsons, 2002). While some of

I Think Not!In nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi City extravagant projects ranging from indoor ski slopes (left), artificial islands (top), and lavish hotels (middle/bottom) are built with money from oil and gas production. Masdar will be the world’s most sustainable city, but it will be surrounded by some of the world’s most unsustainable developments.

SUSTAINABLE?

!

Dubai’s indoor ski facility reflects

the peak of unsustainability

!

!

!

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Howard’s ideas have been embraced and

incorporated in the urban planning

practices of some Western countries, the

majority of the world’s cities

unquestionably remain uninfluenced by

Howard’s ideas (Parsons, 2002). Another

more recent example of a relatively

unsuccessful model city is Arcosanti,

Arizona. This ecotopian community

founded in the 1970s with ambitions

similar to Masdar, remains under

construction today and is on the brink of

being subsumed by the sprawling

metropolis of Phoenix (Revkin, 2008).

Although Arcosanti had hoped to serve as

a model for sustainable living and an

inspiration for future developments, this

community has clearly had an extremely

marginal affect on United State’s

development practices, let alone the

world’s (Revkin, 2008). Given the results of

past model city attempts, many skeptics of

Masdar, despite applauding its principles,

question the realistic global benefits of

such an endeavor.

Furthermore, skeptics have challenged

the applicability of the Masdar initiative to

existing cities. As a model city, one of

Masdar’s aims is to transfer and market its

well crafted design elements and

technologies around the globe.

However, many critics question

the realism and feasibility of

such a notion (Fox, 2008).

Indeed, not every nation in the

world has $22 billion to

invest in retrofitting its cities

with renewable

technologies (Gunther,

2008). Moreover, very few

countries have the social and

political will and means to make such

ambitious urban planning projects occur.

The U.A.E. is a unique country in many

ways. Particularly, it is a very rich,

relatively stable country, with a political

system in which the ruling Al Nahyan clan

does not need to ask permission to make

political, economic and social decisions

(Gunther, 2008). Consequently, while

ambitious, fast-paced sustainability

projects may be possible in the U.A.E.,

such actions remain politically and

economically unfeasible throughout most

of the world (Gunther, 2008).

ConclusionCritics of the Masdar Initiative have

pointed out several major flaws with the

sustainability of the city and its usefulness

as a model for other cities. While these

critics are undoubtedly correct, no

project is perfect and no one can deny

that Masdar is a visionary project that will

help develop green technologies. Even if

the city as a whole is not useful for existing

cities to model, they can model parts of

the Masdar Initiative, like the PRT system

or the widespread deployment of solar and

zero waste technologies. Many of these

technologies are in their infancy and if

Masdar can show that they will work and

are cost effective, these technologies can

then be deployed on a larger scale

throughout the world. Hopefully, Masdar

will overcome its shortcomings and use

the linkages between the Masdar Institute

and the residents and businesses of the

city to foster technology, business, and

policy breakthroughs that will help make

the UAE and the rest of the world a more

sustainable place.

CITY OF THE FUTURE?While there are several credible criticisms of Masdar, overall, it is a step in the right direction.

More Information?There are two excellent videos summarizing

the Masdar Initiative at the following websites:

1.) http://www.masdar.ae/video/

2.) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/

story.php?storyId=90042092

More information on the Masdar Institute of

Science and Technology please visit:

http://www.mist.ac/ae/institute

Special Thanks to:• Stephan Schmidt• Elan Shapiro• Brian McCracken• Jia Wang

About the Authors:Brian Stilwell and Shawn Lindabury are

seniors in the College of Agriculture and

Life Sciences at Cornell University.

STILWELL & LINDABURY GREEN CITY REVIEWS

Contact:Brian Stilwell: bds39@cornell.edu

Shawn Lindabury: scl36@cornell.edu

Shaded cool walkways

encourage a pedestrian

lifestyle

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