Masdar - The Sustainable Desert City: A Theoretical Mirage or A Realistic

Masdar City, currently being developed in Abu Dhabi and designed by Foster + Partners, a high-profile British firm of architects, sets a groundbreaking example of a new breed of eco-cities. The city’s birth has taken on an environmental stance. Having recently completed its first phase of construction, the emphasis of the development is principally based on sustainability, using traditional walled city planning and existing technology to achieve a net zero-carbon and zerowaste development. To achieve carbon-neutrality, the design team has employed a series of innovative environmental design strategies and integrated planning principles. This paper presents these strategies and discusses the project in relation to its social, economical and environmental contexts, and considers prospects for the viability of building in the desert and its global impact on sustainable urban development of the future