In Masdar's urban planning, urban planning, infrastructure and buildings are merged, that is, the city is thought of as a whole that follows the demands of a smart city. At the same time, the city's design relies on the following components to achieve the principles of sustainability with greater efficiency:
Integration: combining uses (housing, work and entertainment) to make mobility more efficient
Low height/high density: Compact the greatest number of homes without exceeding 5 floors in height
vibrant urban environment: focus on both public space, intermediate between buildings and the buildings themselves
pedestrian approach: encourage walking with streets that provide a comfortable environment
high quality of life: committed to stimulating a high quality of life by offering work and recreation spaces.
Urban planning takes into account the climatological characteristics of the place and seeks efficient development based on strategies already existing in Arab cities associated with new technology, such as:
• - The narrow streets, characteristic of Arab cities, will also be present in Masdar, since the main streets are 10.5 m wide and the others 8.5 m.
• - Wind chimneys that direct air inside buildings and to the streets. In the city there will be a "wind" tower to channel it to ventilate a public square at its base. The air will be cooled with water sprinklers.
• - Streets and public spaces are strategically oriented to take advantage of night breezes.
• - Presence of parks and squares that will be connected by a central tree-lined path in addition to building spaces protected from direct sunlight.
• - Around the city there will be large spaces for collecting solar energy through photovoltaic panels. Photovoltaic panels will also be installed on the roofs of buildings, where there will be green roofs and solar protection elements.
In the city center, movement is intended to be mainly pedestrian, but there is a sophisticated and non-polluting transport system made up of Personal Rapid Transport (PRT), Light Rail Transport (LRT) and Fast Freight Transport (FRT). These transports are essential to relate the new city with the existing ones, since Masdar is 25 km from the center of Abu Dhabi and 115 km from Dubai.
The PRT tries to avoid the use of private cars so it offers a type of electric individual cabin that allows a maximum journey of 7 minutes, will have 85 stations and will operate 24 hours a day all year round. The LRT follows the zero carbon concept and is an electric train system that departs from Masdar to the Airport, connecting the city to Abu Dhabi Island and other nearby areas, it will have 6 stations. The FRT, like the PRT, is an automated and electrical system but is intended for the transportation of food and merchandise.
The city intends to lead the production and use of renewable energy with the help of the company Masdar PV, founded in 2008, which has a leading role in the implementation of photovoltaic cells in Masdar.
To heat the water they will use evacuated tube collectors (ETC) and a deep well geothermal system that will also be used for cooling.
Energy production will be distributed in thin-film monocrystalline photovoltaic panels that will generate 380,000 MWhe/year, parabolic trough panels whose Concentrated Solar Energy (CSP) will generate 37,000MWhe/year and that will also be used for water desalination, waste treatment 14,000MWhe/year and geothermal energy 500,000 MWhth7year (gas).
The energies generated by the photovoltaic panels, by waste composting and by thermoelectric concentration will be used in transportation, refrigeration and dehumidification and in general distribution. They propose that the excess energy generated by these systems be returned to the national energy grid.
The reasonable use of water is also present at Masdar, where the recycling of gray and black water, rainwater and dewwater harvesting, seawater greenhouses and landscaping consistent with the local climate are proposed. Water demand in the United Arab Emirates is 340 l/person/day and it is expected to reduce to 80 l/person/day and recycle all water. This reduction in consumption will be done through the use of smart devices with low water consumption in both offices and homes as well as in residences.
Waste treatment at Masdar will occur in three ways: recycling (50%), composite (17%) and non-recyclable (33%) which will serve as “fuel for an incineration plant” underground. Biodegradable waste will be composted and used as fertilizer, materials such as steel, metals and concrete will be recycled and wood can be reused or used as fuel. A 30% reduction in waste generation is proposed, but the initial amount assumed is 352 Tn/day, that is, 128,840 Tn/year.
To manage the emission of greenhouse gases there will be the CO2 Management Unit (CMU) associated with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations, it will also develop projects for measurements and capture of CO2. An attempt is made to reduce emissions with the following strategies:
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- Energy generation from renewable resources.
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- Carbon Capture Storage (CCS).
Like many universities in the Middle East, the neighborhood will be divided by gender. Women and families live at one end, while single men live at the other. Each end will have a small public square that will serve as a social center.