Kiran Stacy looks at some of the challenges facing what is intended to be the world's first carbon-neutral city.
In an interview with Masdar City Director Alan Frost and CEO Sultan al-Jaber, Stacy learns that the city's plans to be self-sufficient from the outset--both energy-wise and financially--may have been overly ambitious, given the regional economic climate. Bank financing for new development in Abu Dhabi is non-existent and commercial tenants are hesitant to move into new commercial space, forcing the project to rely heavily on government funding, writes Stacy. Masdar has only signed 13 of the 800 commercial tenants it hopes to attract by 2020. Furthermore, the city is still taking some of its energy from non-renewable sources.
Given the innovative nature of the project, difficulties should be expected, says Sultan al-Jaber:
"Do you think that a silver bullet solution exists to help Masdar city achieve its goals today? Obviously it does not. If it did we would have seen Masdar city developed in a number of places around the world."
FULL STORY: Masdar: ‘No silver bullet’ for problems facing cleantech city
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
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NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
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Minneapolis Awards Affordable Housing Funds
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Commentary: Minimum Lot Sizes Drive Up Housing Costs
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
City of Laramie
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners