Masdar City Aims to Leave No Carbon Footprint

With the construction of Masdar City underway, the dream of developing a carbon-neutral city is becoming a reality. Plans for the city, which is to be built just outside Abu Dhabi and projected to be the most sustainable in the world, were developed by British architect Lord Foster and unveiled at the World Future Energy Summit in January—and have since received much acclaim.

The city (after it is constructed) will run entirely on renewable energy: solar paneling will generate electricity, batteries will power a personal rapid transit system, and water treatment programs and waste management systems will coordinate the reuse of resources. The plan, of course, is ambitious, leaving many to wonder why it is being undertaken by the UAE, an oil-rich nation that sits on nearly 10 percent of the world’s oil reserves, according to NPR.

“The answer is simple,” Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., the developers planning the city, told NPR. “There are two reasons. Number one, because we can. Number two, because we should. And because this is a logical step and a natural extension for our involvement in the energy markets.”

Those involved in the project expect the city to be ready for the first residents in 2009. Meanwhile, plans for carbon-neutral villages are also underway in the United Kingdom. The London-based firm HTA Architects won the Carbon Challenge competition, set up by English Partnerships, to design the UK’s first ‘eco-village’ of 200 zero-net-carbon homes in Bristol. Housing minister Yvette Cooper hopes the village will become an example of the potential of sustainable development. For information about other carbon-neutral city plans, check out coverage in BusinessWeek.