Masdar City (United Arab Emirates)

       On a person-to-person basis, the United Arab Emirates has the biggest Ecological Footprint in the world thanks to its prolific oil production and the massive construction boom that’s been going on there for the last decade. So it’s surprising to learn that the UAE is home to Masdar--the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city. To meet this ambitious goal, it’s powered only by renewable energy, like a 54-acre 88,000 panel solar farm beyond the cities’ walls. That’s right, I said walls. The designers studied ancient cities to learn the most effective planning methods to reduce energy consumption. One of the key things are walls that helps to keep the high, hot desert winds away from its inhabitants. They also raised the entire foundation of the site a few feet above the surrounding land to keep Masdar cooler and spaced the buildings much closer together to keep the streets and walkways narrow, and mostly in the shade. These techniques - combined with 130-foot wind towers that suck air from above and convert it into a cool breeze blowing on the street - mean Masdar is a comfortable 70 degrees fahrenheit when just a few meters away, the thermostat rises well above 100. Plus, there’s no driving in the city and any car that enters is parked at the outskirts. A system of driverless electric vehicles then ferry people from place to place underground, and a light rail system is also available above ground, which means there’s no need for streets. And in a move that cuts both water and electricity consumption more than half, there are no light switches or water taps--everything is controlled by movement sensors. This unprecedented level of environmental consciousness has won it hard-earned endorsements from environmental conservation groups like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. The German engineering giant Siemens has located its Middle East headquarters there, as has the International Renewable Energy Agency. The Masdar Institute for Science and Technology - a small postgraduate university that was founded through a collaboration with MIT - occupies one of Masdar’s first completed buildings and is already producing great work and first-class researchers. So the city undeniably has a solid foundation, but it’s got a lot to do still if it’s going to meet its ambitious goal of housing 50,000 residents and hosting offices for 60,000 more commuters. The city’s co-founder admits that Masdar is “a fraction of what it was supposed to be back in 2006 when we announced it. At the beginning of the project, nobody really anticipated how difficult it is to build a city." This underscores the point many urban planners around the world have made: that we should be focused on making our existing cities more sustainable instead of building brand new ones. But even if Masdar only teaches us one or two major things about what’s possible when it comes to sustainable urban design - and it does seem like it’s already done that - then it’ll have been worth it, even if it takes much longer to achieve its overall vision, or if it ultimately fails. Because let’s be honest, the UAE was going to spend that $20 billion in oil revenue on something, so it’s better for everyone that its going to an important experiment like Masdar rather than another row of gold and marble crusted hotel skyscrapers or an electricity-sucking indoor snow park.