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October 11, 2011 By News Staff
What would a sustainable city look like? The answer lies in Masdar City, a 2.3 square mile carefully planned community in the United Arab Emirates, which relies on solar energy and other renewable energy sources. Construction on the city began in 2006 and is projected to be complete by 2025 at a $20 billion price tag.
Everything in Masdar City has been meticulously designed, constructed and tested to maximize the region’s resources and advocate eco-friendly practices, which is reflected in the use of battery-powered driverless vehicles, photovoltaic panels and an LED tower that changes color to alert people when too much energy is being consumed. Even businesses are carefully selected and must comply with the city’s low carbon mandate.
Photos courtesy of MasdarCity.ae
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Does not look like a place I would like to call home.
that looks rather "Borg"-ish, and I don't think I want to be assimilated. I do feel like we should all do our part to live a greener life. From the outside, though, this place doesn't appear to be very human-friendly.
There have been many "planned" cities before and most end up a polyglot. The Hollywood movie "Blade Runner" is a perfect example of what life becomes, an expression of individuality. Initially, some countries are authoritative enough to enforce this level of conformity. But people have a way of disrupting the good intentioned, well-laid plans. Global climate change not withstanding, I don't envision anthing even remotely like this city remaining after completion. Human personal expression, and competition, will change it. And in a free society like USA I would guess there is a slim chance of plans like these even breaking ground. Don't worry, the goals these plans pursue will be achieved just not as one person or small group of people envision it. :)