In the midst of the Arabian Desert surrounding Abu Dhabi, an architectural firm is in the process of constructing what they claim will be the first carbon-neutral city. The New York Times' Nicolai Ourousoff describes it in the following way: "Designed by Foster & Partners, a firm known for feats of technological wizardry, the city, called Masdar, would be a perfect square, nearly a mile on each side, raised on a 23-foot-high base to capture desert breezes. Beneath its labyrinth of pedestrian streets, a fleet of driverless electric cars would navigate silently through dimly lit tunnels. The project conjured both a walled medieval fortress and an upgraded version of the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland." Some of the amazing features of this model of sustainable development include sun shades that open automatically as the day begins and close at night, with photovoltaic cells attached to the sun shades to generate electricity. Water, waste, and transport systems operate under the city, in a series of tunnels. No carbon-emitting cars will be allowed to enter the city, and the layout of the streets above ground is at an elevation to catch the desert breezes and constructed at angles to maximize shade. Fittingly, "[Masdar} will be the home to a research institute focused on sustainability and renewable energy." For more on this, just go to the story, "In the Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises."
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