An article in today’s New York Times reports that green is growing in an unlikely place. The Persian Gulf, known and coveted for its wealth of oil, is preparing for a post-petroleum world.
The Madsar Institute, a research institute associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), partnered with London design firm Foster and Partners, leading eco-architects, to design Madsar City, a car-free, solar-powered mini-metropolis that will rely strongly on non-polluting, low-impact eco-technology.
Similar eco-communities have sprung up elsewhere, including Arcosanti in the Arizona desert, but not on the same scale as this initiative. The 6 million square meter development of Madsar will strive to be carbon neutral and zero-waste.
The NYT describes Madsar:
The community, slightly smaller than the historic district of Venice, will have similar narrow pedestrian streets, but shaded by canopies made of photovoltaic panels. It will produce all of its own energy from sunlight.
Water will flow from a solar-powered seawater-desalinization plant. Produce will come from nearby greenhouses, and all waste will be composted or otherwise recycled, said Khaled Awad, property manager for the project.
This news comes as the sporting world’s eyes turn to the region for the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, an event that’s not exactly well-suited to water conservation and sustainability.
The city is slated for construction nearby Abu Dhabi’s international airport and will serve as a center for academic and corporate research on green technology. The proposed car-free community is part of a $15 billion investment in new energy technologies by Abu Dhabi.
Construction of Madsar begins this Saturday, with the first phase slated for completion in two years.
See a simulated video tour of Madsar City on the Dot Earth blog.
See also: Model Green City: Treasure Island Starts from Scratch.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
something tells me that Senor Delgado is not a nice person. And even the other Spanish drivers are completely insane; I know that if I were riding a bike, I’d first encase myself in a 10′ diameter luminescent foam bubble. I can’t imagine riding a bike at night without a helmet or reflectors, but the greater fault obviously lies with the guy going 100mph.
There’s news coverage of the situation:
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4KP3BM0S60
Part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qxm1wsvgew
Part3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of2M2TwTBQY
Part4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ivKYM_82sQ
Part5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar3-bN3f_g8
All in Spanish though…
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14787.shtml
but he then withdraw the claim for money:
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14858.shtml
He should be put in prison.
Grrrrr…
Are you serious?: “you can’t fix the lad’s problems, but you can fix mine” ???
(first of all, why would a Spaniard say ‘lad’? Do they do they say that there?)
Anyway…
of course, this is completely ridiculous!!! Sue-happy people who found out that they CAN try to get money for doing something wrong. The law allows this to happen, but the judges should never let it amount to anything.
Bikers beware of the people out there who aren’t always looking out for you.