A walk through the desert Masdar, the city that was called to be the first with zero emissions

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Masdar, the city that aspired to be the first in the world free of carbon emissions, can only be reached by car or on a bus whose frequency is 45 minutes. It is in Abu Dhabi, right next to the airport. In 2007 the birth of what was destined to be the most sustainable city on the planet was announced to the world. The one that was going to mark the way to the future. With 100% clean energy, self-cooling, car-free. 13 years later, one could say that the objectives have been relaxed.

“I have heard and read on many occasions that it is a failed project. And it is not like that. At least we are doing something to try to design a more sustainable environment. Tell me how many more countries in the world are trying something similar, what we are experiencing here is not done anywhere else. ” The speaker is Chris Wan, head of the Masdar design team, which in Arabic means source. Defend your project in front of a map of the city that shows what has been built so far: about 10% of the planned. The map is exposed in a stand at the World Urban Forum that the UN has held in the second week of February in Abu Dhabi. Far from hiding the city, the Arab emirate does not hesitate to promote it, to convey the idea that it does not represent a failure. The country is one of the leading oil producers in the world, with more than three million barrels per day.

The tourist office offers, in fact, guided visits to Masdar. It is one of the most requested. At the entrance, the visitor receives one of the 50 employees who work in the development of the project along with a huge portrait of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, founder of the United Arab Emirates. The kingdom planned the disbursement of $ 22 billion in this initiative, in its ambition to diversify beyond oil.

Those responsible for the project say that at this time about 2,000 people live in the city, although in a short walk through its streets nobody would say so. It is expected that when it is finished and operational it will house 50,000. Something that is not expected before 2030. "Right now we have a finished residential building where employees of the offices, students and some of those who are working in the construction of the city live," Wan expands.

see photo gallery One of the few coffee shops that can be found in Masdar. PPA

Foster and associates was the winner of the contest to take over Masdar's master plan. A design that has undergone numerous modifications over the years, the last one in 2015. "Internally, we spend a lot of time questioning ourselves. It is a process in continuous development. We think what we are building now is better than the previous one because adds the learning of those we already have, "says Wan. Masdar's land is now free, anyone can buy a plot and build, but must follow the supervision of the design team. "We have some tax benefits," says Wan.

At least we are doing something to try to design a more sustainable environment. Tell me how many more countries in the world are trying something similar

Upon entering, on the right, you will find one of the emblematic buildings: the university. A center in which in its early years the Matchasutets Technological Institute (MIT) was involved but from this September will be managed by an educational entity in the Arab region. It will no longer be exactly a university, but a center of higher studies specialized in artificial intelligence. Now it is empty, waiting for new students. Most of the buildings have solar panels on top to supply themselves, one of the main objectives of this project. The city also has a huge solar energy park just outside.

According to Foster and partners on his website, Masdar "combines cutting-edge technologies with the urban principles of traditional Arab settlements." The network of the few blocks that are built is made up of narrow streets that facilitate shade and natural air currents. The wind is distributed along the roads thanks to wind towers, engineering constructions based on the traditional architecture of the region. One of them is located right at the entrance of the city.

The areas are dotted with a few businesses and bars with terraces. Almost all empty. One of them is Gunter, a German and Siemens employee, who arrived in Abu Dhabi seven years ago. When asked how he would define Masdar, he states that he is "comfortable." However, he prefers to live in another nucleus just a few kilometers away. At his feet, a cinnamon cat will spread in the sun.

Gonzalo Seminario, a Peruvian architect who is part of the design team, explains that Foster's study is no longer the one that leads the plan, but that he always has a reserved space when any draft change occurs. "It is a very complex project that has the challenge of adapting to very extreme climatic situations, constantly evolving," he says.

see photo gallery One of the mobility capsules that were initially designed and now only used by tourists. PPA

What was to be the most revolutionary transport system is part of this learning that stayed on the road. Several electric and autonomous mobility capsules sleep in the guts of the city. There were going to be a hundred stops, but they stopped at the second. "10 years ago nobody could foresee the great rise of the electric car, which made this system obsolete," says Wan. Today one of them still works, although it is only used by tourists who want to check what could have been and was not.

On the surface, mobility is divided today between driverless electric vehicles designed by the French company Navia and carts such as those used on golf courses. The former are so quiet that they sound a kind of bell when they detect that someone is nearby, and they stand at least two meters away when there is a pedestrian in their path. There are also bike stations, but nobody uses them because the city is too small to travel with them today and the distance to the nearby centers is too large and there are no bike lanes. The plans include building a subway line that connects Masdar with the center of Abu Dhabi.

see photo gallery One of the autonomous vehicles that circulate in the city. PPA

The call to prayer begins to ring through the speakers. It's noon. At the time when more people gather in the city, a dozen men in front of the prayer hall. His shoes are piled up at the entrance. On the wide avenue that surrounds the central almond, the workers take advantage of this interval and sit down to rest. The pleasant winter and the breeze make it possible to be in the sun, something that will be impossible in a few weeks.

In this time some achievements have been achieved. The International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization that groups 180 countries, established its international headquarters in Masdar in 2015. Here is also Siemens headquarters for the entire region and also the headquarters of the nuclear energy corporation and the United Arab Emirates space agency.

see photo gallery Two workers rest in first plan. In the background there is a group of tourists. PPA

Luis Bettencourt, one of the world's leading experts in cities and a professor at the University of Chicago, explains that it is still too early to qualify the result of this experiment: "I would not know if it is a real city ​​in the sense that it is a where people want to go to live. In this case, it is one of the first smart cities (named after IBM) and one of its potentials is that it is very close to the airport. But even so, it is very difficult to do such a place out of nowhere ... "

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