Currently the pursuit for sustainability is driven by the desire to meet the challenge of providing decent livelihoods to all people without damaging the universe. Sustainability demand is due to increased gap between the rich and the poor and the raising alarm on the unrelenting biosphere systems degradation; and most catastrophes that fail to account for key linked factors. This paper is aimed at discussing the sustainability of the vision of the Masdar City as explained Ouroussoff (2010).
The Masdar City vision is to become the first world’s non-carbon city located on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. According to the concept and criteria of sustainability assessment, Masdar City Vision to some extent is sustainable while to some others it is not. First, the Masdar City isn’t considerate on the social-economic and biophysical matters and their interrelations. The city is about 150 degrees hot and located in the desert (Gibson, 2006) and the presence of a wall all around the city will isolate the people from the rest of the world making it hard to obtain food yet there will be no connections to other cities. Some arising human factors not addressed are how cool air will be distributed in the ground below and the proper means to address the issue of playing fields for children if the population arises.
Minimizing the negative effect of the high temperatures isn’t enough since it is basically known that hot air rises. And if it does, how safe will people be in their houses? Corrective actions have not been woven together to serve multiple objectives, instead each issue is addressed individually like the use of solar energy not electricity, the use of electric cars underground without considering the risks involved or the issues of stand point and people got to walk for long to get home Gibson, 2006). Some limits are inviolable like the fact that human beings are social beings and making them live in an isolated world is a mystery.
The issue of balancing here is aimed at multiple reinforcing gains the fact that the city will remain as an experiment for all people including engineers, means that social factors are not so key as to the attainment of the city. Some key considerations like to avoid the ugliness of city villas Gibson, 2006), are not location-specific as the ugliness will be brought about by the highly scorch sun on the buildings making them ugly with time. The main aim is to attain a carbon free city here.
According to Gibson (2006) the vision is not sustainable since the social-ecological system integrity cannot protect the extremely rare life support functions which human depends on like water, food and clean air. Livelihood sufficiency and opportunity here doesn’t provide all with the opportunity to improve due to limited access to resources. Intergenerational fairness doesn’t prevail since this city will only be for the rich to afford such rents neither are there facilities to for children growth hence just for adults (Gibson, 2006). Resource persistence and competence has no solid base as there are limited inlets and no farming done. Social-ecological civility and democratic governance is poor as there is no one to make deliberate actions. Risks have not been exhausted nor have they been well understood and finally immediate and long term integration doesn’t result to multiple achievements or benefits.
The vision requires trade-offs, according to Gibson (2010), there is need for utmost net gains trade-off rules. The main reason is because the growth of this city is complex and expensive and some things can only be learnt and addressed as the project progresses. This must in return favor the most positive practicable overall result from the collective and lasting contributions while avoiding significant side effects. In the meeting of a carbon free city within a desert with as high as 150 degrees, there is plans to build towers like the towers of shibam in Yemen which were mud-brick apartments and the citadel of Aleppo in Syria.
References
Gibson, (2006). Impact Assessment and Project Sustainability Approach. Provided in attachment.
