Dubai's eco-friendly master plan revealed

MASTER PLAN: The developers of the Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens project have revealed their master plan. (Supplied)

The developers of Dubai mega ecological project, the Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens, have revealed the master plan for the $60 billion project.

Designed by architect Eric Kuhne of London-based CivicArts, the urban development will include educational, financial and commercial facilities, iconic civic buildings and more than 150 km of waterfront and wetlands.

The project will be linked by a network of canals, pools and waterways, Kuhne said in a statement.

“The canal system, which will be navigable, will…provide wildlife habitats and provide numerous opportunities for leisure and recreation as well as a unique backdrop for the urban development proposals,” he said.

The project’s core design feature is the ‘Grand Canal’ that will wind its way from Dubai Creek and Business Bay into the Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens.

The water and power strategies at Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens will be supported by low water usage and energy efficient buildings, while building control system will minimise energy demand, he said.

“The parks, canals and ponds will create habitats and attract migratory birds, enhancing local and global biodiversity. Green spaces will release oxygen and capture carbon dioxide, improving local air quality and offsetting the city’s carbon footprint,” he added.

Kuhne said the project will support a city of over a quarter of a million people, and its system of waterways, parks and gardens representing the “largest formal urban master plan in the Southern Arabian Gulf”.

Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens, announced in April, will be spread over 82-square kilometres between Al Khail and Emirates Road and includes four built-up clusters.

Dubai Properties, part of state-owned conglomerate Dubai Holding, is overseeing the project, which will be carried out in six stages. Initial work on the project has already begun.

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huge ecological project
Posted by Mariam Prior on Sunday 31 August 2008 at 22:59 UAE time


it infuriates me how these marketing spin doctors claim to be providing attractions for wildlife when it is already there. They are going to dig it all up first and destroy the soil and then dump it all back - by that time any migratory bird that is used to coming here and nesting will have either gone elsewhere or just plopped dead of exhaustion and not finding anywhere to nest.
And private motoryachts zooming by are not exactly the answer.

Only when the last river has gone dry and the last fish has gone, then will you see that you cannot eat money ???

carbon footprint
Posted by Mike VC, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 31 August 2008 at 17:06 UAE time

I'm surprised if this isn't Dubai's response to Masdar in Abu Dhabi!

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