Abu Dhabi and Masdar City:
Opposing Examples of Sustainable Planning in the United Arab Emirates
by
Eduardo Alvarez, Hannah Gelfond, and Vernon Wessel
Geography Department, University of California, Los Angeles
1. Introduction
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| Emirates of the UAE, for reference |
By 2030 the global population will approach ten billion people, 60% of which will live in cities (World Health Organization). It is imperative that urban areas evolve in a sustainable manner in order to physically hold an increasing global population and to ensure environmental needs and resources are available for generations of urban inhabitants to come. One particularly interesting case of rapid urbanization can be seen in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where the confluence of population growth and environmental degradation has been especially pronounced. Abu Dhabi is the second largest of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates and as recently as the early 1960’s Abu Dhabi was made up of a series of villages that relied on fishing and pearling along the coast and farming further inland. Abu Dhabi’s economy is made up in large part by oil exports and this continued revenue has largely fueled the rapid expansion and development of the region (Environmental Atlas of Abu Dhabi Emirate).
Today Abu Dhabi is on the cutting edge of luxury architecture and design, and a global business hub for multinational corporations. Abu Dhabi is known for its impressive waterfront developments, including man-made island networks and lavish architectural projects. Unfortunately, this rapid increase in urban development has had ample negative impacts on the environment. Urbanization along the coastal zones has been detrimental to the biological diversity present in the area. Furthermore, air pollution, waste management, energy production and consumption, and access to water have all been concerns as well. It seems that anthropogenic influences are an inevitable byproduct of urbanization, however there are efforts being made to counter these impacts.
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| Outline of Masdar City, for reference |
One way the emirate is working to counteract the environmentally unfriendly image that is sometimes associated with urbanization, the United Arab Emirates has taken on a groundbreaking development project. This new project, known as the Masdar Initiative, involves the planning and construction of the world’s most sustainable city, which will be funded largely by the government of Abu Dhabi. Masdar City broke ground in 2008 and will rely solely on solar energy and other renewable sources of energy. Masdar City is being built from the ground up with sustainability as its top priority (Walsh, 2011).
The success of this revolutionary urban experiment will serve as a testament to both the viability of a sustainable city, as well as the economic incentives present in eco-development. Some are critical of the Masdar Initiative, claiming that it is more of a “green jewel” of the United Arab Emirates than a true turn towards sustainable urbanism (Walsh, et al., 2006). Others believe it to be a revolutionary take on urban design and see it as a catalyst for further public discourse and attention in the realm of sustainable planning.
This paper will address the impact of large-scale development on the Abu Dhabi coastline and the surrounding region, looking specifically at changes in the physical environment, vegetation cover, and temperature. We will look specifically at the development of the city of Abu Dhabi as well as the development of Masdar City over time to see how differences in development have changed the landscape of these areas.
2. Methods
2.1 Data Collection
We obtained Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 imagery of our study area using the United States Geological Survey Global Visualization Viewer. The first set of data, Landsat 5, is used to determine a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Color Infrared and thermal imagery of Abu Dhabi and Masdar City in 1990. Although at this time Masdar City was not yet created, the border of the city can be seen in the image. The Landsat 8 was used to create the corresponding images of the study area in 2014.
2.2 Color Infrared
False color images were used to assess the change in urbanization and water bodies and classified using the infrared, red, and green bands. In this visualization, red areas represent vegetation, water shows up in shades of blue, and urban areas show up in shades of grey. False color images were created for 1990 and 2014 in order to observe changes in the area.
2.3 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
The NDVI is a computation using the near-infrared band and red visual band to determine the amount of green vegetation for an area. Once the NDVI is completed, each pixel is reclassified with values that range from -1 to 1, with negative numbers representing areas that lack green vegetation and positive numbers representing areas with high degrees of green vegetation. The NDVI was computed twice for 1990 and 2014.
2.4 Thermal
Next we created thermal imagery of our study area to assess the change in levels of heat from 1990 to 2014. We performed a density slice on the thermal band - band 7 of the Landsat 5 image. For the Landsat 8 image, we performed band math to subtract band 10 from band 11 and did a density slice on the output of this computation. Next we classified the images using a color theory that ranges from yellow at the coolest end, and red at the warmest end of the spectrum.
2.5 Change Detection Map
This step is designed to give some preliminary insight into what changes are present between the two images and where the changes are located. After loading the two georeferenced files onto ENVI, we created a blank band of data that had the same spatial resolution as the two images that were used for change detection. After selecting File > Generate Test Data, we then had to change the sample and line parameters (output image dimensions) from the default to the newly acquired values. Following this step, we created an RGB composite image by displaying Band 4 of the 1990 image as red, Band 4 of the 2014 image as green, and the previously generated test band as blue. The resulting image is a simple change detection map where areas have not changed show up yellow, features from the 1990 image show up green and features from the 2014 image show up red.
3. Results
3.1 Color Infrared:
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| Hudaiyriyat Island |
Based on the images from 1990 and 2014, it is evident that there
have been some dramatic changes to the landscape of Abu Dhabi. In the color
infrared images there is a clear increase in urbanization both on the island of
Abu Dhabi and on the mainland as well. Along with this increase in urbanization
there has also been a visible decrease in inland bodies of water. Specifically
one body of water that is visible in the 1990 image disappears completely and
is replaced by urban infrastructure in the 2014 image. There was also a
considerable increase in sand banks and offshore developments in the 2014
image. In particular, the development of Hudaiyriyat Island is completed in
2014, but was half the size in 1990.
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| 1990 Color Infrared -- Landsat 5 Imagery |
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| 2014 Color Infrared -- Landsat 8 Imagery |
3.2 NDVI:
One positive outcome of this increased urbanization has been a
significant increase in vegetation from 1990 to 2014. Areas that already
contained some degree of vegetation in 1990 increased in concentration and many
areas that were previously barren transformed into lush landscapes by 2014.
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1990 NDVI -- Landsat 5 Imagery
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2014 NDVI -- Landsat 8 Imagery
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3.3 Thermal:
Thermal images of the study area revealed that Abu Dhabi has
generally become cooler over time. The thermal images show that the island of
Abu Dhabi is cooler now and notably further inland where there were high
degrees of thermal radiation now show considerable signs of a cooler landscape.
The images we collected are from October of 1990 and 2014, although it should
be noted that different days of the year receive varying degrees of solar
radiation. These images give a general idea of the overall temperature, but some
amount of error does exist due to the daily fluctuation of temperature. Generally,
areas that are made up of sand show high temperatures in both images. Another
interesting feature that catches the eye is a narrow strip of land on the
island of Abu Dhabi. This turns out to be the Al Bateen Executive Airport and
shows no signs of cooling over the study period.
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1990 Thermal Classifications -- Landsat 5 Imagery
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2014 Thermal Classifications -- Landsat 8 Imagery
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3.4 Masdar City:
Masdar City broke ground recently so the observed changes between
1990 and 2014 are subtle but evident. The color infrared images show the
development most clearly with a slight increase in infrastructure. The NDVI
images portray an increase in vegetation along the southern border of the city.
The thermal images also show a slight increase in temperature as Masdar City is
located inland on the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, an area that saw an overall
increase in temperature.
3.5 Change Detection
Band 4 of each of the corresponding images was applied to create
this change detection map. Band 4 (Near-Infrared) operates in the best spectral
region to distinguish vegetation varieties and conditions. Because water is a
strong absorber of NIR, this band delineates water bodies and has the ability
to distinguish between dry and moist soils (barren land and croplands).
Croplands and grasslands show higher reflectance than forests due to the
altitudinal differences between flatter landscapes versus thickness in a canopy
layer. This band also helps separate croplands from bare croplands. Since
standing crops (vegetation) have a higher reflectance in the NIR region, they
appear as a brighter tone and dim in brightness when in presence with moisture
content in the bare croplands. Barren lands, urban areas, and highways have not
been highlighted and appear darker in color. It is essentially useful for crop
identification and emphasizes soil-crop and land-water contrast.
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Change Detection -- Green areas represent features from the 1990 image, red areas represent features from the 2014 image, yellow areas represent ares that have not experienced change.
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4. Discussion
4.1 Abu Dhabi
At the beginning of the 21st
century, the world passed a momentous milestone when the population residing in
cities exceeded 50% of the total global population. Urban evolution started
around 8,000 years ago when primitive settlements in locations favorable to
trade and agriculture grew into villages, towns, and eventually cities. This
was an incremental process that spanned centuries. By contrast, the city of Abu
Dhabi has undergone this extraordinary evolution in mere decades, transforming
itself from a couple of small coastal villages into a metropolis of global
significance that continues to expand at an exceptional pace. Today, well over
80% of the Emirate’s total population of 1.7 million lives in Abu Dhabi city
and its suburbs (Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council).
The
pace of urban development and economic growth in Abu Dhabi has created
challenges in terms of meeting the infrastructural needs of a growing
population alongside balancing ecosystem conservation. The majority of
development has been on the coastline, which has led to detrimental effects on
coastal and marine ecosystems in Abu Dhabi. In addition to the demand for
shorefront hotels and accommodation, most of the industrial activities also
need to be in close proximity to seawater for cooling purposes and for the generation of desalinated water (AGEDI). Demand for domestic electricity and
water supply will continue to rise and wastewater generation will eventually grow to
exceed the current treatment capacity. These events will add greater amounts of stress to coastal
ecosystems (AGEDI). The
expansion of the city along the coastline has threatened valuable habitats such as mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs, largely due to dredge and fill activities. Additionally, expanded desalination and power
generation increases the salinity and temperature of seawater and will also
increase greenhouse gas emissions (AGEDI).
The United
Arab Emirates is one of the largest greenhouse gas, trash, and air pollution
generators in the world. It is also the world’s largest consumer of water and
energy (Walters et al., 2006). According to the "Miracle or Mirage"
report published in the Middle East Review of International Affairs in
September 2006, the UAE may be essentially preventing itself from becoming a
major "knowledge-age country" for several reasons. The report argues
that the UAE education system promotes training rather than intellectual
development, that UAE infrastructure plans prioritize real estate over
community, and that social status and connectivity is rewarded over real
accomplishment. According to a 2009 article entitled "Renewable Energy
Policies in the Gulf countries," 95% of the United Arab Emirates' oil
resources are owned by Abu Dhabi, which generates approximately 70% of its GDP
through these resources. As the "Miracle or Mirage" article puts it,
UAE leaders must "plan for a
future in which the UAE's people, not its petroleum, lubricate the
economy" (Walters et al., 2009).
The government is developing a green building
and green community design system called Estidama, which means ‘sustainability’
in Arabic (EAD Sustainability Report, 2007). This program utilizes the Pearl
Rating System, which resembles the sustainable building rating
system developed by the US Green Building Council called LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design). Furthermore, the government of Abu Dhabi is
working towards integrated master planning of coastal areas to meet the
interests of various users and create a balance between development and
ecosystem conservation. Additionally, renewable energy and water sources as well as more effectively designed landfills offer an environmentally cleaner approach.
Finally, improved zoning and pedestrian-friendly street design will make inner-city life more enjoyable (Abu Dhabi Urban
Planning Council).
4.2 Masdar City
In response to growing trends towards incorporating sustainability
in urban design, the UAE started the "Masdar Initiative," a
multifaceted program aimed at increasing intellectual awareness through the development
of a master-planned eco-city. Masdar City has the potential to revolutionize
the future of urban planning. It will be the first one hundred percent carbon
neutral city of its scale. When the city is completed in 2020 it will reuse all
of its wastewater and derive 100 percent of its energy from photovoltaic, wind,
and other renewable sources. Foster + Partners has planned the 4-mile square
site, which is expected to encompass 1,500 businesses and 40,000 permanent
residents (Foster + Partners). The city will be built around intelligent
building design and cutting-edge urban planning concepts with a goal of
reducing energy consumption by 70 percent of that used under Abu Dhabi
standards (Nader, 2009).
Masdar will be a unique city attracting attention
from all over the world. The best scientists and researchers in environmental
sustainability are working together to make Masdar a successful experiment in
urban sustainability. It is hoped that the city will act both as a real-life
laboratory to experiment with developing green technologies and serve as a
model for other cities hoping to shift towards sustainability (Ekblaw et al.,
2009). Part of the Masdar Initiative is the construction of a new world-class
graduate university within Masdar City. The Masdar Institute of Science and
Technology (MIST) joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy
Initiative as a founding public member. This collaboration will support ongoing
research and development of alternative and renewable energy technologies and
solutions, as well as provide new opportunities to help meet the world’s need
for sustainable energy supplies and practices (Serhan, 2010). MIST is designed
to accelerate innovation in energy science, technology, and policy through the
integrated application of the Institute’s cutting-edge capabilities in science,
engineering, management, planning and policy. The primary goal of the city's
development is to guide Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE “from a 20th Century,
carbon-based economy to a 21st Century sustainable economy” (Reiche, 2010).
Unlike traditional desert
cities, most streets will be designed as small alleys rather than broad
avenues, which will circulate wind between houses while balconies will provide
persistent shade (Ekblaw et al., 2009). Masdar City will be a car-free zone,
and will forbid automobiles (and any other internal-combustion engines) from
crossing its city limits. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Instead, the city will be providing a highly innovative public transport
network of electrically operated vehicles aimed to serve individuals
trip-by-trip. With this system, no one in the city will be more than 200 meters
from a transport station.
In the face of what appears
to be very positive progress towards advanced sustainability in an otherwise
arid and energy-intensive environment, it is important to emphasize that
“almost none of [Abu Dhabi]'s energy currently comes from renewable resources”
(Reiche, 2010). Although Masdar City is an innovative and groundbreaking urban
planning accomplishment, it will likely not influence the sustainability
practices of the UAE as a whole, as the UAE is "one of the most
unsustainable and largest carbon-emitting areas in the world" (Ekblaw et
al., 2009). Because the integrity of Masdar's sustainable practices are
effectively defined by the city limits, this paper comes to a shady area
concerning how sustainability is defined. It is easy to frame an eco-city
within an otherwise unsustainable environment simply by drawing selective
boundaries and implementing selectively restrictive economic policies that
allow only certain types of businesses to set up shop (Ekblaw et al., 2009).
While the development plan for Masdar City is
without a doubt clearly focused on promoting sustainable technologies and
research in the Middle East, one must consider if this investment is for the
sake of the promotion and implementation of sustainable urban planning or in an
effort to rebrand the unsustainable tendencies of the UAE.
4.3 Limitations
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| Night Light Imagery (earthobservatory.nasa.gov) |
5. Conclusion
Abu Dhabi has encountered swift and significant
changes over the last few decades in terms of changes in urban infrastructure,
increased populations, and increased vegetation cover. Unfortunately, this has
been coupled with an increased degree of environmental contamination. The
development of Masdar City broke ground recently, so observed changes have been
slight. However, it will be interesting to observe this area in the years to
come as the development of Masdar City may in many ways mimic the rapid growth
of the city of Abu Dhabi – presumably with less environmental degradation and
pollution. Hopefully, upon completion, Masdar City will exemplify the positive
outcomes of sustainable planning and inspire eco-awareness throughout the
emirate of Abu Dhabi.
* * *
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