Masdar City is an eco-city that’s being built 17 km away from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The project is estimated at $22 billion. It’s based on the principle of responsibility, which means a sustainable environment in the city. This will be achieved by providing energy from renewable sources, minimizing carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, and a complete city waste recycling system.

       The economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is heavily dependent on oil, and a lot of energy is employed on projects such as acclimatised beaches, ski slopes and an ice park in the desert. As a result, cities are being expanded towards the desert. The UAE wanted to invest more in greener energy while at the same time developing new facilities for its citizens. Masdar City was one such initiative, an ecology project in Abu Dhabi, which started construction in 2008. It is being designed by Foster and Partners and built by Masdar, a subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company and sited next to Abu Dhabi International Airport. It is intended that it will host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

      The city was originally intended to be completed by 2016 but, due to the impact of the global financial crisis, the date has now been pushed back to 2020-2025. The first six buildings of the city were completed and occupied in October 2010. The estimated construction cost of the city is between US$18.7 and US$19.8 billion.

      The city is meant for 50,000 inhabitants, but only 300 people live there now. Most of them are students of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

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