By Sajila Saseendran www.khaleejtimes.com
Dubai has announced a new residential city for Emiratis which will be self-sufficient in terms of resources, transport and energy, said to be the first of its kind in the world.
The ‘Dubai Smart Sustainable City’ was one of many Dubai Municipality projects worth Dh20 billion that were approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday.
An estimated 160,000 people will live in this self-reliant city that will come up near Al Aweer Roundabout, by the time Dubai hosts the World Expo in 2020.
Shaikh Mohammed was briefed about this ambitious project of the Dubai Municipality during his visit to the municipality headquarters.
The Director-General of the Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, and senior officials briefed Shaikh Mohammed on various projects aimed at providing the essence of good life for citizens and residents, and quality facilities and smart services to the public in all areas of the emirate.
Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, also attended the briefing.
The most important of the new plans was the project titled ‘Dubai Smart Sustainable City’ which will be spread across a total area of 14,000 hectares and will be built in the shape of a desert flower.
Surrounded by a green belt, the city will provide 20,000 plots for Emiratis. The roofs of the homes and buildings will be covered with solar panels which will provide 200 megawatts of electricity. The city will also recycle over 40,000 cubic metres of waste water. More info
