By NNN-WAM
Abu Dhabi : With the laying of the foundation stone for Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, Abu Dhabi has set a precedent and the pace on a regional and international level, according to a leading UAE daily.
In its editorial comment on the laying of the foundation stone Sunday of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Dubai-based Gulf News said the project “carries with it positive implications on the local, regional as well as global levels” Masdar City will be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. The allocated budget for the development of the entire project is set at Dh81 billion.
“Building the “clean” city will mean the creation of over 70,000 jobs. Abu Dhabi expects to save more than Dh7 billion over the next 25 years as a result of using state-of-the-art technology in Masdar”, said the paper, adding that the magnitude of the project goes beyond mere numerical calculations.
“It will be an environmentally friendly project that has based its foundation on futuristic thinking – that is thinking how best to maximise the use of energy supplies as much as how to make use of it”, the paper said.
The project, the paper concluded, is unquestionably ambitious and forward looking not only in scope but also in the goals it is trying to achieve.
“Surely, Abu Dhabi has set a precedent and the pace on a regional and international level”, it said.