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City planning

Some people are lucky enough to be able to start with a clean sheet. In a number of pilot planning projects around the world, the environment is factored in right from day one. In some places, for instance, not a single building is built without an environmental impact assessment.

Malmö in Sweden has a borough that is the topic of discussion throughout the world. Västra Hamnen is a former industrial area, containing the Kockums shipyard. It all began with the decision to locate the European housing exhibition Bo01 in this area in 2001. The theme was ecological and human sustainability and the Swedish government allocated approximately 250 million Swedish kroner to various environmental initiatives.

Västra Hamnen has focussed strongly on social, ecological and economic durability. The new borough is supplied with energy solely from renewable sources: essentially sun, wind and water together with biogas from waste. A large part of the heating for the area is derived from the sea and from a natural subterranean reservoir. Solar thermal energy is also used. Electricity comes primarily from wind power.

Another example is Masdar City, located 30 kilometres outside Abu Dhabi, with an ambition to attract international attention. Masdar means "source" in Arabic, and the goal is to become a global engine in the development of renewable energy. Masdar City will cover six square kilometres of desert. If everything goes according to plan, 50 000 people and 1 500 companies will be located here from 2015. Masdar will demonstrate that it is possible to live in a sustainable manner while increasing the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants. The principles laid down for the project include: zero emissions, total recycling of waste, sustainable transportation, extensive use of local materials, locally-produced food and sustainable use of water and energy, the latter of which will be obtained from the sun, wind and waste.  

 

Read more:
http://magnusonmedia.net/malmo_tidning/
www.masdarcity.com