{"id":29348,"date":"2023-11-05T13:03:55","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T11:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=29348"},"modified":"2023-11-05T13:03:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T11:03:55","slug":"sustainability-rethinking-the-city-in-the-united-arab-emirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/sustainability-rethinking-the-city-in-the-united-arab-emirates\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability: Rethinking the City in the United Arab Emirates"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many interventions are rooted in the city, and so there is no getting away from trying to understand the urban environment, the history behind how the existing buildings have evolved and how the city sprawled its way from the waterside towards the mainland. In the UAE, a<\/span>rchitecture and design are two fields that have received prominent attention, with a focus on designing energy-efficient, sustainable buildings that reduce carbon emissions and promote the use of renewable energy sources.<\/span><\/h5>\n

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Rana Asfour<\/h4>\n

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The most often quoted definition for sustainability comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development:\u00a0\u201csustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sustainability presumes that resources are finite and should be used\u00a0conservatively and wisely, with a view to long-term priorities and consequences of the\u00a0ways in which resources are deployed. Therefore sustainable practices are those which support long-term health and\u00a0vitality on the ecological, human, and economic levels. In the simplest terms, sustainability is about our children and our grandchildren, and the world they will inherit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figures show that in 1960, Dubai had 40,000 residents, a population that has now risen to just over 3.3 million, a time of exponential growth during which the city has implemented seven versions of its Urban Master Plan. The latest version, \u201cDubai 2040,\u201d encourages use of mass transit, walking and cycling, doubles the land allotted to green and recreational spaces, and preserves 60% of the total area of the Emirate as nature reserves. Thanks to increased wealth, desalination has partly greened the urban landscape, and air conditioning has not only changed the lives of those who live in the country but has invited year-round tourism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ask any Emirati and they will argue that sustainability in the UAE has always been a way of life, whether through the design of the urban alleyways and walkways, compacted walls of the houses, or through the smaller courtyards, always well-shaded, where family members usually gather. This has meant that, over the years, urban architecture seemed to organically organize itself and adapt in ways that allowed people to live in harmony with an environment characterized by mild, warm winters and excruciatingly hot summers, where high temperatures and oppressive humidity build for months, unrelieved by rain.<\/span><\/p>\n