[Pil-pc-oceania] Car-free carbon neutral city in the desert

[Robyn Williamson]

Wow Steve!  thanks for the inside info and would be glad to hear more  
as it unfolds especially on the job front.  Sure hope you can make it  
for APC9 but you'll have a helluva big carbon debt to make up for if  
you do.

As a horticulturist, the thing that concerns me most is the water  
(theme of APC9) because I understand it will all be provided by a  
mega-desalination plant or two.  That adds up to a helluva lot of  
carbon emissions when you're watering 20 square kilometres of lawns  
and white roses in 40 (plus) degrees heat.  Don't ask me how come I  
know they love white roses over there, I just know, but of course I  
would prefer if it were date palm guilds.

Oh well, if the sheik is employing so many people I guess it's also  
job creation for sustainable projects which can only be good.

With my best wishes for a successful bid ... Robyn

CONTACT DETAILS:

Robyn Williamson
APC9 Secretariat
info at apc9.org.au
Ph/Fx:  (02) 9629 3560
Mobile:  0409 151 435
http://apc9.org.au



On 12/02/2008, at 12:37 PM, stevehart at maxnet.co.nz wrote:

> This is a pretty amazing subject...I've been in Abu Dhabi since Jan  
> 6th
> working for one of the major global consultancies here that has big
> in-roads on this project an others similar. Like a new capital city to
> blow Canberra away, A new island of 10x2km for the sheiks  
> palace...thats a
> big garden...floor to floor heights of the palace Villa is 14m,  
> then there
> is four Majilis  - meeting villas just for day visitors with similar
> scales. 3000 staff....so there is some major contrasts...to say the  
> least.
>  We have just completed the EIA for the Car Free City to be known as
> Masdar and are now bidding to do the whole shooting match.
> Its interesting in many ways. Yesterday I asked for the term
> "Sustainability" to be defined from the client group....here it  
> generally
> means that if the light goes when ya switch it on then its  
> sustainable.
> The rhetoric is great spin...now they want us to build it...when ya  
> live
> in this desert its realy easy to see how the footprint is  
> 700%.....these
> guys want to bring it down below zero...should get them a copy of the
> great Aussie  movie "Castle".. if anyone would like more details  
> let me
> know. ..I'm trying to get down to APC9 so if I do I may have some more
> news by then....I'll keep ya posted ...Steve Hart,

Carbon neutral City in the Desert..Masdar...Abu Dhabi..UAE
It is quite amazing to try and consider and visualise and then  
attempt to
try and evolve something like this in such a benign ecology....far  
easier
in a warm temperate or temperate anything for that matter  because of  
the
huge resource phenominas...But the Sheiks are doing it none the less  
and I
am searching for professional expertise to build the team if we win
it...So if any of you have an interest in being involved in any
way...including the simple matter of thorough research and analysis...we
will desperately need you...this will extend to ecological economics.
Biotecture will be a big one....I hope you are on this chat room Terry
White we need to hook up...and you too Jason Alexander.
Love the debate so far and a big thanks to you Russ for continuing the
stimulation, hope to catch ya at APC9....if I can get there...Best  
regards
  Steve Hart

I'm putting the final words to our bid to win the design contract to
design and build this city>
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