Still Moving Toward Ecotopia...

Masdar City is the next experiment in designing an environmental utopia or Ecotopia, coined after the 1975 Ernest Callenbach novel. The 2.3-square mile community will not allow cars and will have narrow pedestrian streets with shaded photovoltaic panels to cool the less than 50,000 people who inhabit it. Masdar City will be fueled by solar energy, will recycle and compost all of its waste and will grow its own food. Water will be supplied from a solar-powered seawater desalinization plant. Food from Masdar City will be grown in the local greenhouse. In short, the municipality will be self sufficient and environmentally efficient. Masdar City is described as a "hub" for academic and corporate research. There have been other ecotopian towns who have served as a platform for ecotopian cities, with mixed results. Although the initial attempts have had issues, I think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It is well known that we need to explore more environmentally sustainable options and start weening ourselves off the traditional methods of energy. It is an established fact that the natural resources we have been depending on for so many years are running out and we are damaging the planet in the process. The knowledge that building and sustaining Masdar city will provided advantages well worth the venture of constructing it.